Greetings from Home!

After lathering on SPF 50 in Florida for ten days, I landed in the desolate snow and frost at Helsinki-Vantaa airport on December 29^th. To combat jetlag, I headed to Liikuntamylly Indoor track and gym for an Olympic lift, where I gathered an inconspicuous audience of older gentlemen by the free weights.

50 kg, Liikuntamylly

Because of the doubtful glances of the onlookers, who apparently were not accustomed to women banging iron, I was very upset to fail at the last rep of my hang clean at 115lbs (52,5 kg). I blamed jetlag, and the rest of the workout nicely shook off the hours of traveling.

The next day, I met up with my old teammates from Helsinki GS Demons, for what we called a post-Christmas Kinkunsulatus. Kinkku means ham, which is the Finnish Christmas equivalent for American Thanksgiving turkey. Sulatus simply means melting, and what better way to digest ham (or in my case, all the friend conch consumed in Florida) than to get together to run routes followed by sauna and Sunday night football?

LB, TE Elina “Kellu” Kero and UA gloves in GS Demons maroon!

Otahalli, melting ham

The week of New Years Eve GS Demons were officially on Holiday break, but already on Thursday January 4^th around twenty players met up for a voluntary receiver practice at Otahalli in Otaniemi, Espoo.

Otahalli

As GS Demons coach Nesi Carpelan commented on the facebook post pertaining to the voluntary workout (roughly translated):”One can almost say that were heading in the right direction when over 15 players are committing to attend voluntary practice relatively early on a week night!” Agreed. Especially, since the following Monday, while the linewomen held practice of their own in an indoor gym, a group of WR/QB/RB players decided to use the opportunity of a free gymnasium to run what routes could be run in the slightly limited gymnasium inside the Helsinki Olympic Stadium.

Snuck up on the linewomen during their practice, Helsingin Olympiastadion

Saturday, to the alarm of fellow lifters at Töölön Kisahalli, I finally cleaned 115lbs and dropped the weight with a gleeful cheer “take that, bitches!”

Deadlift 70kg, Kisahalli

Tuesday saw my first practice in gear for this offseason! There is nothing quite like going into your first tackle after a contact-free fall, only to misjudge the impact. How does this happen? I was in borrowed gear that clearly did not fit well into the shoulder pads. Yet after practice I rolled up my sleeve to admire the purple blotch spreading over my shoulder. For me, as an athlete, bruises from tackles are similar tokens as calloused hands from lifting — and I suspect most if us inconspicuously flaunt them.

Talin Halli, where the practice took place, is a full-sized indoor soccer field with brand new turf. Two hours of non-stop work guaranteed that none of the precious, once a week, turf time was spent posing in pads. GS Demons, too this year, is almost a brand new team with a wealth of strong returning players, enthusiastic new faces, and a very committed, experienced coaching staff. It was a pleasure to see the excited attendance in the three voluntary practices while I was there, and the kick-ass attitude when it came time to tackle. Thank you GS Demons friends for the sauna, debilitating muscle stiffness from your tackles, and for the continuing drive to motive one and other!

My sojourn in Finland allowed me to train two weeks almost like a professional athlete: I was able to lift five times, attend four football specific practices, and time sprints to compare with my times in the fall. In addition to training, I was thrilled to gorge on the delicious cooking (now sorely missed!) of my mother. After such a fulfilling visit to the motherland, I am ecstatic about being back in Boston, and to begin the off-season team practice with the Intensity!

On This Independence Day

Team Finland

Today, December 6^th, marks the 95^th year of independence for Finland. Exactly two months ago, I had an opportunity to pay tribute to the independence of my country. On October 6^th, I was in the locker room of Sonera Stadium in Helsinki, donning the blue and white jersey of the Finnish National Team. Nervous to the point of nausea, I looked around the veterans on the team, who had fought international battles in the blue and white multiple times before, and the rookies like myself, incredulously happy to have even been chosen to represent Team Finland.

The Finland Women’s Football team vs. Sweden Women’s Football team was to be the first match in the Finland-Sweden annual double header. What is more, both games were to be televised on national TV. I knew that the camera crew was there only because the men’s teams were to play after us, but as female athletes in general, I was to settle for whatever attention and visibility we could receive. As I stood in row with my team mates and prepared to run out to the stadium, I had no idea we would be making an NFL-like entrance, emerging from a tunnel of smoke machines and fire-work-like sparks. Dazzled and taken aback, I sprinted out to the announcement of my name to join my teammates. In a row we turned towards the blue cross on the white flag and listened to the familiar notes of our national anthem. Four quarters later we celebrated our 22-0 victory in front of our mothers, father, siblings, children and partners, who comprised most of the modest home audience.

Here we come

This coming summer, Finland has been granted the privilege of hosting the football women’s world championships. The championships are the second women’s world championships ever to be organized by IFAF (International American Football Association). In 2010, team Finland placed 3^rd, beating Germany for the bronze. Many of my Finnish teammates cite winning the bronze as, not only the highlight of their athletic careers, but one of the most memorable occasions of their lives in general. As I log my workouts towards this season with the New England Intensity, my goal is also, to again, pull on my blue striped helmet and tuck in the blue and white jersey and represent my home country.

Today, the day us Finns light two candles in each of our windows to remember those who fought in the years of 1939-1945 to keep our then young country independent, I am compelled ponder what representing my homeland means to me. I think of my mother’s father, Auvo, who fought against the Russian army in the German ranks. I think of my mother’s mother, Eila, who joined the Finnish voluntary auxiliary paramilitary organization for women -the Lotta Svärd. I think also, of my father’s parents, my grandfather Tauno who fought against Russia in the Finnish army, and met his future wife, my grandmother Martta, while he was fetching a pail of cream from a farmhouse. Most of all, I think of her, my only living grandparent, grandmother Martta, as today is also her 91^st birthday. Martta says her only regret in the last 91 years was the war killed her dreams of pursuing an education. The last time we spoke on the phone she asked: “So Nelli, what’s your opinion of the Euro Crisis?”

A Finnish Tradition on Independence Day

The efforts of my grandparents, and the grandparents of everyone in my generation, are directly responsible for the life styles we are able to lead today. My parents would most likely have grown up in a country part of the Soviet Union, learning Russian, not traveling to California working for Hewlett Packard in San Francisco. They would have grown up under a regime of censorship, where I doubt their nine year old daughter would have been encouraged to play soccer and later, American football.

Being chosen to represent my home country in an international game is undoubtedly an honor, a source of pride. It is in itself a declaration of independence, an opportunity to prove that this small country produces competitive athletes, with perseverance, who, like our forefathers and mothers, do not cower in the face of bigger opponents. Yet recently, as the plans for the 2013 world championships are formed, and it has become apparent that funding for the marginal sport requires the financial participation of the players in considerable sums, many of the female football players on team Finland have been forced to confront the literal question: with what expense? With what expense do we claim our spots in the roster for the honor of representing our independent country?

Even as the ironic title of this blog reads ‘technically professional’ it is painfully obvious that none of us are professionals — paid to play. On the contrary, we pay both our club teams and the national team for what outsiders refer to as a hobby — that for many devours the hours of a part time job. Realizing the fact that a national team may not be comprised of the most talented individuals – but the athletes who can afford it- exposes systems of gender and class inequality in place, both globally, and in Finland; even in our 95^th year of independence. I accept that I have chosen a marginal sport, doubly marginal, in fact, as women have only played tackle football in Finland since 2008 — but men have played since 1979 (sajl.fi).

Besides the partial acceptance, I intend to compete for a roster position on the national team as vigorously as I intend to campaign for the visibility of the women’s world championships. Only awareness and visibility will guarantee tickets sold, and sponsors committed. As part of the campaign, I will bring light to the fact that sweating in the blue and white jersey my grandparents secured for this nation will cost me over a thousand euros this summer. As part of the campaign, I want to identify with other Finnish -especially female- athletes who rejoice when their club teams can compensate them for gas expenses (!?)). Above all, I want to invite all the Finns who are moved by national pride in our country today, our special day, to showcase that pride this summer in the women’s world championships as we each take on our own battles in the international field. Wear your blue and white and chime in the first robust notes of Maamme laulu (Our Land, Finnish National Anthem) with us. The preparation of the candidates for team Finland has long ago begun, my campaign for visibility starts now.

When does yours?