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Flight #5342: I Will Remember You
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Finnish TV story on Kyrylo Marsak (some English spoken by Dr. Valtter V. & Alina Mayer-Virtanen in this clip):
areena.yle.fi
Translated/recapped in this 16-post X thread (copied out below):
Kyrylo: My dad is at the front. I don't know exactly where. I also don't know what the situation there is. I'm really worried about him. This is a difficult topic for me.
When he glides onto the ice, he thinks about his dad, a soldier, who sent his son a song about the bond between father and son. Now the song is Kyrylo's short program music.
Soon after the war began in 2022, Valtter and Alina invited him to train in Peurunka, Finland.
He came for a summer camp and stayed permanently, becoming a member of the Finnish-German family.
Valtter: It comes from her side. She has been growing up in this kind of a really open-minded and helping family.
Kyrylo: They have helped me a lot, and they still do.
Kyrylo: I can't put into words how much it means to me. There is a really strong bond between us.
Alina: He has a big heart. Our daughter Lija calls him her big Brother. She kind of adopted him right away.
Valtter: I wanted to have a second kid, and now Lija has a brother. Not exactly what I was thinking but maybe it counts.
The written version of the story: https://yle.fi/a/74-20204669
The last time Kyrylo saw his dad was last April at Ukrainian Nationals in Bohuslav.
Andrij Marsak got a couple of weeks off from the army for his son's competition. Kyrylo says the trip most likely saved his dad's life. "When he left for the comp, the situation at the front was fine. It changed quickly though, and many of his comrades died in an attack."
The start of the war in February 2022 was a shock to the Virtanen family. They collected clothes, medicine and other supplies to trucks for Ukraine and helped refugees who came to Finland. Valtter and Alina also had a strong urge to do something for fellow skaters.
Valtter remembered how an Ukrainian junior skater had caught his attention at a competition. "Kyrylo already did 3A, but otherwise his skating left something to be desired. We arranged summer camps where we invited coaches from all around Europe."
"We thought it'd be a good chance for Kyrylo to prepare for the season."
The Virtanens offered him a chance to train for free. Kyrylo stayed at her parents, who had moved from Germany to Finland to be close to their daughter. Soon he asked if he could stay for longer.
The start was not easy. Kyrylo, a teenager, only spoke a little English, and the life in a new country felt weird. "I lived the first couple of years at Alina's parents. Her mom only speaks German, which I didn't know one word of when I first came to Finland. "
Also the Virtanens had to adapt to a new member in the family. Valtter: "At one point I gave Kyrylo the nickname Flash, because he always kept me waiting. After practice I had to hurry to work, but it took him forever to take off his skates."
Valtter, 38, admits that it was not easy, as a competitive athlete, to watch the newly arrived youngster climb higher in the scoreboard. "We supported him also financially. At competitions I sometimes asked myself what I was actually doing."
"I'm a competitor, and I'm helping my rival who is beating me. That phase made me grow as a human being. I understood that we're talking about things bigger than sport."
At the Olympic qualifier (Chinese Nebelhorn), Marsak secured a spot for Milan, while Valtter didn't.
Valtter was the first to congratulate and celebrate Marsak's once-in-a-lifetime moment.
Alina: "That tells a lot about their relationship. Even though Valtter's performance was not the best, he was genuinely happy for Kyrylo."
Smilingly, Marsak says he's been growing more and more Finnish. "I like to be by myself at home. At first I didn't understand why people act like they do, but now I understand Finns and respect their need for personal space."
The teen who was lost has grown into an independent and responsible adult. Alina: "He is a family member to my parents and to my sisters too. He spends Xmas with us and we take him everywhere we go." (16/16)
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Translated/recapped in this 16-post X thread (copied out below):
Kyrylo: My dad is at the front. I don't know exactly where. I also don't know what the situation there is. I'm really worried about him. This is a difficult topic for me.
When he glides onto the ice, he thinks about his dad, a soldier, who sent his son a song about the bond between father and son. Now the song is Kyrylo's short program music.
Soon after the war began in 2022, Valtter and Alina invited him to train in Peurunka, Finland.
He came for a summer camp and stayed permanently, becoming a member of the Finnish-German family.
Valtter: It comes from her side. She has been growing up in this kind of a really open-minded and helping family.
Kyrylo: They have helped me a lot, and they still do.
Kyrylo: I can't put into words how much it means to me. There is a really strong bond between us.
Alina: He has a big heart. Our daughter Lija calls him her big Brother. She kind of adopted him right away.
Valtter: I wanted to have a second kid, and now Lija has a brother. Not exactly what I was thinking but maybe it counts.
The written version of the story: https://yle.fi/a/74-20204669
The last time Kyrylo saw his dad was last April at Ukrainian Nationals in Bohuslav.
Andrij Marsak got a couple of weeks off from the army for his son's competition. Kyrylo says the trip most likely saved his dad's life. "When he left for the comp, the situation at the front was fine. It changed quickly though, and many of his comrades died in an attack."
The start of the war in February 2022 was a shock to the Virtanen family. They collected clothes, medicine and other supplies to trucks for Ukraine and helped refugees who came to Finland. Valtter and Alina also had a strong urge to do something for fellow skaters.
Valtter remembered how an Ukrainian junior skater had caught his attention at a competition. "Kyrylo already did 3A, but otherwise his skating left something to be desired. We arranged summer camps where we invited coaches from all around Europe."
"We thought it'd be a good chance for Kyrylo to prepare for the season."
The Virtanens offered him a chance to train for free. Kyrylo stayed at her parents, who had moved from Germany to Finland to be close to their daughter. Soon he asked if he could stay for longer.
The start was not easy. Kyrylo, a teenager, only spoke a little English, and the life in a new country felt weird. "I lived the first couple of years at Alina's parents. Her mom only speaks German, which I didn't know one word of when I first came to Finland. "
Also the Virtanens had to adapt to a new member in the family. Valtter: "At one point I gave Kyrylo the nickname Flash, because he always kept me waiting. After practice I had to hurry to work, but it took him forever to take off his skates."
Valtter, 38, admits that it was not easy, as a competitive athlete, to watch the newly arrived youngster climb higher in the scoreboard. "We supported him also financially. At competitions I sometimes asked myself what I was actually doing."
"I'm a competitor, and I'm helping my rival who is beating me. That phase made me grow as a human being. I understood that we're talking about things bigger than sport."
At the Olympic qualifier (Chinese Nebelhorn), Marsak secured a spot for Milan, while Valtter didn't.
Valtter was the first to congratulate and celebrate Marsak's once-in-a-lifetime moment.
Alina: "That tells a lot about their relationship. Even though Valtter's performance was not the best, he was genuinely happy for Kyrylo."
Smilingly, Marsak says he's been growing more and more Finnish. "I like to be by myself at home. At first I didn't understand why people act like they do, but now I understand Finns and respect their need for personal space."
The teen who was lost has grown into an independent and responsible adult. Alina: "He is a family member to my parents and to my sisters too. He spends Xmas with us and we take him everywhere we go." (16/16)
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