Small boy’s big challenge!

July 19, 2009

One may wonder whether Worldloppet has a future, noticing that children often prefer surfboarding (if not computer games) to the tiresome XC skiing. We intend to publish some articles showing that there is a new generation on the way and that the Worldloppet circuit includes some interesting children’s races. The new generation was already mentioned in an earlier article see www.worldloppetskier.com/News_2008/French%20masters.html. The following article was written by our Executive Committee Member and six-fold WL Master Minoru Matsuyama. He named his son Suomi (not a Japanese name) because he got the virus of XC skiing in Finland, a country he is fond of.

Suomi is my son, not Finland in this report. He is only 9 years old; his height is 125 cm and body weight 25 kg. Our family loves XC skiing. During the 2008 summer we made a plan for 2009 WL ski races Jizerská Padesátka & Dolomitenlauf. Suomi wanted to try a long race like father did, but the big question was that they have an age limit for the registration for the WL short races. I wrote a question mail to the race offices:”Do you have an age limit for short race?” We were very happy to get an answer mail from the Jizerská Padesátka race office:”We have no age limit for short race but need a signed parents’ agreement”. But we were very sad we received no answer from Dolomitenlauf race office.

Then I registered my son into three races in three days at Jizerská Padesátka in 2009. Small boy Suomi’s big challenge had just started from that time!!

In summer time, we ran for training in the woods, 4 km each weekend, we totaled more than 100 km. Last winter the snow came late in Sapporo, we started skiing only after Christmas, and then we skied 7 days in all for a total of 100km as training for Jizerská Padesátka.

We left Japan on Wednesday, January 5, two days before the first ski race. Suomi’s first race was on Friday, Bed?ichovska Tricitka, the 30 km FT WL Silver race with a time limit of three hours. I know this race is too hard for a small boy to finish. In the cold weather he struggled up the 10 km long climb to the top of the Jizera Mountains. It took 1 hour and 43 minutes to the top of the hill, he was very tired. Then I told him that having arrived here is enough for you today, good job! Furthermore, the temperature in the mountains was soon to become cold (the race started at 1 PM), and we decided to ski back on the same course to the start point. The long descent was very fast, Suomi adores descents. On the way back, we found one competitor skating up and Suomi was very happy that he was not the last skier in this race! That day he skied 20 km on a challenging course in less than 3 hours. He could not finish the first race, but it was not difficult to convince him that he will be able to finish on Sunday the 25 km CT race!!

Suomi’s second race was on Saturday, a 1 km children’s ski race. He enjoyed it relaxed with many same age skiers and looked with interest at the series of younger and older competitors.

Suomi’s main race was 25 km CT on Sunday. It was a wonderful day, not so cold and no wind. He skied relaxed with his mother because the time limit was not so severe and the course profile was easier than in the 30km race. I skied the 50 km race. We were very lucky to meet at the last food station, he was fine. I told him: please enjoy the last 8km to the finish! After my 50 km race finish, I was waiting for them. Suomi sprinted the last 300m to the finish line and left his mother far behind, finished his first WL short race in 3:53:12 and got his first stamp in his brand-new WL passport in the Czech Republic.

In the evening the event was celebrated in the best restaurant in Liberec. Two great skiers, Blanka Nedvedicka (CZE) and Hannes Larsson (FRA), congratulated him for his big success. Suomi asked us:

How many stamps do I need to be a WL master like you?

You need 9 more stamps to reach the total of 10!!

OK! He understood and his WL skier’s life started just now. His next challenge is Finlandia Hiihto & Bieg Piastow. Suomi will go to Finland & Poland in 2010!!

This page was last revised on February 4, 2010