Simo-Viljami Ojanen and Team Electrofit break the traditional model

Team Electrofit
The Finnish Ski Association is struggling with financial difficulties, and domestic skiing is seeking new paths. Due to tight finances, the training camps for national team skiers are faltering, and in ski jumping and Nordic combined, coaches have practically been put on vacation for the summer season. In skiing circles, there is discussion about whether the traditional model with national teams is the only correct way to achieve success in skiing. In the Ski Classics series, all teams are more or less commercial professional teams, and the same direction may also be the future for long-distance skiers. At least, this is what Simo-Viljami Ojanen, team manager of Team Electrofit and founder of Electrofit Oy, believes.
The Finnish Ski Association is struggling with financial difficulties, and domestic skiing is seeking new paths. Due to tight finances, the training camps for national team skiers are faltering, and in ski jumping and Nordic combined, coaches have practically been put on vacation for the summer season. In skiing circles, there is discussion about whether the traditional model with national teams is the only correct way to achieve success in skiing. In the Ski Classics series, all teams are more or less commercial professional teams, and the same direction may also be the future for long-distance skiers. At least, this is what Simo-Viljami Ojanen, team manager of Team Electrofit and founder of Electrofit Oy, believes.

Team Electrofit brings together elite athletes and enthusiastic recreational skiers. Simo-Viljami Ojanen sounds relieved on the phone after a tough but rewarding weekend. Team Electrofit had its training season kick-off and media event in Espoo, and all team athletes were present. Former top skier Virpi Sarasvuo was a guest speaker, lecturing on an athlete’s dedication to success.

“The weekend went really well, although there were some pressures beforehand. We had a meeting with the athletes, where we went through calendars, training camps, and other important matters. The press conference went great, and one of our partners gave a very strong speech,” Simo-Viljami enthusiastically recounts the day after the weekend over the phone to Maastohiihto.com.

The weekend program also included the Super Sprint held last Sunday, featuring a 100-meter sprint on snow. According to Simo-Viljami, the race was one of the finest skiing events he has attended. The atmosphere was electric, with a DJ playing music on top of a grooming machine.

Team Electrofit started its new training season with a Supersprint in Espoo, and the children were also involved in the experiential event. Photo: Roni Lukkarinen/Team Electrofit

The story of Electrofit dates back to the beginning of the last decade when a young skier in his twenties decided to end his career, feeling that reaching the top of the world would require five to eight years of full dedication. Simo-Viljami didn’t want to invest all his efforts in skiing, and the funding wasn’t sufficient for full-time training. He reasoned and decided to start a company through which he could offer small-scale coaching and skiing school for recreational skiers. Initially, the focus was on race monitoring, hence the company’s name, but coaching quickly took precedence, and race monitoring was left behind. The competitive team came into the picture when top coach Jarmo Riski became a partner, and his dream has been to have a successful skiing team of his own.

“Since the beginning in 2011, the goal has been to offer recreational skiers the experience of elite athletes. We’ve offered personal coaching, group training, race trips with support staff, camps with coaching and support, with the idea of providing participants with an experience where they can be a top athlete for 10 days during the camp. It’s a great way to spend a holiday, where participants can do good workouts, rest properly, eat and sleep well. Over the years, our sense of community has become more emphasized, and it’s important for us to work together and help each other reach our potential. The same ideology applies to our competitive team. Sometimes there’s not much sense in it, and Jamppe and I are still doing this on a voluntary basis, but the atmosphere in this group is so great,” Simo-Viljami summarizes the nature of his founded company and team.

The success of Team Electrofit’s competitive team also relies on solid cooperation and team spirit. The aim of the team and its leaders is to create a concept that will eventually become significant in the skiing scene. Dedication, as lectured by Virpi Sarasvuo, is one of the main themes for the team. However, each skier carries responsibility for their own development and equipment, and results are achieved through hard work. If an individual raises the bar personally, the team around them will also raise it.

“We have four main themes for this season. One is dedication, the second is a significant level rise, as we are still challengers in Finland, the third is to improve our ability to succeed in skating skiing, which has been a project in Finland for almost 40 years, and our goal is to end this project, so our focus is on skating efficiency, and the fourth is interval training, which is needed in mass start races. We have also hired a team doctor, Richard Mäkiheikkilä, so our athletes can get immediate help if needed, and we can also prevent illnesses more effectively.”

Investing in skating skiing is one of Team Electrofit’s four main priorities, but specialized training for classic skiing is also part of the program. Photo: Roni Lukkarinen/Team Electrofit

Simo-Viljami believes that skiing and biathlon are rapidly moving towards commercial teams. Norway’s Team Aker Dæhli is a good example of a private and commercial team with members competing in the World Cup and Ski Classics.

“We are creating something new and changing the structure of skiing in Finland, i.e., coaching and team activities. We target our operations directly to the core, the athlete’s training and preparation. We don’t compete in any way with club activities. Competitive skiers represent their clubs, and the clubs get the visibility they need. In Norway, there is also a team mentioned after the club’s name at skiing events. Maybe I hope that our name could also appear alongside the club’s name at some point. However, athletes train in this team, and we help them in every way. Our operations are also not detrimental to the ski associations because this is a very cost-effective model for them. This doesn’t cost the associations anything. We have 17 athletes in the team who would otherwise belong to some association’s group, and we can offer this commercial alternative to athletes.”

The team leader of Electrofit also highlights the possibility for small countries to participate more effectively by buying a team spot, thereby providing the necessary support and maintenance for athletes that they couldn’t otherwise get from their own country. This would enable these small countries to have more resources and visibility. Simo-Viljami believes that after the next Olympics, this model could be tried. He also mentions athletics, where different models have been tried.

Team Electrofit has also participated in the Ski Classics series, and Simo-Viljami does not rule out the possibility of returning to the long-distance skiing arena.

“When I read the news about Team Kaski-Ekovilla’s closure this morning, I thought that our path could be quite good in itself. We could have such a training team, and if we get more partners, we could offer support and coaching to athletes. In the future, we could also have a long-distance skiing team where we offer coaching expertise. The challenge for athletes aiming for Ski Classics is to train according to that discipline. It’s a significant change in training for many, and results may not come in just a year or two. Ski Classics skiers train hard, and it’s a completely different world from normal distance skiing.”

A documentary film about Team Electrofit’s founding story and journey is also in the works, directed by former competitive skier and coach Roni Lukkarinen. Material has already been shot at camps, athletes have been interviewed, and recording will continue actively in the future.

Finally, the interviewee is asked about his long-term goal or dream. Where should this unwavering and determined work ultimately lead?

“At some point, coaches should also get paid, and of course, athletes too. This is a commercial team, so at some point, it needs to become a successful business. We need to be able to produce results in areas other than just sports. The short-term goal is to have athletes in our team for the Olympics in a couple of years who can also succeed there. This requires extreme success from us because the teams at the Olympics are quite small. Our model could also be replicated in other sports such as cycling, endurance running, or orienteering. However, first, we need to establish a strong foundation for cross-country skiing and biathlon,” Simo-Viljami concludes the interview succinctly and optimistically.

Being an innovator is certainly not a walk in the park, and as Simo-Viljami points out, it’s easy for bystanders to be cynical. However, pioneers are needed, and cooperation and innovation will ultimately yield results in skiing as well. Skiing needs these persistent toilers, imaginative daredevils, and crazy boundary breakers. In a small sport, there’s no room for not working together, and Electrofit proudly carries this message forward.

Step by step, Team Electrofit is rising towards the top skiers in the world, and Simo-Viljam’s dream is coming true. Photo: Roni Lukkarinen/Team Electrofit
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