New Urheilulehti again. Pekka's comments about the last issue's critic and very telling top ten list.
Main things from Pekka's interview:
-This is long term project, should not be judged because one year.
-Better season than last one was. (Though the article mentions that many would not agree.)
-Ville's and Havu's injuries explain a lot. (Reporter reminds that a cynic would say, that Ville and Havu were mostly out also a season before, Havu due being still recovering, Ville due big civil life changes and later injury.)
-Those who trained in his program did well, those who not, did not.
-Kalle is not categorically out of the team, but reason for his good summer was that others were not in their top shape yet because it was summer. (Does Kempten really be located on the southern hemisphere, so Kalle had a winter while all the others were having summer? :hÀh
Kalle should also change things a lot and living in German and training there will make it very difficult for him to make it.
-While it is very important how athlete works at the table, things concerning flying are coming more and more important. (He doesn't sound too interested about that study about the importance of acceleration in the table. It is more "yeah, yeah, of course the work on the table are important, BUT...")
-Pekka also explains Oslo being worse than Vancouver with Rane not being the same Rane than year before. (But if I remember correctly, Rane for example was not taking part on the Team event in Vancouver and in Team events you can see the biggest collapse. And Rane's bad season was not because of an old age or something like that, it was because his training didn't work for the reason or other and that is something also a head coach should take some responsibility.) Pekka doesn't mention Hapa at all, but the reporter does and mentions Hapa's mental problems as a part of the reason the season was so bad (and straightforwardly calls them mental problems, not personal issues, or motivational problems or just quitting.)
The top ten list is "Vuoden murheilijat." It's a word play. "Vuoden urheilijat" would translate "The Athletes of the Year." When you put that one 'm' more there, it changes to something like "The problem/sorrow children of the year." It handles whole Finnish sport and it's very telling, that to that top ten, we have three ski jumping related persons and one combi. And they kind of do earn that
-Hannu Manninen is top 2 because his lack of dedication for the sport.
-Rane is top 5 because of his bad timing of the career end (should have ended without having this kind of season in the end)
-Hapa is top 6 because of "Still the best ski jumper in Finland even though has concentrated last months to philosophical contemplation. And that is woeful." So you can read it in two ways. It's either woeful, that Hapa has quitted and is having problems or that even though he has quitted and is having all those problems he would still be better than those who do jump. Or both.
-Pekka is top 9 because "Strong candidate for the The Trainer of the Year. With this kind of show of skill will be the next head coach of the ski jumping team of the Republic of Nauru" (Nauru in addition of being a island in Oseania also means laughter in Finnish.) Magnar Dalen was top 8, so he beat Pekka but Pekka did beat Riku-Petteri Lehtonen (top 10) who almost manage to coach last year's Finnish ice hockey champion to fall off the league. Would have, if he would not have been kicked out middle of the season, when his team was last in the league with the very wide margin. So Pekka's results were certainly considered very impressive...
