funny, but they don’t. So the first thing that I
worked on was bringing people together to
train, to spar with each other. In Finland they
like to train lots of low intensity with lots of
hours, and alone. So I made them train a little
less hours, more intensity, and that intensity
together as a group. And I think that made a
difference right away. We’ve also worked with
other things right away besides training — with
decision making, being open and transparent
as a team and a group.
Your wax company, Ski Wax Magnar, has
done very well. How did you start mak-
ing and selling wax?
Well for me this is more of a hobby. But yes,
there was an old chemist from Finland who had
retired from making waxes and we were sitting
in the sauna together and I asked him if there
must be things he has been thinking about
testing but not has done yet. He told he was
retired and that he had stopped; now it’s over.
But then later after people left the sauna, it was
just he and I. And he told me a couple things
he thinks would be interesting to add, and so I
started to make some testing and cooking my-
self. This was a long time ago, so first in the
Norwegian team I was making waxes just for
them, but then after I came to Are, I had more
time to make waxes and actually sell it. And
now I’m back on the train again with Finland so
its harder now to make new ones. But maybe
when I am done coaching I will have more time
again!
You’ve been coaching for some 25 years
now. What keeps you going?
I always want to find the young athletes who
have big dreams, so big that you can feel the
strength of their motivation. I still remember
Matti Heikkinen when I made my first year in
Finland, and this small skinny boy was getting
so tired all the time, I said to him, “You have to
take it easy now.” And he told me, “But I really
want to be a top skier.” And he was quite down
when he didn’t qualify for the World Cup that
year, and he went into the forest to his cabin
for a long period. And he wrote me, “Here I am
and my body isn’t working, but my dream is
still very strong.” I like to support that kind of
athlete. At the moment you are down, but now
you have to do those kinds of things. Then he
broke Elofsson’s record running up Schlad-
ming and I knew he could be a champion. And
last winter he won. And I hope to find more of
these. So I look for these people, anywhere I
work. I have no special feelings for any country
I just love to work with honest people with big
dreams. That’s what makes this job special for
me.
