Skiing: Krista Pärmäkoski tells why she plans to become a coach

Krista Pärmäkoski won SM silver. Picture: Touho Häkkinen

Inari

Krista Pärmäkoski skis in Inari’s SC skis on the last race weekend of his career. In Friday’s five-kilometer (p) race, he reached second place.

The race was won by a narrow margin of three seconds from Pärmäkoski’s teammate Ikaalisten Urheilijos Hilla Niemelä. Skied for bronze Jasmin Kähärä.

Pärmäkoski unexpectedly announced on Thursday that his career in skiing will continue in the role of a coach. Pärmäkoski starts coaching the 26-year-old From Tiia Olkko.

The idea for the change of direction came from Olkkose. He heard during the World Cup in Lahti that Pärmäkoski would be interested in coaching, picked up the phone and called him on his way home from Lahti.

Olkkonen has not been satisfied with his season, and he wanted a change.

“I picked up the phone and carefully tried ice with a stick. Krista was left thinking about it and muttering, but the conversations continued. She was so interested that she wanted to go along,” Olkkonen describes the situation.

Pärmäkoski says that he guessed what it was about when he saw Olkkonen’s name on his phone screen. He wanted some time to think.

“I wondered if I could provide the necessary help and if I could find something new in what he was doing. That it’s not just the same as what Tiipu has done so far.”

Coaching is a new territorial conquest for Pärmäkoski. Especially in the beginning, he plans to make use of his extensive network of contacts and ask for help from outside as well.

“Fortunately, there are numbers on the cell phone that you can call. I know that I will definitely get help from people when I ask for it,” Pärmäkoski says.

Pärmäkoski’s long-term coach Matti Haavisto is not involved in Olkkonen’s coaching, but the new coach knows that he can lean on him if necessary.

“I’ll definitely call Mat when there’s an emergency.”

The two hardly do every workout together, as Pärmäkoski lives in Kuortane and Olkkonen moved to the capital region to complete his master’s studies at Aalto University.

Pärmäkoski says that he and Olkkonen were friends even before discussing the coaching relationship.

“It was nice to start this project, I know that Tiipu has potential. He has also skied hard in the World Cup, there are opportunities.” I believe that we will be able to discuss everything openly and I will be able to take on a certain kind of mentor role.”

Pärmäkoski will still ski in Inari on Saturday with a relay and on Sunday with a 30 km intermediate start (p). In all likelihood, Sunday’s race will be the last dance of his career.

Olkkonen crashed in Friday’s race and ended up finishing 23rd.