Ahvo Taipale, who went out into the world with hope, has sold more Finnish skis in America than anyone else. The retirement dates began in July when the staff bought his company in a million-dollar deal.
HONEYMOON USA’s all-time cross-country skier, Olympic champion and two-time world champion Jessica Diggins I was overcome with joy when I ran into a familiar figure in the center of Ruka.
– Jessie jumped right in and we exchanged news for a long time. The friendship has remained close, he is a great person, he says Ahvo Taipale77.
The reason for the warm hug can be found in the early years of the millennium. Taipale, who settled in St. Paul, Minnesota, about 50 years ago, also worked as a ski coach and sports school manager in the winter state. Again, Diggins, 32, hails from suburban St. Paul.
Part of the success story
– Throughout Jessie’s middle school and high school years, I ran her coaching group’s summer training, with a rather modest compensation and for the joy of helping. He was a very enthusiastic trainee and it has felt good that I have been able to be a part of his success story.
Taipale laughingly recalls a race trip to Norway, where the young Diggins, who had gone from victory to victory in his home country, was far from the top.
– I told Jessie that this is a bit different league than Minnesota. No one always wins here.
Today, Diggins lives in the east coast ski state of Vermont.
A farm boy who grew up in Toivaka visited the USA in the 1960s as part of 4H activities and settled in the country permanently in 1974.
“You won’t make it there”
– Farewells were the style of that time, “you who don’t go to school and don’t know English won’t do well there”, says Taipale, who still regularly visits his hometown.
– On the other hand, I don’t even have a public school certificate, let alone a vocational school. The seminary certificate is the only one.
Taipale got excited to ski and even compete in America, which sparked the idea of a bread tree. In 1978, he founded a sports equipment store called Finn-Sisu, which specialized in skiing equipment.
Taipale also sold a huge amount of Finnish skis, i.e. Bears, Peltos and later Yokos, more than anyone else in North America. In the best winters, two thousand pairs of skis have gone. Many Finnish sticks and creams have also been found on the shelves.
– 3.5 million people live in the St. Paul and Minneapolis area. There are a lot of competitive skiers in colleges, and thousands of kids go to ski schools. Yes, that’s what keeps one skiing specialty store afloat while working around the clock.
Normally, Taipale would be working even now, but in July he sold his company to his staff in a million-dollar deal and began to study the life of a retiree after decades of work-filled life.
– Yes, it was enough to get by. In the early years, when there was still no certainty whether the company would succeed, I did landscaping work on the side. Didn’t watch the clock much then.
Things to do in the homeland
Taipale praises the reputation of Finnish ski equipment in the eyes of American consumers as good, but the old home country also gets some criticism.
– When you have already learned to look at the world through American eyes, the Finns’ ability to sell and market has been left at the very beginning when you compare operations with the USA.
Taipalee has two daughters and a son with his American wife. Another daughter and son live in America. Third child Ritva Mikkonen is a doctor of sports sciences who teaches at the University of Jyväskylä.
Taipale owns a house in Toivaka, and the home is very dear. He donated some years ago, 50,000 euros for the youth of Toivaka. The local big girl Arja Korisevan the family is very familiar.
– When our children were small, there was talk that Arja would come to America to be a maid for us. Then I saw her singing on some TV program and I realized that that girl is not supposed to do the job of a nanny in this life, Taipale laughs.