Soccer coach Juha Malinen tells about a heartwarming meeting on a frosty day.
From Oulu Juha Malinen was on a weekend walk in the scenery of Lake Kuivasjärvi when he noticed a flock of magpies on the road.
“It was a calm, frosty day. The magpies were bouncing there, and I went to see what interested them. The birds flinched and left. I stayed to see that there was some small white creature on the ground,” says Malinen.
The creature turned out to be a weasel.
“When I went next to it, it made eye contact. It was running around, and when I stretched out my hand, it jumped onto my glove,” Malinen said.
Weasel sought refuge from the palm.
“After it had been there for a while, it curled up, apparently looking for shelter. Sometimes it seemed to snooze.”
A nature photographer happened to be there and took pictures of the encounter.
Finally, the animal was escorted off the road.
“We thought about what we could do. The weasel looked as if one of the birds had grabbed it. We decided that nature teaches. I put the weasel on the side of the road and made a shelter for it.”
Malinen, 65, is a long-time soccer coach who has coached in more than 1,200 matches in his career. He has coached eight different clubs in the Veikkausliiga.
He last coached at KTP last season.
Currently, Malinen is writing a book, the working title of which is A longer curriculum for a coach.
In his free time, the Oulu resident spends a lot of time in nature.
“I enjoy winter cycling and walking. I also play padel a lot.”
On indoor courts, you won't experience the same surprises as you can encounter in nature. Before the weekend, Malinen had never seen a weasel in the wild.
“It took 65 years,” Malinen said and laughed.
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