The team that won the Men’s Volleyball Championship on Tuesday earned the club its first championship in its history. Previously, the silver medal has been achieved five times.
Minna Rosvall,
Arttu Kuivanen
The people are cheering, and the championship team is received with an almost royal welcome. Loimaa has been waiting for this moment.
There is reason to celebrate, because the pride of the locals, Hurrikaani-Loimaa, finally won the brightest medal on Tuesday after defeating Akaa in the fourth final. The Finnish championship is the first in the history of the club founded in 2007.
Loimaain was also among the partygoers Risto Virtanen, who has faithfully followed the team throughout the club’s history. The man has seen all the team’s matches. According to Virtanen, around 500–600 have accumulated.
– Not a single time has been missed, he states.
For Virtanes, volleyball is not just a sport among others. It is a matter of the heart.
The long-dreamed-of championship made the Loimaa man sensitive.
– You can almost say that a tear came to my eye. We finally got that championship, Virtanen is happy.
In the festive mood, the man was accompanied by a yellow folder, which contains newspaper clippings from the ups and downs of the recent championship team’s career over a period of 17 years.
The team’s fresh picture is already decorated with the autographs of the Finnish champions. Virtanen hoped to get autographs in the scrapbook from enthusiastic Hurricane fans at the folk festival.
An athlete’s peak moment and the fulfillment of dreams
Hurrikana-Loimaa to the championship skipper Santeri to the Mediterranean the folk festival right at Loimaa market was a dream come true.
– I myself have watched market fairs on TV. To be honest, I never thought I would experience something like this myself, says Välimaa.
The team has had time to digest the fresh championship for a few days. The long-dreamed-of championship is of great importance to both the team and the small town of around 15,000 inhabitants.
– Yes, the meaning of the championship was already crystallized in the hall after the game, when people with tears in their eyes came to hug and congratulate, Välimaa describes Tuesday’s atmosphere.
Captain Välimaan and the rest of the team kept the square busy signing autographs. There were enough fans, and the queue wound along the market. The age range was from baby to old.
Santeri Välimaa hopes that the championship will also bring new Hurricane stars to the sport.
– A huge number of small volleyball enthusiasts from our junior club can be seen at the games. Hopefully many others will get excited about the sport as a result of this, Välimaa hopes.