ESPOO. Espoo’s Tapioen Pikatehot group members listen attentively Riikka Pakarinen explanation of your own job description as a sports director. The topic does not raise any further questions among 11-12-year-old athletics school students, but Pakarinen’s own sports background interests them.
– I started athletics when I was 9 years old. My last competitions were the Kaleva Games 2007, the new SUL boss explains.
By the way, he was ninth in the 3,000-meter steeplechase in that competition with a time of 10:53.63.
Pakarinen, who represented Varkaus’ Kenttä-Veikki in his career, nowadays tries to exercise at least four to five times a week. He has arrived at Espoo Tapioen’s training straight from the gym and is now warming up at the Otaniemi sports field with a group of young athletes.
However, after the first few fences, he abandons the fence drills done in the back direction.
– Apparently, these don’t go quite as well as they did during their active days.
The comment “Model from team sports” aroused wonder
Pakarinen was elected chairman of the Sports Association in mid-April, and one essential thing on his promised agenda is the club tours, of which he is now on his first.
– I think it is very important that the leadership of the Finnish Sports Federation also goes to see grassroots activities. We need to be able to talk directly with the clubs about what their biggest pain points are and how the clubs could be made to function even better. And how to encourage volunteers from Talkoo.
– That’s why I travel around Finland to clubs of different sizes. The purpose is to continue the visits as long as I am chairman.
The fact that the first club round is in Espoo is a bit of a coincidence, even though Pakarinen is from Espoo himself. However, the initiative for the visit came from an acquaintance of his Virpi from Utriaiwho works in Espoo’s Tapioi as a coach.
Like Pakarinen, Utriainen has also represented Varkaus Kenttä-Veikki in athletics in his youth, but being of slightly different ages, they had not yet met each other in their home region. It only happened in the corporate world, when both had already moved to Espoo.
– After reading the news about Riika’s election as president of SUL, I sent her a congratulatory message and at the same time suggested that she could start club tours here with us. Riikka replied that the idea is good, would it be next week? And here we are now, Utriainen laughs.
Immediately after his election, Pakarinen commented that athletics clubs should follow the example of team sports. Now there is an opportunity to ask what he actually meant by his somewhat surprising comment?
– In team sports and teams, which I myself have followed quite closely through my own children, you can see a strong team spirit and commitment even in the teams of very young children. I think it creates a good spirit and a sense of togetherness. Even though athletics is an individual sport, in this regard we should strive to bring out community spirit and pride in our club there as well.
“We need a boy project”
As another issue, Pakarinen highlights the marketing of sports. According to him, for example, ice hockey and football clubs are on display in Espoo’s street scene much more than athletics.
– Here we have a lot to learn from team sports. We also have to make ourselves visible.
Pakarinen also hopes that children and young people who stop participating in team sports would not leave sports altogether, but would start athletics at that point.
– Through my children’s hobbies, I have seen how many boys or girls in team sports stop their hobby between the ages of 11 and 14. In team sports, the competition is fierce and in them level groups are formed early on, which partly takes away the enthusiasm from many. However, athletics is a sport of late specialization. You can start in your teens or later. We have seen good examples that even then you can still get very far and even to the top.
Pakarinen says that versatile pursuits are encouraged in athletics. He regrets that in some sports, competition and specialization happen at a very early stage.
– I don’t see it as a good development in terms of society, sports and the development of children and young people.
In Pakarinen’s opinion, athletics needs both new enthusiasts and top-level athletes as role models.
– The situation with the girls is quite good. Between the different sports, we are at the top in the number of enthusiasts. In some clubs, it hasn’t even been possible to get everyone who wants to participate in the activity.
– On the boys’ side, we have problems with the number of enthusiasts. We need some kind of boy project to attract more of them. The competition, especially with team sports, is tough. That’s why I see it as important that cooperation between species is intensified. I think all species will benefit from it.
Does Pakarinen follow Itani’s line?
Pakarinen also gets to take his first steps in competitive walking at the Otaniemi sports field. He says it’s the only track and field he’s never tried before. The walker’s promise of Espoo’s Tapioes has been promised as a guide and style judge Ella Rautawaarawho has already set several Finnish records in different age groups.
– Ground contact!
Rautawaara exclaims and holds up the yellow warning disc as Pakarinen whizzes past him. However, the 14-year-old walk-on talent can’t find anything else to note about the style of the SUL boss, who got a quick introduction to the sport.
Pakarinen has said that he will throw himself into his new position fully, and with a twinkle in his eye, it can be said that at least the “first steps” as chairman are promising. His predecessor Sami Itani promised last summer before the European Championships in Munich to resign if Finland did not get any medals from the Games.
Is Riikka Pakarinen going to follow the same line?
– Sam’s ukaas has already been used. I’m not going to imitate it, but of course you have to bear the responsibility. I support the same responsibility for sports management as in the business world.