Finnish skating news, 2018 onwards

[Finnice]

Europeans team announced.
Ladies Peltonen, Saarinen, Ceder subs Sula, Stolt, Ounasvuori
Men Galay, s Virtanen
Ice dance Orihara/Pirinen, s Turkkila/Versluis

 

[Sylvia]

Europeans team announced.
Ladies Peltonen, Saarinen, Ceder subs Sula, Stolt, Ounasvuori
Men Galay, s Virtanen
Ice dance Orihara/Pirinen, s Turkkila/Versluis

Thank you! Here's the press release: https://www.stll.fi/2019/12/18/em-joukkue-on-nimetty-4/

 

[nimi]

The new jr champ Nella Pelkonen is the sole figure skater in the Finnish YOG team (52 athletes total):

Suomen joukkue - Suomen Olympiakomitea

Suomen joukkue, nuorten talviolympialaiset, Lausanne, Sveitsi, 9.-22.1.2020 Suomen joukkueen esite Jääkiekko, 16-vuotiaiden maajoukkue (17 pelaajaa, kaikki syntyneet 2004) Maalivahdit 1 Topias Leinonen, JYP Jyväskylä 30 Niklas Kokko, Kärpät Oulu Puolustajat 2 Thomas Grönlund, HIFK Helsinki 3...

www.olympiakomitea.fi

YOG thread on GSD:

2020 Winter Youth Olympic Games, January 9-22 in Lausanne, Switzerland

Published by the ISU on April 3, 2019: https://www.isu.org/isu-news/news/145-news/12576-provisional-and-final-quota-places-for-the-2020-winter-youth-olympic-games?templateParam=15 The third edition of the Winter Youth Olympic Games (YOG) will take place from Thursday, January 9 to Wednesday...

www.fsuniverse.net

 

[ldec]

Back in November, I had the chance to interview Kiira Korpi for my blog. As some of you may know, after the end of her skating career, she became active as an advocate for ethical sports education and fair and safe treatment of athletes and children. She has a strong media presence in Finland, which provides an outlet for her activism work, and has also been quite active on social media, bringing awareness on a variety of common problems in the sport including: unethical training methods, the exploitation of athletes, eating disorders, abuse in sports on all levels, etc. In the recent past, she was also interviewed about her work and views by a few notable publications such as ISU Development projects, Sport Express and TSL.

In the interview below, we discuss how and why she decided to pursue this path, what are some of the most common systemic problems plaguing sports (not only figure skating!), how they impair athletes and their progress, why questionable and abusive behaviors from authority go swept under the rug, and why is it important for everyone (athletes, coaches, experts, fans) to question this status quo.

Kiira has had a very long career in figure skating herself and possesses first-hand insight on the flaws of the system. She is deeply knowledgeable on how organized sports works and the roots of the problems, and shares some of the struggles she herself experienced during her career as an elite figure skater, and how she has grown as a person since then. She also brings insight into possible solutions on how to transform the training process so that the wellbeing of the athlete, both physical and mental, is prioritized.

Part 1: http://frozenintime.tk/interview-with-kiira-korpi-part-1/
Part 2: http://frozenintime.tk/interview-with-kiira-korpi-part-2/

Cross-posting here from another thread for everyone who has not seen it yet. An interview with Kiira Korpi in which she shares a lot of invaluable insight on the flaws of the sporting system (including Finland).

 

[Elka]

All three Finnish Senior ice dance couples will be taking part in Egna Dance Trophy in February 7.-9.

 

[nimi]

ICYMI: A couple of days ago, an abusive synchro coach (the head coach of Team Unique) was issued a 1-year competition ban by Fed's newly instituted disciplinary board.

Kurinpitolautakunnan päätös koskien valmentajien epäasiallista käyttäytymistä - Suomen Taitoluisteluliitto ry

Suomen Taitoluisteluliiton kurinpitolautakunta on 17.1.2020 antanut päätöksen valmentajien epäasiallisesta käyttäytymisestä. Päätös koskee kahta valmentajaa.

www.stll.fi

https://www.stll.fi/2020/01/20/tiedote-koskien-valmentajan-epaasiallista-kaytosta/

Plenty of media coverage followed and several prominent politicians chimed in.

Li Andersson on Twitter

“Kiitos @kiirakorpi_fi tästä painokkaasta kannanotosta. Kenenkään ei pitäisi joutua henkisen tai fyysisen väkivallan uhriksi. Meidän pitää pystyä nykyistä paremmin takaamaan mahdollisuus harrastaa turvallisessa ympäristössä kaikille lapsille ja nuorille. https://t.co/o2ePUEkPBu”

twitter.com

Paavo Arhinmäki on Twitter

“Olen pyytänyt valtion liikuntaneuvoston seuraavan kokouksen esityslistalle tämän asian. Meidän pitää yhdessä OKM:n, SUEK:n ja OK:n kanssa pohtia, miten jokaisessa seurassa ja liitossa on selvät toimintamallit häirintää ja epäasiallista käytöstä ilmetessä. https://t.co/WNEx7UouRe”

twitter.com

Hanna Kosonen on Twitter

“Jokaisella lapsella ja nuorella on oltava oikeus turvalliseen harrastamiseen. Ehdoton nollalinja epäasialliselle kohtelulle. Aihetta on tärkeää pitää esillä ja toimia jokainen tahollamme. Blogini syyskuulta. #liikunta #turvallisuus https://t.co/gqMDEoIily”

twitter.com

Today the club announced it has suspended her.

https://www.stll.fi/2020/01/20/tapaus-epaasiallinen-kaytos-tyonantajaseura-on-siirtanyt-valmentajan-toistaiseksi-sivuun-tyotehtavistaan/

More info in the abusive training environments thread.

 

[nimi]

Well, aside from Roman having back pain and bad spins and Jenni having a bad short program day and neither qualifying for the FS, Team Finland did really well at Euros! Emmi and Linnea both posted new ISU PBs (181.79 and 166.16) and secured 2 spots for 2021. O/P made the FD and probably skated the best I've ever seen them, even though the scoring didn't reflect that. Congrats!

http://www.isuresults.com/results/season1920/ec2020/

Emmi not only got a career best Euros placement, but her score is half a point higher than Jenni's SB from Finlandia (181.20). This means Emmi is now the frontrunner for the sole Worlds spot. I just checked and Jenni is on the entry list for The Nordics, so she can try to improve her SB there.

Emmi Peltonen. 2020 European Figure Skating Championships. SP

youtu.be

ETA: Linnea's FS + Emmi's FS & comments

“My free skate was OK,” said the three-time national champion. “It just had two mistakes I am not proud of, because I know I can do it usually. I am happy, though, with my Lutz and the triple (toe)-triple (toe) combination. This is my first year with this free skate, so it’s all about getting more and more into it. I really love this free, and I enjoy my skate every time I go out. It was a really good moment here. I have been working on staying more calm and to trust what I can do. I always wanted to attack. The younger me was always attacking the jumps and then they were all over the place.”

ETA2: O/P RD & O/P FD & quick quotes

Yuka Orihara/Juho Pirinen (FIN), 2020 National Champions
Pirinen: We couldn’t believe in the first season together we would compete at the Europeans. It’s a great
experience and we are having a great time here. We are so proud with what we achieved in such a short
time. (on the goals) To get used to each other we are not used yet and we are learning every day (on
speaking Russian) I had Russian coaches as a single skater for 10 years and I started speaking to them
and that’s how I learned it.
Orihara: (on Finnish citizenship) We are applying for the visa for training in Finland but I haven’t yet thought
about the nationality.

 

[VarBar]

Emmi Peltonen is such a lovely skater. She has great interpretive skills and beautiful edge quality. Her programs were my favorites at Europeans.

 

[Hanna]

Emmi Peltonen is such a lovely skater. She has great interpretive skills and beautiful edge quality. Her programs were my favorites at Europeans.

It was nice to see her live up to her enormous potential, even just once.

I have replayed that lutz several times and am still about the GOE. I mean, 0 from a couple of judges? I realize that glide into it was liashenkoesque but that jump was SO high and with beautiful air position, and also a nice landing.

 

[Finnice]

Just re-watched her FS. Ridiculous judging.

 

[binbinwinwin]

Emmi not only got a career best Euros placement, but her score is half a point higher than Jenni's SB from Finlandia (181.20). This means Emmi is now the frontrunner for the sole Worlds spot. I just checked and Jenni is on the entry list for The Nordics, so she can try to improve her SB there.

Emmi and Jenni (along with Viveca, is she ready for this season?) are also both listed for Challenge Cup 2020 in Hague, Netherlands on Feb 20-23.

Emmi is one of my fav favourite talents currently competing, if only she was more consistent, she is brimming with potential.

 

[nimi]

Emmi and Jenni (along with Viveca, is she ready for this season?) are also both listed for Challenge Cup 2020 in Hague, Netherlands on Feb 20-23.

Viveca is not on the Fed's lists of entries for Challenge Cup anymore.

However, she's listed for Coupe du Printemps in mid-March and Triglav Trophy in early April. So, it looks like she's not gunning for the Worlds spot this season (understandably) but is still hoping to compete & get some WS points before the season ends.

Tapahtumakalenteri - Suomen Taitoluisteluliitto ry

www.stll.fi

 

[nimi]

SkatingFinland on Twitter

“Glad to see Juulia Turkkila and Matthias Versluis back on the ice! Turkkila & Versluis 2nd at Egna Dance Trophy after RD with score 73,65. Yuka Orihara & Juho Pirinen 5th with score 70,76 and Arina Klinovitskaya & Jussiville Partanen 9th with score 56,41. #skatingfinland”

twitter.com

It was good to see T/V finally making their season debut! Skoptsova/Aleshin lead after the RD but T/V are only half a point behind and were awarded the highest PCS. The YT stream is still up as of writing this, T/V start around the 21 min mark.
Egna RD protocol

Meanwhile at the Nordics, Emmi skated a solid SP and is the leader (67.28). Jenni popped her flip so she's pretty far behind (4th, 54.76)
Nordics Ladies SP protocol

Update: Jenni skated a decent long program and won the FS whereas Emmi was a bit of a mess, but managed to stay ahead of Jenni in overall results and is still the front-runner for the Worlds spot. Whereas T/V just won the Egna Dance Trophy over the likes of Galyavieva/Thauron and Müller/Dieck (who finished ahead of O/P at Euros) and also now have the highest SB (182.88) amongst Finnish dance teams.
3 Finnish ladies at the Nordics (2nd warm-up group): https://youtu.be/w_X2s0q2NI8
O/P vs. T/V in Egna: https://youtu.be/9b7cvIaI7gI

 

[nimi]

I was wondering why it was Vera Stolt who got the JWC spot and not Linnea Ceder who did well at Euros and has a higher SB, but it turns out Linnea's season is over because of a back injury. I hope it's not as bad as Viveca's, but Linnea has had back issues before so...

Keski-Uusimaa: selkävaivat päättävät upeasti EM-taitoluistelussa debytoineen Linnea Cederin kauden

17-vuotias kärsii tietojen mukaan selän rasitusvammasta.

yle.fi

 

[Elka]

Viveca Lindfors just told on National TV that her injuries have healed and she is going to continue her skating career.

 

[AngieNikodinovLove (ANL)]

Viveca Lindfors just told on National TV that her injuries have healed and she is going to continue her skating career.

YAYYYYYYY

 

[Sylvia]

Anne Fagerström, Competition Manager of the Finnish Figure Skating Association
“BUILDING A RACE CALENDAR IS LIKE MAKING A PUZZLE” (July 1, 2020):

Taitoluistelun kilpailukalenteri syntyy monesta palasesta - SkatingFinland

Uuden kilpailukauden kynnyksellä yksi mieltä askarruttavimmista aiheista taitoluistelupiireissä on seuraavan kauden kilpailukalenteri.

www.skatingfinland.fi

2020-21 Competition calendar (as of 30 April): https://www.stll.fi/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2020/04/2020-2021-Kilpailukalenteri-.pdf

ETA:

This is the website of the arena in Espoo where Finlandia Trophy is scheduled to take place in October: https://www.metroareena.fi/

 

[ioana]

Viveca Lindfors is moving on from competitive skating, after 16 years. Think she was hoping her injuries/health issues would allow her to come back, but looks like that wasn't the case. Best of luck to her in whatever comes next.

Login • Instagram

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www.instagram.com

 

[her grace]

Sad to see her go. I admired her grit. Best wishes for her future.

 

[Elka]

It was in the news that her back has not been healed in such a way that training as a competitive skate could be possible. She also got accepted into university.

 

[Sylvia]

Skate Finland's press release today:

Viveca Lindfors päättää uransa - Suomen Taitoluisteluliitto ry

Viveca Lindfors päättää uransa

www.stll.fi

GSD thread: https://www.fsuniverse.net/forum/threads/viveca-lindfors-fin-21-yrs-announces-her-retirement.107431/

 

[kwanfan1818]

I'll miss her, but wish Lindfors the best in whatever her future holds. (And I hope her back heals over time.)

 

[Gris]

Recently during the 16th Beijing International Sports Film Week, Jään vetovoima (Reflecting Ice), a documentary of the dance couple Olesia Karmi / Max Lindholm was shown and is now available online with English & Chinese subtitles.

https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1d64y1F78c?p=2

 

[alj5]

There is something sad about this documentary. This sport is at once so beautiful and so unforgiving.

 

[Fairuza]

Finlandia Trophy Espoo is cancelled, they are looking into ways of setting a virtual competition

Finlandia Trophy Espoo is canceled; The Finnish Figure Skating Association wants to organize the competition virtually - Finlandia Trophy

Due to the current COVID-19 situation, Finnish government has decided to further tighten the travel restrictions. As a result, Finnish Figure Skating Association (FFSA) board made a decision to cancel the Finlandia Trophy Espoo in the form it has been admitted to it. The traditional competition...

www.finlandiatrophy.com

 

[Kelvster]

Recently during the 16th Beijing International Sports Film Week, Jään vetovoima (Reflecting Ice), a documentary of the dance couple Olesia Karmi / Max Lindholm was shown and is now available online with English & Chinese subtitles.

https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1d64y1F78c?p=2

Thank you so much! Wonderful documentary ...there's so much beauty in the sport, but sometimes it all just disappears so suddenly.
But I do have a stupid question. Are they now a couple off the ice?

 

[Finnice]

Yes, Kelvster.

 

[Kelvster]

Oh wow .. I assume they only became a couple after 2016, when they split up temporarily.
So yeah, not all is lost. They can always look back and reflect upon the better memories. And there are simply so many out there who will never get the opportunity to compete at Europeans & Worlds.
And I like the ending v. much - Olesia was so cute when she talked about her kids learning something from her. With such beautiful basics Olesia is able to inspire the next generation of Finnish skaters I'm sure!

 

[Elka]

Yes, Kelvster.

Are you sure? AFAIK it was on and off.

 

[Sylvia]

9/16/2020
The Figure Skating Association will be showing competitions in streaming services in the upcoming season
The Finnish Figure Skating Association wants to increase the visibility of the sport in various channels and target groups this season as well, and will stream several competition events.

Taitoluisteluliitto näyttää alkavalla kaudella kisoja suoratoistopalveluissa - Suomen Taitoluisteluliitto ry

Taitoluisteluliitto näyttää kilpailuja suoratoistona

www.stll.fi

The above events are shown streaming to the Finnish Figure Skating Association in their own SkatingFinland.fi/live - channel, where you can also find links to broadcasts and messages Screen + channel . The broadcasts of the SkatingFinland.fi/live channel are visible all over the world, Ruutu + is shown in Finland. Both channels are payable to the viewer. On the SkatingFinland.fi channel of the Figure Skating Association, you can redeem the viewing right for the entire season for 34.99 euros. It includes all the above events. The price of the Ruutu + channel is 9.95 euros / month.
According to current information, the Finnish Championships in solo skating and ice dancing (juniors / seniors) and figure skating (juniors / seniors / novices) as well as the Marie Lundmark competition in the Challenger series will also appear on Yle's channels as compilations.