SALO. LP Message chopper Pamela Owino shakes a tree branch in the forest next to Salohalli and smiles as the snow falls from the branch to the ground.
Salo’s November blanket of snow still feels exotic to Owino, who is playing his first season outside of Africa.
– This is a really nice little town. The people here are so nice. Coming here is the best thing that has happened to me in my professional career, Owino rejoices.
The Kenyan chopper has made a crushing mark in LP Viest’s attack in the women’s volleyball Championship League in the fall season. Owino dominates the points statistics of the series to his heart’s content.
– Maybe the people here are not used to my way of hitting the ball, because I hit quite the opposite way to most people here, Owino smiles.
With the arrival of 23-year-old Owino, Salo was lucky for Viest, admits the head coach Teemu Mäkikyrö. The club’s already agreed hacking arrangements had fallen through, and the Kenyan, who had recently joined the agent company’s lists, was only offered to the Salo players in July. A couple of minutes of video was enough to convince Mäkikyrö and the sports director Tomi Lemminkäinen.
– It was clear pretty quickly, Mäkikyrö laughs.
Owino represented the Kenyan national team in Paris and continued directly to Sal after the Olympics.
Head coach Mäkikyrö praises Owino especially for his will to win.
– In the coach’s opinion, it is the best quality to always want to win every race, says Mäkikyrö.
– Technically, he may not be that kind of model student, but the jump and the physics are quite tough. With it, you can compensate a little for technical shortcomings.
I missed the message Lotta Kukkonen has been able to notice from a close distance that the high-flying Owino can hit the ball in the field even from more difficult places – and losing is not an option.
– You can throw a pass from anywhere and anytime. He is a really funny and playful guy. I appreciate his will to win a lot.
“Do or Die”
Owino is not tall for a volleyball player, but the 173-centimeter shaft rises to well over three meters thanks to the tremendous effort. It is a special quality that allows you to make an international career in volleyball. The punch also starts hard, even if the trajectory of the hand does not grind to perfection in terms of technique.
Owino’s unique hitting technique and will to win stem from his background. For Owino, who grew up in Kenya near Lake Victoria and the Tanzanian border in the town of Oyugis, sports have not only been a game, but a way to survive.
– I was born in very poor conditions. We had trouble getting along, he says.
Owino’s parents could not afford the youngster’s school fees, but it was possible for athletes to receive scholarships. The current volleyball professional says that he has tried almost all sports. He was excluded from the training of many sports, but then he found a game in which the ball is hit over the net into the opponent’s field.
– I started playing volleyball when I was 16. It’s quite strange, because usually you start playing at a much younger age, Owino laughs.
Owino humbly thanks the people at his school who helped him get started in volleyball training.
– It was like a do-or-die thing for me. I had so many school fees in arrears and we couldn’t pay them. I had to sacrifice myself to get involved in a sport.
Development in volleyball was fast. At the age of 17, Owino rose to the national team level and the following year he graduated from school. When Owino was 19 years old, the corona pandemic stopped international sports, and Owino started his career in the capital Nairobi at Kenya Pipelines. The three seasons brought, among other things, the national championship and the most valuable player award.
Even before moving to Finland, Owino, who played in Africa under the name Pamela Adhiambo, had the opportunity to move abroad. However, the player decided to refuse the transfer to Rwanda. Along with playing, he studied economics at university and graduated with a bachelor’s degree.
Strong performances in Pipelines brought Owino to the Kenyan women’s national team and the competition machine for the Paris Olympics. Sports had not only helped him survive, but had also brought completely new dreams to Owino’s life.
– Playing in the Olympics was my first dream, my second goal was to become a professional. This has been a dream come true. I play as a professional in one of the best countries!
“There’s not even racism here”
Moving outside of Kenya to northern Finland for the first time has not been without culture shocks. However, it has been easier for Hakkur to shine on the field when he has felt welcome both on and off the field.
– It feels like I’ve been in this team for 20 years. My teammates make me feel like I’m really a part of this team, Owino beams.
Even strangers have met Owino with interest and sincerity. In various studies and reports, different results have been obtained on how common racism is in Finland. In the report of the EU Fundamental Rights Agency Finland came out on topwhen people of African descent were asked about racism and discrimination in a comparison of 13 different member states.
It is certain that many people who stand out from the rest of the population by their appearance have experienced racism. For example, an endurance runner of Somali background born in Turku Mustafa Muuse told For newshow he has faced racism throughout his life.
Pamela Owino’s own experience in Finland is positive.
– This is one of the best places I’ve been, like my second home. People treat me so nice here. There is not even racism here, Owino says before he has even been asked about it.
The Kenyan, who has lived in Salo for almost four months, emphasizes that he has not encountered racism even during his game trips around Finland.
– Not in any city. Not even [vastustajajoukkueiden] from the fans, Owino says.
Owino feels that people here like him even more than he remembers.
– Maybe I’m the racist. People want to engage with me, but I’m an introverted person. I like meeting up, but mostly I love to have my own time and just be alone.
In elite sports, we are used to the fact that there are many people from different backgrounds in global sports. Still, racism also occurs in the most global of sports, the world’s most popular game, soccer. Owino does not want to downplay the racism experienced by anyone.
– It’s okay that some people think that there are racist people in Finland. It is their experience. But as for me, so far I haven’t faced racism at all. And I don’t think I will in the future, Owino reflects.
– Maybe people should come to Salo. No racism here, I’m sure of it.
Back to the medals?
Salo also needs the volleyball Champions League victory trophy. LP Viesti has won the Finnish championship a whopping ten times since spring 2009. However, the previous medal is the spring 2021 championship, and the team is once again looking for precious metal in Salohalli’s trophy cabinet after three dry seasons.
– Yes, we have talked about medals. Viesti has a plan to return there among the successful. At least I have a strong hope that the medal will be around my neck in the spring, says passer Lotta Kukkonen.
Viesti got at least a point from its first seven games of the season, but at the end of November, a harsh losing streak hit. However, head coach Teemu Mäkikyrö thinks the team has the potential to become a champion. Mäkikyrö still sees a lot of room for improvement in the playing of Pamela Owino, who is used to slower pace and higher passes in Africa.
– We can speed up the pass a bit and make it a bit more versatile. There are a few individual things, with which we can still improve things a bit, Mäkikyrö mumbles.
The winning and self-confident Pamela Owino also talks about the championship goal. Salo feels like home, even though the Kenyan, who signed a one-season contract and dominates the points market, may soon be called by more lucrative volleyball courts.
– I hope things go well. Let’s see if I’ll be back after this season. I hope so, because I love this place. But if my agent has other plans, then I have to go, says Owino.