Biathlon World Cup continues this weekend in Kontiolahti. On Saturday, the men’s sprint at 11:40 a.m. and the women’s sprint at 2:40 p.m. Live broadcasts on TV2, Areena and the application.
The Norwegian man habitually puts on the plush shoulder pads and starts exercising with other men dressed in similar red shirts in the gym at the mouth of the river.
– Next is the berry picker, instructs the Joensuu Wolves player leading the warm-up in Finnish.
The guest does not get confused, but looks at the model from others and follows suit. When he hears what the shop’s name means in English, a look of understanding spreads across his face.
– Ah, that makes sense. This is like picking blueberries.
Erik Bartlett Kulstad there is one smile in the practice of the American football 3-divar team. The sport has been close to Oslo’s heart for more than a decade.
Kulstad, 31, has spent a lot of time in Finland and especially North Karelia during the past six months, as he happens to be the head coach of the Finnish biathlon team.
– American football is an inspiring sport. When I started my university studies, I needed some leisure sports hobby in my life. I had followed American football. However, I was skeptical because I’m not the biggest guy, says Kulstad.
However, Kulstad was encouraged to go to practice, and the sport took off. He played American football up to the Norwegian major league level.
– I fell in love with how the sport is practiced and how important team play is. I wouldn’t say I was good, but I was average. I played for four years. It’s good to have adrenaline in life, says Kulstad.
According to Kulstad, there are interesting parallels between American football and biathlon.
– In both sports, the mentality must be changed quickly. In biathlon, you have to ski hard, but calm your mind before shooting. Yankee football is played at a fast pace, with a high heart rate and adrenaline, but at the same time you have to be able to absorb tactical instructions. There are more similarities than you can imagine.
Follow Einar Björndalen’s teaching in China
During Kulstad’s childhood, young Norwegians did not dream of an NFL career, but skiing had taken over the top of the list of favorite hobbies. Biathlon legends such as Be Einar Björndalen and By Liv Grete Skjelbreidthe influence on the youth was undeniable in the early 2000s.
– In my age group, biathlon started to be very popular. Norway became a real biathlon country during my school days. I grew up cross-country skiing until I got to try biathlon for the first time at the age of 12. I fell in love with it right away. It was exciting and immediately my thing, says Kulstad.
Kulstad achieved success as a biathlon skier in the youth leagues, but did not reach the adult international level. However, his coaching career started quickly as the head coach of cross-country and biathlon at Tromssa Sports High School. For the past three years, Kulstad coached the Chinese national team under the guidance of his youth idol, Ole Einar Björndalen.
– The most important lesson I learned from Ole Einar was that he does everything he can every day to do things better and doesn’t settle for anything. It’s easy to see why he was so good himself. He creates energy around him, says Kulstad.
Kulstad ended up in Finland because he wanted more responsibility as a biathlon coach. His contract is for 1+3 years: the project aims for the 2026 Milan Olympics.
– This is the perfect situation for me. The Finnish team is good. There are some really good athletes and some who are looking for a foothold. This is a perfect opportunity to develop the team and raise its level by a few notches. Hopefully we will have a strong team over time.
Fatherhood and a new job are pleasant challenges
A new kind of challenge can be found at home as well, because Kulstad recently became a father. The little one and his wife live in Norway, where the father, who travels a lot, can also spend a lot of time.
– There have been many changes in my life over the years, so there is nothing new about it. However, this year is certainly a big place for growth, because there is more responsibility both at home and at work. I like new challenges. It has been possible for me to combine a good family life with a high-quality work life, for which I am grateful to the Finnish Biathlon Union, says Kulstad.
Kulstad knew how to expect that Finns are a skiing nation. However, he did not guess how small a sport biathlon is compared to cross-country skiing, which is very popular.
– I expected that the position of biathlon would still be quite strong in Finland, although of course not as strong as in Norway. I hope it can grow to levels with cross-country skiing. Considering how few biathlon skiers there are in Finland, they are quite good. So Finland has been able to bring out talents.
Kulstad would like biathlon to have the same kind of excitement that surrounds American football. The Norwegian is fascinated by how American football has been commercialized in the United States into a massive show business.
– Biathlon is a show in certain places, but I think we could learn from America how to build something big. It’s interesting how overhyped and hyped American football is. In that sense, American culture is cool, says Kulstad.
The first six months built on trust
The familiarization games have been played, and Erik Kulstad’s sleeves are rolled up for his first head coaching season. The World Cup season started this week in Kontiolahti.
– It would be silly for an unknown person to suddenly order and say that things must be done in a certain way. I wanted to get to know the athletes first. I want to make sure the athletes understand me and trust what I say. I feel that they have accepted my instructions, says Kulstad.
Kulstad wants to see development on the scoreboard as well. Especially for shooting, he needs consistency and certainty.
The results in the first week of the World Cup have been promising. After Thursday’s relay races, Urheilu’s expert Ville Kotikumpu estimates that both the women’s and men’s teams have improved since last year.
– The quality of the work is important to me. Many people are able to train a lot, but I think that first you have to get the quality up and only then do more. We have to think about how we approach shooting. Do we always do things the same way or a little bit how it hurts? Today this way and tomorrow a little differently. In shooting, you have to know exactly how to do it, says Kulstad.
The new head coach is meticulous about details
One of the most experienced athletes of the national team Olli Hiidensalo, 31, said at the national team camp at the end of autumn that he was satisfied with the coaching. He estimates that he improved during the training season.
Hiidensalo’s assessment of his development must have been right, as he finished 11th in the Kontiolahti World Cup normal distance in his opening race of the season and achieved the best ranking of his career.
– Erik is a very precise person. He has brought systematicity to the shooting bench. Shooting has started to be broken down into very small parts. Through that, I have been able to hone my shooting faster and better. It’s the biggest benefit I’ve personally experienced, says Hiidensalo.
According to Hiidensalo, the years of cooperation with Ole Einar Björndalen can be seen in Kulstad’s coaching methods. Speed training is different than before.
– There has been significantly more training near the anaerobic threshold now than before. More heart-pounding performances have been made in shooting. I like that there were more competitive shots this training season.
Suvi Minkkinen on the other hand says that Kulstad’s way of breaking the shooting performance into small parts has required some getting used to.
– It is easier for me to focus on the performance as a whole. Erik likes to focus on details. As long as shooting works, it shouldn’t be a problem, Minkkinen states.
According to Minkkinen, the national team athletes have gotten along well with Kulstad.
– It has been refreshing to hear new ideas. He hasn’t done anything groundbreaking, but we’ve gotten more done in the group.