Air strike surprised – Finns’ travel nightmare: “We’re screwed”
Sami Järvilä, executive director of the Finnish Bowling Association, says that the national team had to make unusual decisions to ensure a competitive trip.
– As a team leader, I have been in trouble.
Sami Järvilä, the team manager of the Finnish national bowling team, has been struggling due to the Finnair flight strikes. The bowlers and their equipment were supposed to be sent to Aalborg, Denmark, for the European Championships, but the strike changed the plans.
– I have arranged for the chairman to go on a road trip, Järvilä says with a laugh.
And not just any road trip. This car fleet does not include bowlers.
In his own words, it dawned on Järvilä on Wednesday that he now had to resort to a very special backup plan.
– Of course, there were plans in mind, but the departure would have been on the fourth day. It just came to me, so to speak.
The balls were left
The bowling team bought new plane tickets to Copenhagen, from where they could continue their journey to Aalborg. However, one embarrassing twist awaited the travelers – there was no room on the plane for the bowling balls.
Just to be on the safe side, Järvilä decided to ask the first person he saw of Tali at the Finnish Championship the previous weekend if this could be of help, as the European Championship team’s balls were perhaps in danger of staying in Finland.
As if things weren’t already escalating enough.
Therefore, Aki Aarikka, the chairman of the Finnish Bowling Association, will set off on Monday with a huge load.
– He said, “Well, what if?” It was a relief, Järvilä sighs.
Have a nice trip
Aarikka is supposed to rumble into the competition village with a huge load of luggage.
– There are – taking safety into account, of course – 12 three-ball bags in the car. That’s 250 kilos, says Executive Director Järvilä.
For Aarikka, this is a kind of Amazing Race. Järvilä says that the chairman and his team will drive from Hämeenlinna via Helsinki to Turku, from where the journey continues by evening ferry to Stockholm. From there, Aarikka will head to Gothenburg and then by ferry to Aalborg.
Amazing Race
– He should be in Aalborg by Tuesday evening, Järvilä estimates.
Humor put to the test
Considering the whole mess, the executive director even sounds a little amused on the phone.
He states that there is nothing he can do about the current situation. The team must be brought in. His humor has been put to the test despite his light-hearted tone.
Finnish team at the European Championships
- Tomas Käyhkö, Mainarit
- Jarno Lahti, TKK
- Rami Mukkula, Bay
- Niko Oksanen, AS
- Juhani Tonteri, Bay
- Luukas Väänänen, Mainarit
- Reserve player staying home: Juho Rissanen, Mainarit
The European Men’s Championships will be held from June 4th to 15th in Aalborg, Denmark
The European Men’s Championships will be held from June 4th to 15th in Aalborg, Denmark
– I’ve been organizing things from morning to night for four days now.
And that’s not all. The whole chaos is causing additional costs for the union.
– A few tons, Järvilä estimates.
“We’d be screwed”
Järvilä is grateful to Aarika for letting the chairman go on the rescue operation.
– If there was even the slightest doubt that those [balls] wouldn’t move there, we’d be screwed, to be honest.
The European Championship is not just about the European Championship. The tournament also serves as a World Cup qualifier.
If there are no further changes to the plans, everything should be fine now. The team is arriving on time, and chairman Aarikka will deliver the balls well in advance.
No lotteries
Both the equipment and the team should be at the tournament site within a reasonable time of each other.
Team leader Järvilä states that nothing is left to chance.
– There are so many variables that we can’t go to the competition with our pants down. We have to practice for a couple of days and choose the balls so that we don’t go by chance.
The European Championship tournament starts on Thursday, June 5th.
