Para – sport Jasmin Mikkola moved to his own at the age of 15 due to severe school bullying – Now he is the captain of the Finnish national team

Jasmin Mikkola, who has suffered from bullying, is now the captain of the Finnish national goalkeeping team. Mikkola is fascinated by the fairness of its species.

When Jasmin Mikkola was an eighth grader, he wanted to talk to his parents. The reason was tragic: 15-year-old Mikkola wanted to move from Kotka to Jyväskylä for the last year of high school, because school bullying had become severe.

The eagle had gone well until the fourth grade, but then the bullying began. According to Mikkola, it was above all mental violence, such as untrue gossip and offensive speech, but sometimes also physical pushing.

“In the last few years, it was pretty awful, but I didn’t tell anyone about it awfully. I was home alone and didn’t dare go anywhere. I locked up at home. ”

Mikkola says that the bullying was started by a few girls but gradually it spread and in the last few years she was left alone in her class.

In Mikkola has a congenital visual impairment. Therefore, he had attended support periods at the Valteri School in Jyväskylä, Onerva, which has students with visual and hearing impairments, for example.

It was possible to get to the school to study full time. Mikkola convinced his parents that the solution was best for him. It also whitened for related parties during the year.

“Loved ones describe it as coming back as a different person: happy and positive. I started to dare to move around Kotka and talk more about things. ”

  • 19 years old, born in 2003.

  • A native of Kotka, lives in Tampere.

  • The family includes parents and four siblings.

  • Play goal ball on the women’s national team. Captain of the Finnish team in the European Para Youth Games competitions in Pajulahti after Midsummer.

  • Play at the club level on the Aisti Open team of the Aisti Sport club in the open Finnish Championship series.

From Jyväskylä the trip continued to Tampere, where Mikkola studied restaurant chef at the Tampere Region Vocational College in Tredu. During his years in Jyväskylä and Tampere, he has started to play paintball actively.

Mikkola will be the captain of the Finnish team at the European Para Youth Games, a multi-sport para-sport youth event that will begin after Midsummer.

Finland did not include the team in the girls’ series, but Mikkola and Aino Jaakkola playing in the boys series team.

“I don’t know if I would have gotten to that point without being bullied. This only started after I decided to move out of the home. After that, I was encouraged and dared to do everything, ”says Mikkola.

Volleyball court On a field of (9 × 18 meters), a goal ball played by three-person teams is part of the Paralympic program for the visually impaired.

In domestic series, it is also allowed to be played by those who do not have a visual impairment. The players’ eyes are covered with opaque glasses, so the players are on an equal footing.

The species requires character. The ball weighs 1.25 kilograms, and the toughest throws are thrown by men at 70 kilometers per hour.

The ball must be stopped with its own body. The player must throw himself to fight in the right place based on the sound alone. The goal is to prevent the ball from going to the nine-foot-wide goal at the end.

“I’d rather catch the ball so I can’t see it than I can see it. Visually, I wouldn’t dare take it, ”says Mikkola.

“The first throw always hurts. Exactly where it comes in, it’s just awful. Once I took the throw just fine with my finger and the little finger was z-shaped after that, but it’s a sport. ”

“I don’t necessarily differentiate products in a store. Everyone has to hold hands and look. ”

One According to Mikkola, one of the most fascinating things about the goal ball is that the situation is fair to the players.

“Everyone is playing without sight. You don’t even have to try to see anything. ”

Instead, the species is based on accurate hearing. The sphere has sound-absorbing passages that allow it to detect its movement.

Attempts are made to find the right throw by assessing the opponent’s position based on the noise of the clothes and shoes. The coach is only allowed to give advice if the ball is not in play.

Mikkola’s career in goalball is still young. He has played somewhat since he was a child, but he did not apply for the club until 2019 in Tampere. There are club exercises twice a week and in addition to them, national team exercises and, for example, gym training.

The ball leaves Mikkola’s hand at its best at a speed of 35 kilometers per hour, or 9.7 meters per second.

“I go to the baskets to throw so the guy catches me and I throw. And the guy is looking for a ball in some ditch I’ve thrown. ”

Paintball In the classifications, Mikkola is severely visually impaired, ie in the middle level out of three. The other two levels are low vision and blind.

See also  ATP tournament: Djokovic wins tennis comeback in Dubai

Mikkola says he can’t see very close or far. Perpendicularly he does not see because the central vision is impaired. Mikkola also does not distinguish colors and does not see in the dark or bright.

“I don’t necessarily differentiate products in a store. Everyone has to take a hand and look. I don’t see the prices at all – then let’s go to the lottery to see what the price is. ”

The interview is in a café in Tampere. There, Mikkola can walk in the middle of the tables without a stick or other aids, but asks for help reading the product texts on the wall.

“If I didn’t laugh at my own situations that happen every day, I certainly wouldn’t dare go anywhere.”

Mikkola says that he considers the situation of the visually impaired in Finland to be good, but adds that he does not show his disability, for example by using a stick.

“I just go and rather walk towards the pole than I use a cane. I don’t notice it at all. In the clothing store, one may wonder when I ask what color the shirt is. Sometimes I even flash garbage trucks when I think of them as a bus. ”

Above all, Mikkola treats his coincidences with humor.

“With humor, it’s good to move forward. If I didn’t laugh at my own situations that happen every day, I certainly wouldn’t dare go anywhere. ”

Jasmin Mikkola has exercises several times a week.

Mikkola graduated as a restaurant chef this spring. Getting a career as a chef still seems unlikely.

Mikkola says that he noticed during his studies that he is at risk in the kitchen due to his visual impairment.

“Raw materials may be lost from the cutting board when I stare at the cutting board for a couple of seconds. I might walk towards the oven because I don’t notice it. ”

Mikkola has not yet applied for postgraduate studies. He wants to think about his next step in peace so that the demands on vision are not surprising. Jobs as a school attendance assistant or in the field of sports have flickered in my mind.

Although education is not another profession, Mikkola recalls Tredua gratefully. He glows the class was a cohesive team that also spent time together outside of school.

Years of school bullying has been for years, but Mikkola says he is still worried about the status of the bullied, as bullying easily takes a lifetime. He urges bullies to think about the reasons for the bullying.

“What is it worth? It’s worth thinking about what if what happens to another happens to you. ”

See also  Number of people from Gaza who will stay in shelter rises to 14

Mikkola says he still doesn’t know why he got into the teeth of his bullies.

“There was probably a more visible component, but I don’t feel like it was necessarily the biggest factor.”

Mikkola criticizes the inadequacy of school measures. He says the bullying was despised and even denied at the mouth of the teacher. There was a company, but Mikkola was not convinced of the implementation method in practice.

“We sat at the same table and wrote down on paper how nice people we are to each other. After writing the names on paper ten times, everything went on in exactly the same way as we left the door. I told the principal I wasn’t going to come there anymore – it doesn’t make any sense. ”

From time to time, it is suggested in Finland that bullies should change schools instead of a bullied pupil. The matter was discussed in Parliament until Tampere Tiina Elovaara (ps) did in his time as a Member of Parliament on the matter in 2016.

Mikkola says his thoughts on the subject are contradictory.

“It would be great if the bullied doesn’t always have to change. But I have been wondering if the bullies would change, if only in another school. ”

“Maybe I’m most looking forward to playing with a slightly different lineup.”

About their future Mikkola knows for sure at least one thing: he plans to play paintball for as long as the places last.

In a few years, the species has become an important part of life. In addition to athletic challenges, a lot of friends have been found in the sport.

According to Mikkola, the Aisti Sport goal ball club has also played an important role in the fact that he has not only developed as a player but also encouraged to trust himself and his skills.

The dream would be to be able to represent Finland at the Paralympics. At the moment, Finnish women are playing in the B-series of the European Championships.

The Pajulahti tournament will feature international matches between young players. At the age of 19, Mikkola is the oldest age group, which can compete in a multi-sport event with about 750 participants.

“Perhaps the most I expect is to be able to play with a slightly different line-up. There will be a new kind of experience with different throwing styles and defense methods. ”

Jasmin Mikkola plans to play paintball for as long as the places last.

#Para #sport #Jasmin #Mikkola #moved #age #due #severe #school #bullying #captain #Finnish #national #team

Related Posts

Next Post

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recommended