Expert Mika Saarelainen sees the future of formation skating as bright, even though last weekend’s World Championships were the third worst ever in Finnish history based on the results.
Timo Uusitalo,
Jouko Vuolle
While the three-time world champion team of recent years, the Russian Team Paradise, has been on the sidelines for the last three World Cup competitions, at the same time, the North Americans have already overtaken some of Finland’s top teams based on the results.
The Canadian Les Supremes skated for the third time in a row in Croatia at the end of last week. The American Haydenettes won silver.
Helsingfors Taitoluisteluklub’s Helsinki Rockettes skated to a bronze medal in the prestigious competition that ended on Sunday, and Helsingfors Skridskoklubb’s Team Unique finished fourth. At last year’s World Championships, the Rockettes still won silver and Team Unique won bronze.
Finland’s slower-than-expected success at the World Figure Skating Championships in Croatia does not herald a crisis Urheilu’s expert Mika Saarelainen by.
– The level of figure skating has risen everywhere, especially in the United States and Canada, not only in Finland. The competition is really even and every tenth is counted, says the expert.
Out of the last eight World Cups, only one championship has come to Finland, when Marigold IceUnity reached the top in 2018 in Stockholm.
– Bronze was a disappointment this year, at least for the team itself, i.e. Helsinki Rockettes. However, it is a World Cup medal – despite the mistake that was included in the program, Saarelainen emphasizes.
Finnish coaches take the sport forward
Finland has been without a World Cup medal in formation skating only twice in history, in 2007 and 2012.
– There will still be medals and at the same time the level has risen everywhere. Personally, I’m really proud of it. This shows that Finnish formation skating is still at the top of the world.
Figure skating has been your tradition in the jumps of a few big countries. Finland, Sweden, the United States and Canada have almost always competed with two teams.
– For example, the Hungarian team was 15th in the World Cup a few years ago, but now it’s already ninth. When the selection of countries expands, it is very welcome for the sport and at the same time for its Olympic hopes. This has previously been one of the reasons why it is not an Olympic sport, the expert reminds.
This year, teams from Germany, Italy and Japan also made it into the top ten of the World Cup. One strong factor for the development of formation skating is the Finnish coaches, who do not hide their knowledge.
– They go around the world sharing the professional skills of the sport, which they have, Saarelainen marvels.
“Almost the same steps as ice dancers”
In the sport, the biggest development has taken place in basic skating and its skating skills.
– This can be seen especially in the step sequences, which have developed tremendously. Sometimes before it was a bit like “dumbing down” to say it with all the love, Saarelainen compares.
After all, figure skating is a young sport. Its World Championships have been organized since 2000.
– Over the course of more than 20 years, speed has developed and it starts specifically from basic skating. It has 16 strong skaters on the ice who do almost the same sets of steps as strong ice dancers, the expert describes.
The future in Finland is secured, as there are around 200 teams in total.
– There are teams of different levels and different ages. I think the vision is really positive, not least because next year the WC home games will be held in Helsinki on 4-5. April 2025. There we are again with the glitter of medals in our eyes. I see only Plus for the future of the sport in Finland, enthuses Saarelainen.
The expert’s judge colleagues are said to look enviously at the selection competitions in Finland and always hope to become judges because here it is always a “mini World Championship”.
– We have such a strong and fierce internal competition that it may even be that last year’s world champion does not get to represent at all the following year. This moves the sport forward. Finns are looked up to and appreciated especially for their artistry but also for their technology.