The Finnish ski jumping and combined national team led by Mika Kojonkoski has been busy for a couple of months. One of the most important pieces of the project is a Dutchman, Pierre Hartmann, who is still unknown to Finns.
Mika Kojonkoski, 59, was named the Finnish ski jumping and combined sports director last spring. Kojonkoski has been working during the summer to get the national team’s coaching and background teams in order, so that the rise towards the top of the sports could begin.
Kojonkoski stresses that an attempt has been made to get “persons suitable for the budget and the operation”.
– The occupations of the six national teams (mountain men, mountain women and mountain youth and combined men, women and youth) are pretty much ready. We are still looking for some roles, explains Kojonkoski.
Dutch Pierre Hartmann, 33, has been named head of the national teams’ maintenance and development team. He plays an important role in the reformed organization, and Kojonkoski wanted to definitely cement him into the four-year project.
– We have a good background group of foreign people in the national team. We are trying to combine resources in maintenance and development activities, both combined and on the hill, and to pay more attention to the development side than before.
According to Kojonkoski, the development side is about a lot more than jump suits, which have been talked about a lot in Finland.
– Skis from the perspective of flying, bindings, skis and wedges that can be put on are integral parts of the equipment development. You really have to be good at this overall if you plan to jump at the international top, Kojonkoski underlines.
Hartmann is Kojonkoski’s discovery
Hartmann is a familiar mountain friend of Kojonkoski from the China project. The Dutchman was the material manager of the Chinese hill country team at the Asian gig and took care of all the related matters.
The Dutchman is a former hill jumper who, according to Kojonkoski, has received a strong education in sports and exercise science. He has gone through the German school both as an athlete and as a coach.
– Pierre has been in various coaching roles; as regional coach in Germany, second coach in China and head coach in Korea. He is a young, smart and motivated guy who has already gained good international experience in hill jumping. Hartmann wants to move forward in his career, says Kojonkoski.
Hartmann leads the development team and is the head coach Janne Väätäinen as the second man in the Mäkimaa team.
In recent years, success in hill jumping has been concentrated in six “big” countries. Norway, Austria, Slovenia, Germany, Poland and Japan have ensured a result that other countries – including Finland – can only dream of.
Kojonkoski justifies the difference with, among other things, resources that grow with visibility.
– Financial resources are not competitive. For example, Finland has a fifth less resources available than the leading countries.
Mäki and the combined back team have a huge load on their necks
Kojonkoski says that if Finland had more resources, people’s work input would not be distributed as it is done now.
– We consider at this point that it (decentralization of people’s work) is necessary if we are going to get ahead and compete with the leading countries.
– I hope that this effort of ours will bear fruit. It may well take a couple of years. After that, we need to be able to correct job descriptions and humanize the workload.
The new sports director has immediately set tough goals. In four years, Finland should no longer be a withering ski jumping country. The blue and white colors should have returned to the elite by then.
– Of course, the goal is extremely tough. However, elite sports are similar in that you have to aim for high things and set the bar high, Kojonkoski reasons.
– You have to aim to do “excellent” and not be shy at all. We don’t set completely unreasonable goals. Whether it is realistic (to reach the top in four years), only time will tell. We believe in our goal.
On the equipment side, Finland has a team of three guys, two of whom work in Finland. Jouni Kaitainenwho at the same time coaches at the Lahti center and Janne Happonen, which affects Kuopio. The production of the suits is managed by a Frenchman Frederic Zozwhich has been with Finland for a couple of years already.
On the United side, the new coaches are at the lathe Antti Kuisma and Lauri Asikainen, who lead the A national team. The coaching duo continues Petter Kukkonen the work left behind and strives to find even better hill condition in the new, joint project.
Janne Väätäinen is in charge of hill jumping. He is assisted by quite an international group, while the Slovenian guardian acts in the background Andraz Pograjc and physical therapist Bostjan Ahacic as well as the French costume master Zoz and now also the second trainer, multitasker Hartmann.
– We haven’t gone backwards in ten years in coaching, but others have moved forward at a better pace. We now want to join that fight, Kojonkoski says.
The sports director also oversees the coaching line
Regarding his own role as ski jumping and combined sport director, Kojonkoski says that his job description is constantly evolving. Coaching is, however, his focus.
– My task is to build a Finnish line together with the coaches. I do it with overalls on and I’m involved in the exercises a lot. A lot of discussions, which the athletes and coaches have received very well. This is perhaps my strength and my passion, that I also get to coach.
Kojonkoski believes that in the coming season the general public will already see clear signs that Finnish ski jumping and combined have taken steps upwards.
– I expect that we will be stronger as a team. The united side is not alone Ilkka Herola, and there isn’t just one on the hill team that appears in the finals. This kind of thing motivates athletes and all of us.
Next weekend, the ski jumping summer GP season starts in Wisla, Poland. The weekend starts on Friday with the qualifiers, the actual competition jumps are jumped on Saturday and Sunday.
Antti Aalto misses out due to illness, but they are there Niko Kytösaho, Eetu Nousiainen and Eetu Meriläinen. Jumping from the women’s national team in Wisla Jenny Rautionaho.