Santtu Silvennoinen
It is unacceptable that there are no joint starts in the main national competitions, writes Santtu Silvennoinen from Vantaa.
Traditional way of skiing and intermediate start. It is the number one event of the Finnish skiing nation since ancient times. Illustration image. Jussi Eskola
Traditional way of skiing and intermediate start. It is the number one event of the Finnish skiing nation since ancient times.
In international normal distance skiing competitions, the trend has been mass starts for twenty years. This season’s World Cup standard routes have nine mass starts, two pursuits and nine intermediate starts.
In the national main series of skiing in the Finnish Cup, there have been 27 normal distance competitions in the last five years. There have been two of these joint starts: in Ruka in April 2021 and in Rovaniemi in April 2023. This season, none of the six normal distance races is a joint start.
The tactical eye for the game required by joint starts and other special features belonging to the way of competition cannot develop when there are no competitions. In particular, it would be important for athletes racing behind the sharpest point in Finland to be able to compete in mass starts.
The lack of joint starts has been explained by television, the lack of suitably sized starting places and tracks that are too narrow. These are at least partly excuses. It’s about Finns’ stubbornness.
For example, on Saturday in Hakunila, Vantaa, the 20 km traditional races could be considered a joint start, but the race organizers wanted intermediate starts.
The Finns are shooting themselves in the foot.
