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Interview by: Clio
Ari-Pekka Nikkola, a successful former ski jumper and now the main coach of the Slovenian team, agreed to give us an interview during the competitions in Innsbruck. We asked him questions concerning his experiences as the main coach, the current shape of the Slovenian jumpers, and the plans for this season.
What are your impressions from the Tournament so far?
Ari-Pekka Nikkola: There are still difficulties. Jernej has been jumping good all the time but the rest of the boys have some problems. The results of trainings are very good, however, things become complicated at competitions.
What’s the reason of the situation?
A-P. N.: The rivalry itself. They try too much to do well and whereas they feel relaxed at trainings, it simply disappears at competitions. It can be seen already on the inrun, there’s something wrong at the take-off and it all influences the jump then.
Could you say a few words about your jumpers’ shape at the moment?
A-P. N.: They’re in a good physical shape, there is no problem with it. Sometimes they’re even too strong at the take-off but the results are worse in competitions. Jernej was ill after the events in Engelberg and he’s lost some strength, however, his level of jumping is still very high. We aim at having one competitor in the top fifteen and Jernej is now the one who comes up to these expectations. Robi Kranjec had a really good jump in the qualifying round before the competition in Garmish-Partenkirchen, and he was fifth or sixth in trainings – these are good results but he’s not able to repeat them at competitions. He blocks himself completely and our aim is to overcome this blockade.
Robi was jumping very well on Ruka, during the inauguration of the World Cup…
A-P. N.: The whole team was jumping very well then. I’m very satisfied with the competitions in Kuusamo, which were very good for us. However, already in Trondheim something went wrong, we made a step backward – and it’s still been so. We haven’t overcome the difficulties yet. I feel optimistic about Primoz Peterka, who was training with the B-team in the summer and now is in the national team. I’m really pleased with the increase of his shape.
You said you aimed at having one competitor in the top fifteen – is it a plan for the whole Tournament as well?
A-P. N.: No, we treat every competition individually, like an ordinary World Cup competition. We want other jumpers to win points as well, maybe it’s even more important.
What would you say about the summer preparations? What did they look like?
A-P. N.: I think they were a success, I’m satisfied with them. Personally, I was hoping that more competitors would gain points during the Summer Grand Prix. Apart from that everything – physical trainings, jumps – was going very well. At the end of the summer the boys were jumping at a really high level, and it was similar when we started trainings on snow. The competitions in Kuusamo confirmed that.
Does Jernej Damian have problems with starts at competitions as well?
A-P. N.: No, he doesn’t. Jernej is psychically stronger than his colleagues, he can jump great also at competitions. I think that his worse places are the result of his weakness caused by the illness.
Let’s talk about you now. You became the main coach of the national team in rather dramatic circumstances…
A-P. N.: That’s true, it happened suddenly. I was working with the B-team at that time and my contract was valid till the end of the season. However, there were some misunderstandings between Vasja Bajc and Primoz Ulaga then and I was chosen as the main coach of the national team. It’s been almost a year since I started my work with the team.
How long did you sign the contract for?
A-P.N.: Till the upcoming spring. We’ll be negotiating a new contract soon.
Would you like to continue your work as the coach of the Slovenian team?
A-P.N: I’d say so: I don’t exclude such a possibility. Generally, I’d like to continue my work as a coach of one of the national teams, because it’s been only a year since I started to do it.
Do you like Slovenia?
A-P. N.: I like it very much.
Is it easy for you to work with the Slovenian jumpers?
A-P. N.: It’s very good to work with them. A kind of a problem is that I have to explain of my decisions over and over again – it results from another mentality. It is usually so in the case of coaches from other countries. More is required from them than from native coaches.
There are changes in the Slovenian Ski Association as well – Franzi Petek who is the chief of ski jumping now took Primoz Ulaga’s place…
A-P. N.: Franzi is responsible for ski jumping and Nordic combined. Ulaga is still our chief but now he deals only with the financial issues.
Does this change mean a change of the ideas as well?
A-P. N.: Yes, Franzi tries to introduce some changes, also at the juniors’ level, because it’s the only way to gain positive results in the future.
What’s happening with the junior team? Young Slovenians used to be a really strong team some time ago, however, those names somehow disappeared...
A-P. N.: That’s true. We have many great teenagers who achieve great results in national cups but when they become eighteen years old, they disappear. We try to explain and improve this situation.
Why did Rok Benkovic retire from active ski jumping?
A-P. N.: He said he had enough of jumping and he was not interested in trainings and jumping anymore. It’s a very talented boy and I was hoping he would continue ski jumping – but it’s the athlete himself who makes decisions concerning his career and you can’t do anything about it.
Last summer the Slovenian jumpers were fined by the ski association for their alcoholic excesses during the SGP in Zakopane. How would you comment on this?
A-P. N.: If some matters are not treated in the proper way, then consequences have to be taken. I don’t require abstinence from anybody, however, there have to be certain limits.
Six national teams in ski jumping are leaded by Finnish coaches at the moment. What is the reason that Finns are so popular as coaches?
A-P. N.: We have a great knowledge about ski jumping. Maybe we don’t know jumping better that others but we know how to transmit the knowledge. We approach ski jumping scientifically in Finland, our researches are on a high level - I suppose it’s also one of the reasons. I can’t see anything bad in the whole phenomenon. Austrian coaches used to be popular earlier as well – it changes all the time. Of course, it’s maybe bad for Finland, because it loses coaches but from the point of view of a coach himself it’s good, as it guarantees his personal development.
You used to be Matti Hautamäki’s coach. Do you still stay in touch with each other, are you interested in his shape? What is Matti’s problem now?
A-P. N.: I was Matti’s coach for four years, of course his career still interests me. Generally, I’m still connected with Finnish jumping, even though I don’t work in Finland anymore. I suppose that health problems influence Matti’s shape a lot: the knee injury which he was struggling with the whole spring and summer. Personally, I think that some things in Matti’s training process should be changed, however, it’s only my opinion.
Recenly I read on the Finnish Ski Association’s website about an A-P. Cup which took place recently in Siilinjärvi. Was this competition named in your honour?
A-P. N.: Yes, it’s juniors’ competition. I’ve lived in Siilinjärvi for many years. I have a wife and two daughters at the age of three and seven. I try to spend with them as much time as possible in summer. During the season I try to be at home at least one week each month, the rest I spend with the team. Other coaches, for example Mika Kojonkoski, travel much more often, however, it’s not that easy for me – maybe it’s because I’ve only started the work as the main coach.
Do you organize trainings in Finland for your jumpers as well?
A-P. N.: They were in Kuopio for more than ten days in summer, so it’s always possible to organize something like that. However, it’s a much more expensive option, because air tickets aren’t cheap. Our training centre is Kranj, and we look for bigger objects in the whole Europe – recently we were in Zakopane and Pragelato.
My last question – what are your aims for this season?
A-P. N.: To have one representative in the top fifteen in the Word Cup general classification constantly. To try to win points for as many competitors as possible. To be able to compete as a team, so – to have four jumpers at a decent, equal level. For the time being, five boys have points – but the main aim is that each of them wins points at each competition.
Thank you for the interview.
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