From Norway to the pros: Kaare Vedvik prepared for first CFL start

It has been a long journey for Saskatchewan Roughriders punter Kaare Vedvik – both literally and figuratively.

“You’ve got to figure out what it is what you want to do and then you’ve got to make a decision. This is something I love to do – I love the training and being on a team and meeting new people and being in this type of environment,” he said.

Originally from Stavanger, Norway, Vedvik played a lot of soccer growing up. But there were opportunities for him to play the North American-style of football – something that caught his eye.

“In my city, we had clubs around Norway spread out,” Vedvik said. “Me and my best friend, we wanted to take a foreign exchange (opportunity) in the U.S., and said it would be fun to join a football team before we went out there.”

He spent five to six months with a team in Norway, running routes and trying to be a wide receiver.

The foreign exchange program took him 7,177 kilometres – 4,422 miles – from home to McPherson, Kan., where he joined the high school football team.

While on the team, the coaches decided the best position for him would be kicking the ball. The change eventually led to him playing college football at Marshall.

“When I got to college, I was mainly a field-goal kicker – with my soccer background, field-goal kicking was the most natural to me,” Vedvik said. “To get a starting job at Marshall when I was there, I had to learn how to punt. There was no option to kick – we had three kickers and I was like, ‘I just want to play,’ so I took that challenge and spent a year learning how to punt.”

He didn’t get drafted by an NFL team, but signed as an undrafted free agent with the Baltimore Ravens.

Before the season started, though, Vedvik was assaulted and sent to hospital.

“That was tough. You’re a foreigner in a different country and things are different, society is different. In Norway, we like to say we’re the most peaceful country in the world and the best country in the world. I think some realities hit me back then,” Vedvik said.

“That was hard to deal with but I’m very fortunate I had family – my host family from my foreign exchange are now basically my family – so I’m lucky to say I have a family in the U.S.

“I wasn’t really injured. I had some facial injuries and stuff but nothing serious.”

For Vedvik, the toughest part about recovering was the mental aspect.

“My attitude my entire life has always been no matter what happens, keep a positive outlook,” Vedvik said. “When I woke up at that hospital, I just thought, ‘Oh I’m alive, it’s fine.’ I didn’t even process what had happened and talk it out. Reality sunk in a little bit and it was a little more serious.”

After getting released by the Ravens, Vedvik ended up bouncing around the NFL. During his four seasons south of the border, he signed with eight teams – the Ravens, Minnesota Vikings, New York Jets, Cincinnati Bengals, Buffalo Bills, Carolina Panthers, Washington Football Team, and Jacksonville Jaguars.

“I choose to look at the brighter side of being on eight teams rather than the opposite and see what type of experiences I can take from those places and how they can form me into a better athlete and what I can take from each team and move on,” he said.

“It’s all a part of the journey. I never thought that I was going to be in the States and I never thought I was going to be in the NFL and I never thought I was going to be in Canada.”

The Riders took Vedvik in the second round (14th overall) of the 2021 CFL global draft. Once his opportunities in the NFL ran out, Vedvik was ready to come to Canada.

“I just wanted to play and the Roughriders seemed like a place that they wanted me to come up here and play,” Vedvik said. “I called my agent and said, ‘You know what? I think I’m ready. Let’s go to Canada and play some football.’ ”

Vedvik signed with the Riders on Oct. 10 and just 20 days later is making his first CFL start due to an ankle injury punter Jon Ryan suffered in Saskatchewan’s 20-17 win over the Calgary Stampeders on Oct. 23. The Roughriders are to visit the Montreal Alouettes on Saturday, with kickoff set for 5 p.m.

“He’s got experience, that’s a big thing,” Riders head coach Craig Dickenson said when asked about why Vedvik was getting the start over fellow global punter, Australian Ben Scruton.

“He has kicked in some games before and played at a high level in university and you can tell he’s fairly polished. It will be new to him.

“I’m sure he will be a little nervous but I think he’s going to have a good game. We’re going to do everything we can around him – make sure we protect well and give him a chance to hit a clean ball and see how it goes from there.”

“It’s kind of surreal. I wasn’t really expecting it – Jon Ryan is a phenomenal guy, a phenomenal punter and a phenomenal teammate,” Vedvik added. “(It’s unfortunate) what happened last game but now I’m in a position to go in there, step in and I’m going to do my best.

“I’m excited. I get to go line up and help the team.”