The Finnish Skiing Cup will be shown on the channels this weekend. Saturday’s sprints from 11:55 on TV2, Areena and the app. On Sunday, the program includes relays at 11:55 (women) and 1:05 p.m. (men).
The Ahonte family of six is rarely together, but now there is a good reason for it.
In Åland, in October, during the skiing season, the parents’ 30th wedding anniversary and father Kari’s 70th birthday were celebrated. Not because this family has spent a rare amount of time in each other’s company.
Children Ville, Apo, Anni and Ollie have all enjoyed cross-country skiing and father has coached.
– From work to home via the store, three plastic bags of food and drink. To eat, rest, exercise and sleep, Kari Ahonen describes the everyday life of his family when the children were younger.
Anni and Aapo no longer ski competitively, but the family’s firstborn, Ville, 29, has reached the national team and Olli, 24, skis in the B national team. The children of the family from Imatra now live on their own in different parts of Finland, and family support is no longer everything. Still, children appreciate their parents’ sacrifices.
– The parents have been a really big support from the beginning and inspired me to get involved in this sport, Ville describes.
– I feel really grateful, Olli continues.
The father still coaches his sons and even though Ville lives in Espoo and Olli in Kuopio today, the connection to Imatra has not been broken.
– We still call our father every day and go over how the exercises have gone, the brothers explain.
Up to 30,000 euros per year for children’s hobbies
Having four children who play sports has naturally been an expensive endeavor. In the Ahosten family, no euros have been spared when the children have been taken to camps and competitions. At worst, 20,000–30,000 euros per year have been sunk into the children’s hobbies.
– Both parents worked, but the loan has also been taken out, says Kari Ahonen.
Ahonen emphasizes that they could have gotten in cheaper if they wanted to, but the family consciously invested in, for example, their children’s camping. Besides, children’s hobbies have also given parents a lot – and still do.
– It may not be visible to me on the track, but the excitement of emotions even in the face of losses and failures is very empowering, Ahonen describes.
“Losing to a little brother always hurts”
– As children, they sometimes competed quite bloody, Kari Ahonen sighs.
According to Ville and Olli, games and games easily turned into wrestling as children, and the third brother Aapo also participated in that.
– It was seriously twisted, Olli laughs.
The father is no longer needed as a referee, but the brotherly rivalry has remained.
– It’s a driving force, not wanting to lose to the little brother. Losing to Olli always hurts, Ville explains.
So far, Ville has been more successful, but a few times the big brother has had to say that his little brother is better.
This happened, for example, last fall in the Finnish Cup sprint in Taivalkoski.
– If Villen wins, it usually has gone pretty well, Olli smiles.
– But those times are quite rare, at least in skiing, he adds.
Even though it’s annoying to watch someone else’s heels, having a big brother who skis is above all useful.
– Ville has set the bar high, he has been a role model for me. And not only in skiing, but in every matter. It has been an example of what to aim for and preferably over, Olli describes.
Three jumps and relay races
Ahosten’s childhood and youth included many hobbies other than skiing. Both also played track and field until their twenties.
Olli’s best sports were javelin and jumping, Ville even has a junior championship medal in the triple jump. Today’s cross-country skiing is a great joy in athletics that require fast power output.
– In today’s skiing, it plays a pretty big role in being able to produce a momentary hard power. The power output of the legs has already been learned as a child in such a way that it serves well for shift skiing, Ville explains.
So it’s no wonder that both Ahonen brothers’ sport of bravado in skiing is the traditional sprint. In that, Ville reached no less than tenth in last winter’s World Championships. This winter there are no value races, so both goals are aimed at the World Cup.
– If you could go around it regularly, Olli would start.
– In the traditional sprints, a place in the semi-finals should be secured. Then, even in the light of the probabilities, there would be better chances to reach the final, Ville continues with his own goals.
Before the start of the World Cup, the brothers will ski in the relay team of Imatra athletes in the Finnish Cup in Vuokatti. The club won the relay cup last year, and for the national team skiers touring the World Cup, that is no small feat.
– There are a couple of other hard skiers and we have welded together well. We are looking forward to the relay races of the Finnish Cup, they will be tough.