HIFK’s handball player Linda Juvala, 17, is exactly the kind of athlete that Finland needs for its flagball Olympic project.
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Handball player Linda Juvala, 17, is the type of athlete flagball needs for its Olympic project.
Juvala plays as a quarterback and has developed rapidly in flag football.
He plays handball at HIFK and studies at Brändö idrottsgymnasium.
Juvala belongs to the national teams of his age groups in both handball and flag ball.
Finnish the ball team last appeared in the summer olympics in 1980, when a large boycott opened the back door to Moscow for football players.
The men’s basketball team last qualified for the summer games, which played in Tokyo in 1964, i.e. 60 years ago. It underlines the difficulty of entering the five-ring races.
The next opportunity awaits in four years in Los Angeles. If Finland clears its way to the Games in the new Olympic sport of flag football, it may well happen Linda Juvalan under.
The 17-year-old handball player is exactly the type of athlete that the blue and white flag ball project needs. Due to his age, Juvala would be just the right age to be a torchbearer for the national team in the summer of 2028.
“Linda is one example of those talented athletes with whom Olympic dreams can come true”, the Finnish quarterback legend of American football Petrus Bench line.
“We specifically need players of his level from other sports. I don’t think that such old and retired Yankee football or handball players are enough, but the players must be from the top group”, Penkki continues, referring to himself.
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“Linda is one example of those talented athletes who can make Olympic dreams come true.”
Path A collection of Unisport handball court morning exercises under the California sun is extremely challenging, but definitely worth pursuing.
“Yes, that would be a great thing, but I can’t think that far yet. But it would be great to be at the Olympics when you know that it’s quite difficult in handball,” says Juvala.
In the spring, she made her debut in the under-18 girls’ national handball team and scored for Finland in both away matches against Austria.
This week, Juvala will travel to Serbia for the flagball youth European Championships.
“It’s exciting, but I’m also looking forward to seeing other countries because I have no idea what their level is. We have a good team, and it’s nice,” he says.
The Finnish American Football Association (SAJL) knows that the Olympic dream will not come true with Yankee football boots alone. The girls’ national team under the age of 17 is made up of experts from different ball sports.
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“It would be great to be at the Olympics, knowing that it’s quite difficult in handball.”
Linda Juvala has developed rapidly in flag football. Throwing the game tool, i.e. the American football, goes like a model.
In the team in addition to American football, there are players from handball, basketball, soccer, athletics and baseball. Yankee futars are actually in the minority, as only one of them could fit in.
“Linda is a really talented athlete, and her multi-sport background and general athleticism is evident,” member of the flag polo national team’s coaching team Juuso Marno says.
Juvala’s first hobby was gymnastics, which she started at the age of 3. Later, athletics, dance, handball and, most recently, only a few months ago, flag football were added.
“He is a really athletic youngster, and both durable and fast. In addition, he has a good reach, so he fits well in Pak’s place on the handball court”, coach of the handball academy Björn Monnberg says.
As a handball player, Juvala is used to throwing the opposing player from difficult positions with his skin. It has also helped with the oval ball, although the young talent is quite critical of his throw.
“I can throw a regular ball, but a different ball makes the throws difficult. Sometimes it can fly in a way that might not be so right, but if it flies in the right place, it will be caught,” he says.
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“He is a really athletic youngster, and both durable and fast. In addition, he has good reach.”
Versatile the ball-playing talent admits that he is easily disappointed with his performances and that he demands a lot from himself. According to Marno, the young woman is sometimes too demanding of herself.
“He is terribly committed and really analytical. He likes to watch the tape and is easy to coach in the sense that when Petrus has told him something, it is immediately visible in training,” says Marno.
“You can see from Linda that she has so many throw repetitions that Petrus is making a few adjustments to this sport. The pitch already looks really great compared to the first camp. Even then it was already a good throw.”
Helping young quarterbacks on the coaching team, Penkki has honed Juvala’s throw through repetitions. According to Penk, a handball background is an advantage for an athlete at the beginning of his flagball career.
“The quarterback has to be able to work in such a way that there is a defender nearby. Handball players are used to having the ball in their hand so that there is always someone pushing it,” he says.
Juvala believes that he ended up as a quarterback thanks to his throwing experience. He adds that he was injured at the test camp and therefore says that he only threw there.
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“He is terribly committed and really analytical. Likes watching tape and is easy to coach.”
Linda Juvala trains with other young people from the handball academy no less than eight times a week. Sports practices are held in the Unisport hall in Kumpula.
When playing handball, Linda Juvala is used to throwing the ball to attackers. In the background, coach Björn Monnberg shares his instructions.
SAJL is working hard for the Olympic dream, and Juvalak ended up being tested thanks to Marno. Marno contacted the handball player’s father, who is his former playing partner and childhood neighbor.
“I thought, yes, I could try it. Or why not”, says Juvala.
The activities of the sports association have made an impression on the young athlete.
“I am surprised how well everything is organized. Coache
s and team managers are really interested in this matter, and it’s been great to see that this is being properly invested in,” he praises.
However, continuing with flag football is not a given. Juvala says that after the EC tournament, he will think about how much time he has.
“Handball is my number one sport, and it takes time,” he reasons.
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“I thought, yes, I could try it. Or why not.”
Consideration is understandable, because the athlete who demands a lot from himself is at the top of his age group as a handball player. Coach Monnberg says that the young woman does her work with good morals.
“He can go far, and I hope he will – all the way to international fields,” he says.
“I would like to try playing abroad. It would also be really great with studies, because I might want to combine studies with gaming. I’ve been thinking a bit about Denmark, but everything is fine,” adds Juvala.
At the moment, he is particularly interested in business studies. Juvala attends high school for four years in order to train with the handball academy on weekdays eight times a week.
“I’m at Brändö idrottsgymnasium, i.e. a Swedish-speaking sports high school. The reading order is made so that we have time to train both in the morning and in the evening, and the school has a very understanding approach to sports.”
On weekends, Juvala trains with his own club HIFK. She has already been able to train with IFK’s league team and hopes to also play her first games in the women’s Aktialiiga.
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“I would like to try playing abroad. It would also be really great with studies.”
Linda Juvala also wants to play in the women’s Aktialiiga, i.e. the main series of handball, in HIFK this season.
Linda Juvala is a young athlete who can go far in her first sport of handball.
Flag ball playing is not caught by the opposition of handball circles. Monnberg assures that the sport has a positive attitude towards Juvala’s project.
“Versatility is the salt of our sport, and this is part of that image,” he adds.
Looking at the field and understanding the depth through the quarterback’s eyes also helps in handball, as both the defender and the quarterback do their work behind the forwards.
“Yes, it is useful. In handball, basically everyone stands in one line, but here [lippupallossa] it has been perhaps the most difficult to read it when the defenders are at different levels”, says Juvala.
“In flag football, there is much more to passing the ball to a certain spot than directly to the players, because it is much easier for the defender to go and intercept that pass.”
Linda Juvala belongs to the national team of her age group in flag ball and handball.
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17-year-old athlete and high school student. Born in February 2007.
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Plays handball and flagball in the youth national team.
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He studies in the sports department of Brändö gymnasium.
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Previously also engaged in gymnastics, athletics and dance.
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Acts as the quarterback of the Finnish U17 girls in the European Flag Ball Championships in Serbia.
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