Ring goalkeeper Hanna Minkkinen dreams of being promoted to the national team and the World Championships. The hip problems that began last fall overshadow the young athlete’s dreams.
Hanna Minkkinen23 years, finishing studies at the University of Helsinki, he is one of the best goalkeepers in the Ringet SM Championship.
In the Finnish Championship series, Kiekko-Espoo, represented by Minkkinen, advanced to the final series.
The next stage awaits at the turn of October-November. After a six-year break, Finland will host the World Championships in the sport, especially in Espoo.
Finland dominates the ring. There have been seven world championships in a row, ie Finland has been number one in the sport since 2004.
Laitilan Jyskeen Maria Perkkola has guarded national team goals in recent years and can be difficult to ignore in selections. Is there a place for a second or third guard?
– Maybe in the first race but not after. It would be so cool to feel at home in the home race, says Minkkinen, who played for the youth national team.
Information about the hip problem took the carpet under her feet
However, the shadow of dreams is a gloomy cloud.
In the autumn, Minkki began to suffer from hip pain. There were severe resting pains after the workouts, and walking was also tight at times. The physiotherapist’s instructions helped with the pain, but there were still nasty whistles in the workouts and games. Magnetic images revealed a structural defect on both sides of the pelvis.
– It left the carpet under my feet. The first week went a bit in shock. I cried quite a lot and digested that what this information now means. Gradually, it was able to internalize and direct energy to rehabilitation.
There is likely to be surgery ahead and up to eight months of rehabilitation before returning to the ice. The timing is still unclear.
Sports psychologist Heli Kaski says there is too little talk about the mental pressures of being injured or ill. Staying aside can cause immense anxiety, the familiar circle of life disappears, goals suffer.
Kaski encourages you to seek professional help.
– An athlete needs mental support – also to be able to mourn a lost thing, Kaski says.
The ethos of the sport is to focus on the drivers of the outcome.
– An athlete can be left alone, even if no one consciously wants to cause it. It would be extremely important for the coach or teammates to be able to stay in touch. Small call, big meaning. It doesn’t take much time, but there comes a feeling that matters.
Hanna Minkkinen has received the support she needs from her team. There have been enough friends.
The dream of the World Cup is alive, but the attitude has changed along the way.
– Korona has already taught her that she enjoys every ice and workout she can do. It’s in every workout with the attitude that this is maybe the last time. One can never know what will happen, when the halls will close, when there will be a Corona or an injury.
– That way, day by day, I train at a time, Minkkinen says.
The final teams in the Ringette Championship Series survived on Sunday. Kiekko-Espoo, represented by Minkkinen, will face Nokian Athletes in the final series.