
8MMSQUAD note: Tommi has worked with Sebastian Vettel, Toro Rosso and Red bull Racing within Formula 1. Today, Tommi works with the hockey team Lahden Pelicans and the women’s Finnish National Volleyball team among others.
I am born in 1983, in Riihimäki. Since then, sports and physical activity have been a major focus point of my life. With a diverse background in different disciplines, as a sports enthusiast I have tried everything from ice hockey and soccer to the Finnish version of baseball, Pesäpallo (our national sport). Even track and field. A strong influence in my youth, was the active neighbourhood I grew up in. Not to mention my talented Physical Education teachers.
For me, sports and being involved in sports, has given me the opportunity to see the world. It has shaped and moulded me as a person. All while teaching me discipline, how to methodically plan and how to function in a group. Furthermore, it has taught me how to get the best out of me and others in all states of mind and emotion. Through sports, I have seen how the same rules apply to all and conversations flourish, no matter background or culture.
My fondest sports sports memories are strongly tied to all the tournaments, I was allowed to participate in a child, playing from dawn to dusk. An outlet for all the energy I have had, also a profession where I have wanted to achieve something. From the beginning it has offered a platform where I can constantly learn new things and evolve. The beauty of sports lies in growth, because one is never fully developed and everyday is a chance to learn something new. A place, where it is safe to experience the entire scale emotions in a fraction of a second, everything from success to failure. Simultaneously learning how to deal with those feelings and learn through them learn something new about yourself.
As a coach, I am fascinated about the possibility of constantly learning something new and absorbing information. Through athletes and my fellow coach colleagues, I have a wonderful chance to experience a mirror into my own soul. The best thing being, that one does not have to know or master everything, but the true wealth lies in having people you can ask close by.
It is for this reason I am proud to be a member of the 8MMSQUAD. An environment where I have a chance to consult motivated athletes en route to realising their dreams. For what is greater than, supporting and above all pushing athletes, to overcome their own boundaries. And in the process, they will experience something they might never have had the courage to even dream about.
The beauty of sports, lies in the relationships and the altruistic work done in pursuit of a common goal. For this reason, I am touched to be a part of this squad and be able to surround myself with experts. Experts whom I can share thoughts with and learn new things about life, in a captivating environment of sports!