Hyvää Juhannus!!

 Hyvää Juhannus!!

                We just concluded celebrating Juhannus here in Finland which is Midsummer Festival and more literally the “Festival of St. John” in honor of John the Baptist who according to scripture was Christ’s cousin, born six months prior to him, and had the honor of preparing the way for the Lord and baptizing him.  While few here in the Christian church celebrate the festival in honor of John anymore, it is arguably the second most important holiday in Finland taking a backseat only to Christmas. This is understandable, since the Finns believe that Santa Clause lives here in Finland. In fact this is his first stop on his world journey as he comes to each house on Christmas Eve and knocks on the door to deliver presents to the children. Now that is service!

Pasi and I at the Midsummer Eve Bonfire

                As the weekend came I started thinking about this celebration and had many reflections. The traditions for Juhannus are a mix of Pagan and Christian rituals that go back centuries. One of the traditions is the lighting of huge bonfires on Midsummer’s Eve to ward off evil spirits in preparation for the festival. Fire also has a religious significance in that it is a purifying agent in scriptural terms. But the Bonfires are beautiful as they glow in the twilight of the midnight sun. Another aspect of Juhannus is drinking. It was believed that the more you drink the better the crops will be in the harvest-- and believe me, the Finns do their best to make sure those crops come in strong. Drinking to excess is a national pastime here and Juhannus may be the best example. While most Finns refrain from drinking and driving due to the low DUI level of .05, the midsummer holiday always bring in many deaths due to alcohol abuse. Most of those deaths are from drowning. People go out in their boats on one of the over 158,000 large lakes or in the seas visiting the archipelagos and are so drunk they fall out of the boat and drown. Some may consider this a Darwinian selection process, and yet it is a sad state of affairs. Juhannus also sees the cities become ghost towns as most people head to summer cottages, known as  “Moki’s,” for the holiday. It is amazing to me that 5 million people can disappear into the woods. Most restaurants, bars, shops and services are closed during the weekend. A very strange site to see from an American viewpoint.

Ari and Selma

                Juhannus is a time for friends and family to retreat away from society a bit and reflect on the roots to the wilderness that are commonly held here.  It is a time of celebration but also of contemplation.  While the holiday does not hold deep spiritual meaning anymore I did spend some time thinking about St John the Baptist since this is his holiday. Specifically I thought of John’s questioning of who Jesus was. Here is a man who baptized Jesus in the river Jordan and heard God speak of declaring, “You are my son, whom I love. With you I am well pleased.” (Luke 3:22) Yet later on John begins to question whether he had heard correctly. He even sent his disciples to Jesus to ask, “Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?” (Luke 7:19)

                What would have been going on that John would question this. His disciples had just returned and told him about Jesus raising a widow’s son from the dead and healing a Centurion’s servant. It could be that John shared others views of what the Christ would be, a powerful conqueror who would free the Jewish people from the oppression of the Romans. Perhaps he was wondering how this would be accomplished by assisting a Roman soldier or saving a widow’s son. Maybe he simply was like us, human and prone to question.

Ville Kouvinen With a Huge Catch

 I find myself in the same circumstances at times and a couple of situations have been bothering me lately and have had me asking questions, much like John.  It has been a rough couple of years personally for me and so there are times that I wonder, God is this really what you have for me or have I heard you wrong?  I have also realized that I am prone to mistakes, big surprise, huh! John I believe was looking for the power of Christ and missed the love of Christ at work. I also make the same mistakes. I trust my own judgment and fail to act in love.  I have been continually reminded of this lately to my chagrin and thankfulness. Two situations come to mind immediately. One of them occurred in this blog a couple of posts ago. I was discussing the development of Finnish football and lamenting what I consider bad for the game in the practice of running up the score on opponents, which happens often in this country at many levels and by many teams.  In that post I used an example from a game I had recently seen.  It was not my intention to denigrate another coach, but, I hurt a friend in that post and I truly regret it. I did not mean to single him out in any way, he has done incredible things for Finnish football and I know he felt badly about what I said. He told me so himself, which I really appreciated, maybe not enjoyed- but I did appreciate it. LOL!  I truly value him as a friend and fellow coach and while we agreed to disagree on some issues that I brought up he is an invaluable part of this community of American Football in Finland.  The reality is that I feel strongly about the development of the game and still believe in the principles I spoke of. However I did not speak with the love that I needed to have for people I care for.

Mackenzie and the offense racked up 809 yards of total offense vs. the Border Knights!

The second incident was a couple of weeks ago during our game vs. the Border Knights. It was an amazing game from a fans perspective and if you want to see a great offensive show the game is still available online at the SAJL site. However as a defensive coach it was also frustrating to watch their offense march up and down the field on us. We had many injuries and had people playing in positions that they had never played. The frustration and desperation got the better of me and I got greedy and made a poor coaching decision. At one point in the second half I opted to go for a 2 point conversion, partly because I saw we were in a scoring fest and I wanted to try to score as many points as possible in every opportunity that we had. I had seen many instances throughout the day where I believed we could have converted a two point conversion, but had not done so.  After scoring I had contemplated it again and decided to do it. However the decision brought confusion to our offense and we did not convert. Mackenzie McGrady, our quarterback, asked me what I was thinking and I tried to explain it but did not do a good job of it. As we talked I realized that a large part of it was my desperation and feelings that we could not stop them defensively. He chastised me for thinking that way, which did not feel good, but was needed. The truth was that I had begun to question my decision making and my ability in managing the defense. I felt ashamed that I had stopped believing in our defense. Fortunately our guys had more faith in themselves than I did and after falling behind 54-41 with 9 minutes left in the 4^th quarter our defense rose up and made a couple of stops allowing our offense to score a few more times and win the game 61-54. The defense held the Knights out on the last play at the one yard line as time ran out to preserve the victory.

Bonfire Near Porvoo

Both of these incidents were deeply humiliating for me as they demonstrated my lack of ability to love. A few days later I read 1 Corinthians 13 in my daily devotional which really helped me see how far away from the goal I am.  However, I can also take comfort in knowing that even though John had sent his disciples to Jesus to question him, Jesus did not chastise John for it. In fact he praised John in front of all those present explaining that “of all those born of women there is none greater than John.” (Luke 7:28)  I know that I constantly fail in my attempts to love others in the way that God loves me. I can only ask forgiveness from those I have failed to love, get up, dust off my pants and keep on trying.  Just like my defense did! And I can only hope that God feels the same way about me that I feel about them, proud and full of love!

Happy Midsummer!

Ship passing during Midsummer Eve!

Jim

Porvoo our Home!

Shorehouses

Porvoo is a wonderful small city in Finland and happens to be my home for the summers as I coach the Butchers. It occurred to me that I have not really spent any time writing about Porvoo in these blogs. That is an error which must be corrected and so this week I will introduce you to my home away from home Porvoo, Suomi.  Porvoo is located about 50 kilometers east of Helsinki. It is in the region called Ita-Ussimaa and has about 42,000 residents. It sits where the Porvoo River meets the sea and has been an important trading port for centuries.  The Porvoo Castle was built on the hill and the town named Borgå in Swedish which means Castle River. It is a culturally significant town as it is the home of Finnish National poet J.L. Runeberg who wrote the words to the national anthem during his time in Porvoo. Famous artist Albert Edelfelt also produced much of his work here. Many of his portraits of Porvoo from the 1800s feel as though were painted last year. He would travel every summer from Paris to come paint the scenery of Porvoo. It is also the scene of the Diet of 1809 convened by Czar Alexander I of Russia when Finland became a Grand Duchy of Russia. This became the cornerstone of Finnish independence which would develop over the next 110 years.

Porvoo Cathedral

 This is a small town where everyone knows everyone and their business which can be good and bad. If you have done something everyone knows it. That goes especially for the Butchers. While we may not draw the size of crowds that the game does in America, everyone seems to know the Butchers and how we are doing. Many of them have opinions as well about what we are doing right or wrong and will share those with you. I can’t tell you how many times someone has come up to me who is a perfect stranger and talked about the Butchers. I have realized that there is a deep passion in the city about the team. This is even more disconcerting considering how reserved these Finns are. As I have commented before they make the British look like gregarious extroverts. If so many people are willing to come say something despite the inhibitions of this people how many more are thinking things and not saying them?  But for the most part everyone here loves the Butchers and is proud of the six championships the team has won in the Maple League.

Walgrens Restaurant

            The team also has wonderful sponsors who have done so much for us as coaches and players. Last season we ate our meals at Seireni a wonderful restaurant and night club in town. The staff there became wonderful friends and was very supportive of me personally. Carina, Kirsi, and Ida in particular were so welcoming. This season I admit I was disappointed that we would not be eating at Seireni, as I felt at home there. However, with a new year comes new changes and we now eat at two places, the Serahovi Hotel and a restaurant owned by the hotel, Walgrens. The staff at Walgrens has been so pleasant and welcoming that it is one of our highlights every day to go there. The food is also incredible. We have yet to have a meal that was not fabulous and the presentation is wonderful. Ani, Veronica and the others have made us feel so welcome and we are so thankful. They also have come to games and taken a real interest in us. On warm days sitting on the deck of this historic building is such a pleasure as we watch tourist and locals stroll along the riverside. 

Porvoo is a tourist town and is the second oldest community in Finland, granted town rights in 1346 by the King of Sweden Magnus Eriksson. Walgrens is near the Vanha Porvoo or old town which is full of lovely boutiques, restaurants and shops. It is a major tourist destination as people come to see the old wooden shorehouse buildings along the river, the Cathedral and the cobblestone streets.

           

Body Tonic

Just up the street from old town is the other place we spend a lot of time, Body Tonic. Body Tonic is a local gym that allows us to use their facilities. It is not a mega facility such as you might find in the U.S. but it has everything that we need and is very comfortable. Everyone there has also been very friendly and there are some amazing athletes that work out there that we have become friends with. Top European bodybuilders, MMA fighters, Thai boxers, members of the local basketball and floorball clubs and professional wrestlers use this facility along with the general population.  We especially love hitting the sauna after working out, it can be very relaxing. Many of our players, especially the younger ones, also train at Body Tonic and the staff there have been so supportive.

The BOY!

            Another of our sponsors that has been such a joy to work with has been Ostuupankki. Besides being a major supporter and the home of the Maple Bowl trophy or ‘The Boy,” as it is affectionately called, for the past six years this is also our bank. When we have issues dealing with money this is where we go and they are always so patient with us. Mackenzie even has a nickname there, he is known to the bank staff, not as the golden boy quarterback, but as “the waterboy.” Chris and Layton dubbed him that one day and now whenever Mac walks in they say, “hey there’s the waterboy!” 

The Waterboy!

           

So much of our team’s success has been due to the support of this community, the sponsors, and the staff of volunteers who have worked so hard behind the scenes. Here’s to Porvoo, a hearty kiittos (thanks) to you for all you do.      

Finnish Development

            My second year in Finland has started with an interesting situation. While we are trying to defend our Maple Bowl championship and win a record 7^th consecutive national championship the team finds itself at a crossroads. The Butchers of 2011 are not the Butchers of 2010. Gone are key players on both sides of the ball. Robert Johnson is playing in Italy, Santtu Ayravainen and Derrick Ford are in Germany, IIro Luoto is in Switzerland. Seppo Evwaraye, Tommi Padatsu, Markus Haverinen, Marko Luoma, Peter Lindholm, Kari Hytonen, and Patrick Hogstrom have all retired. Others have moved to other teams in Finland or have commitments that prevent them from playing this season. All in all it has made for a huge turnover in which our junior players have had to step up and play big roles already in the season.

            Add to that scenario the fact that some of our American imports have been delayed in arriving and it made for an interesting open of the season when we took on the Roosters and the Crocodiles in the first two weeks both playoff teams from last season. We are 1-1 now having defeated the Roosters in Helsinki 7-0 and losing to the Crocodiles 21-10 at home this week.  While it has been frustrating at times having to rebuild the team it has also been very exciting, even without our American imports. Against the Roosters we played with a purely Finnish team on defense and held them scoreless. Against the Crocodiles we competed strongly and even though we made many mistakes we were in the game till the end. The excitement comes from seeing the development of Finnish players who can play and hold their own against teams with American players. That is the ultimate standard and the reality is that a huge part of my job here is to try and assist in that development.  As I reflected upon that process last week after defeating the Roosters I was so proud of our players for what they had accomplished. I also had two other experiences that made me see my role in a clearer perspective.

            Obviously we are playing in a league here which is the top level of football in Europe and the ultimate goal is to win the championship. A goal we have accomplished for six years. However, the longer range goal should be to develop the game to a level where winning a championship does not depend upon who has the best import players. As coaches we should have the best interests of the game in mind when we make decisions and here part of that is to develop Finnish talent to new heights so that they can compete with anyone else in the world. One of the experiences was a conversation with the Finnish National team coach Tuomas Heikkinen who is trying to spearhead a movement to identify and develop young players in anticipation for the 2014 European Championships. The conversation was fantastic and I believe he is making the right moves and his work will pay off if we as coaches will begin to build a community that looks after the game and what is best for it. Allistair MacIntyre argued that we must treat our sport as a “practice community.” (MacIntyre, 1984) He uses this term practice in the sense that doctors practice medicine or lawyers practice the law. Within these practice communities there are certain standards that those involved in the discipline must adhere to in order to make sure that the practice thrives and retains its integrity. As a community within that practice our focus needs to be on those standards and we need to ask ourselves what is in the best interest of our sport? There are times where the answer to that question may conflict with our own personal best interests and in those cases we need to protect our sport and its integrity. I believe that coach Heikkinen is doing this with football in Finland and am excited for the plans that he has. In that vein I also applaud the Trojans and the Jaguars for their commitments to develop Finnish quarterbacks by not bringing in imports. While those players also need mentoring to truly develop, in the short term this may have hurt their national championship hopes but in the long term it will help the game develop in Finland.

The second experience was one that contradicted this notion of a practice community. I went to watch two teams play and one team clearly dominated the other. While this may happen at times the way that the victorious team handled it bothered me. They have three very talented American players and yet when they were up by 30 some points late in the fourth quarter they kept those players in the game and in my view continued to pour it on the other team. Even to the extent of throwing a touchdown pass up by 40 points with seven seconds in the game. While it may be beneficial to pad some of these Americans stats I see it as destructive to the game. Blowouts are not good for the game. They are of no interest to watch and they do not highlight the skills of players. Let me clarify that if this team had a Finnish QB in and was trying to get him experience and is throwing the ball I do not have an issue with that. But to keep the American QB in and all the imports is unsafe for them and limits opportunities for Finnish players. I do not want to have anyone think that I am overly critical of the coach for this team in his development of Finnish players. On the contrary he has developed an incredible number of Finnish players and has done a great job coaching.

In fairness he did limit some of the playing time for some of the imports during the game but the issue is one of history as he so well pointed out to me. So many teams have been beaten so badly that it is the norm to do the same when things are turned around. This is also encouraged by the establishment of a points for and points against tie breaker in case of ties at the end of the season, an idea I think may be wonderful for soccer but does not work in American Football.  My intention is not to single out this team either as other teams do the exact same thing, it has developed into a cultural phenomenon here and yet I still believe it hurts the game.  

Last year we worked hard to develop a backup for Robert Johnson, our American QB, and Alexi Seppanen did a wonderful job for us in that role when we were up in games. We allowed Alexi to run the entire offense and gave him free reign, but the other American players were also out of those games. At that point I believe that when you have backups in and the other team does not stop you there are some issues for them to deal with as well in their preparation and execution so there is responsibility on both sides. When I coached in England we took the same approach and developed Paul Ashton and David Hughes as our backup quarterbacks. Ashton and Hughes got to see a lot of action and eventually became the Great Britain National team quarterbacks thanks to the coaching and mentoring they received from our American QB Rick Bolen.

            As coaches we need to have a sensible approach to developing Finnish talent and giving them quality instruction and coaching. We also need to treat our sport as a practice community and realize that running up the score on opponents is not good for the sport. The average fan wants to see competitive games not lopsided affairs. If we want to develop the game in this country we must understand this and appeal to those fans. Why would anyone want to go to a game and pay hard earned cash to see one team destroy another 90-0 or some other ridiculous score?  In the U.S. running up the score is frowned upon by most people in the profession and those who do not adhere to this ideal are looked upon with loathing and distrust. When you are up comfortably you put in your backups and allow them to develop their skills and have an opportunity to progress. Until we realize that we will always fall behind in developing Finnish talent.   

References:

MacIntyre, A. C. (1984) After virtue: A study in moral theory (2^nd ed).  South Bend:

 University of Notre Dame Press.