Helsingin Luistelijat ry (HL) is Finland’s largest and, when measured by competition results, the most successful figure skating club in the country.

Our club offers high level coaching both in figure skating and synchronized skating. Every year hundreds of children are taught the basics of the sport in the Ice Skating School. Our competitive level have been very successful in both national and international competitions. Adult skaters and parents enjoy being involved with our club activities. Every club member participates in our traditional, annual Ice Show every spring. The ice show usually attracts a total of about 15000 people in the three shows that are performed at the Helsingin Jäähalli ice arena.

Helsingin Luistelijat ry is a member of the Finnish Figure Skating Association. It is the oldest Finnish-speaking ice skating club.

Claes Thunberg’s Olympic gold medals in speed skating at the beginning of the 20th century are probably the highest achievements of our club so far.

Over the years, the club has gone through Finnish ice skating’s ups and downs. At some stage speed skating interests diminished and have been gradually replaced by figure skating solely. However, between these early years of fashionable, trendy ice skating and the current success in competitive figure skating, there have also been some decades in which the club managed to survive just barely. Fortunately, someone was always there, to believe in the future of figure skating. Through hard work and determination they explored the limits of the sport, developing it as a hobby and as a competitive activity.

ICE SKATING A NEW FASHION IN THE BEGINNING OF THE 20TH CENTURY

Helsingin Luistelijat Club (HL) was founded 26th January 1908, on the same day as the Finnish Figure Skating Association. It was the time, when the Finnish identity was being built up and the country’s Finnish-speaking citizens wished to found their own ice skating club, and with their own ice rink of course.

The club’s original name was Helsingin Suomalainen Luistinseura (Finnish Skate Club of Helsinki) and the ice rink, called Suomalainen Luistinrata (Finnish Ice Rink), was built up outdoors, in Kaisaniemi’s sea bay area. In 1918 the club’s name was changed to Helsingin Luistelijat – "Ice Skaters of Helsinki" - and it became a member of the Finnish Figure Skating Association.

In the 1920s the Finnish Ice Rink was an extremely fancy place. It featured a brilliant café pavilion right in the center of the ice, and in front of the pavilion there was a designated figure skating section marked by coloured lamp posts and strings.

A wind orchestra used to play classical dance music on the café’s second floor.

Citizens of Helsinki spent their free time there, having fun and dancing, on the skates or without them.







Thanks to Claes Thunberg, it was a highly successful time for our club in competitions also. Mr Thunberg was a Finnish hero at the time. During his long career, he won total of five Olympic gold medals, five world championships as well as four European championships!

At this time, the speed skating tract of the Finnish Ice Rink was the world’s longest (500 meters).

HL’s glory and recognition was then continued by Antero Ojala who won Olympic bronze, and by Verné Leschen who brought gold from the world championships.







THE 1930s

In 1932 the ice rink was moved inland onto Kaisaniemi square. Moving the changing booths was unfortunately an impossible task to accomplish. The pavilion café was then abandoned altogether. It was transferred via sea to Kulosaari and donated to serve the local swimmers community there.



The decade’s famous champions were Ilma Nieminen, who won the Finnish Nationals four times, and a father-and-daughter skating pair Edvard Linna and Hilkka Linna (see picture below).



THE 1940s

Even during the war, people continued skating passionately in Kaisaniemi in between the bombings. Some small concessions had to be made due to the war though: no-one could skate during evenings due to the war time rule of darkness. It was hard to keep the ice in good condition due to lack of tools and machinery. The ice and its buildings suffered in bombings as well.

Perhaps the worst concession was that ice hockey players had to be accepted at the HL ice. Their practice area was made perpendicular to the figure skating area. An agreement was made with the Ice Hockey Federation over the maintenance of the ice. Club was slightly worried that the hockey ice rink could harm maintenance of the figure skating ice area but they had to option but put up with it. Where the snow plough machine couldn’t fit, rink maintenance was done by shovelling manually or by using rubber edge ploughs.

Despite of all difficulties and odds, the club was quite active during and after the war time: competitions and ice shows were still held. The HL skaters were sought after all over the country for their performing skills. They travelled through the country taking part in different ice shows. During these poor times butter, flour, pork, shoe leather and even squirrel hides were highly cherished as a performer’s fee.

Some famous names from the fourties to be mentioned are sisters Riitta and Kirsti Linna. They dominated the Nationals – Kirsti was twice the Junior Champion and five times the Senior Champion of Finland.

In this picture you can see a good example of Kirsti’s impressive jumping ability!















THE 1950s

Both speed and figure skating was lively during this decade, in which HL still had its own ice rink. Public skating declined, but the so called badge skating events (“rusettiluistelu”) became quite fashionable.

Due to the increasing internationalization of the world, the HL figure skaters started to search for international influence more and more. Trips to London, the figure skating Mecca, to attend Jacques Gerschweiler coaching lessons, were popular.

Coaching methods were also developed at that time. As the open course-based skating lessons seemed inefficient for more advanced skaters, a skating school with different level groups was launched. Qualifying trials were organised every spring, and only talented 7-8 year old kids were accepted to join the School. The club’s own senior figure skaters acted as school instructors. The pupils trained every day. There was plenty of ice area to use and it’s worth to mention that the ice surface was dark, which helped skaters to learn the more complicated patterns!

The last Kaisaniemi ice rink decade brought plenty of good competition results. HL became the country’s leading figure skating club. HL skaters travelled all over the world, for example Mikko Virtanen ended up performing 20 years for an international ice show as a show’s leading skater.

Additionally, during the fifties the club started a campaign to raise money for an indoor ice arena in Helsinki, by organising ice shows in Finland as well as abroad. Other achievements included organising the Nordic Championships despite the General Strike in 1956, recruiting the world’s top figure skaters for the club’s Ice Show in 1954, and the club’s 50th anniversary celebration in the new indoor Ice Arena in 1958.

TWO DECADES OF DEPRESSION

The 1960s were in many ways a decade of changes. Firstly, the Kaisaniemi Ice Rink was lost. Helsinki’s City Council’s Sports and Recreation Department would not support private ice rinks any longer and thus the club faced financial difficulties. A historic club announcement of the time stated the following: “As we remember, at the meeting of November 6th, 1960, the Club decided after a long consideration, that we must give up maintenance of our Kaisaniemi Ice Rink. Finnish Ice Rink’s 52-year-long honourable journey has come to the end by this historic conclusion – at least for now. Sincere thanks and full respect to all former HL staff, who forwent their time to work hard for the club and its rink. That work will not be forgotten. If it wasn’t for it, Finland’s entire ice skating sport would never have reached the level where it is today.”

Club activities moved to the Eläintarha sports track, but the skaters felt that their home rink had been permanently lost. Many finished with the sport, as the ice melted on Kaisaniemi’s rink. It seemed as that part of city’s winter culture had disappeared. HL’s activity declined. Results in competitions didn’t match the previous decades. Still, HL nonetheless took active part in the newly-formed Finnish Figure Skating Association affairs. A new ice arena was built in Helsinki, but fighting for the ice hours of the schedule had already started back then. HL didn’t do too well in those fights. The time was not right, either for figure skating or for HL club. At the end of the 1960s club activity was fading away almost entirely. To remedy this, the Eläintarha ice rink was abandoned and a new club rink was opened in Meilahti instead.

Riitta Linna started to develop club with new enthusiasm, and the first competitions for the new generation were held in the winter of 1970. In the beginning of this decade, HL skaters were still skating outdoors, and thus they were completely at the mercy of the weather.

The second half 1970s brought a change that was absolutely required. Moving indoors enabled competing seriously at international level again. The Pirkkola artificial ice rink was built in 1974 and it became the HL’s home rink. Additionally, HL managed to secure a training session once a week at the Helsinki arena. As a result, HL skaters’ competition results were better, and especially good in the B-series. Enthusiastic atmosphere spread among the young skaters eagerly learning more and more complicated elements. Summer camps and summer training were introduced for the first time, which was possible due to a new indoors rink in Forssa.


NEW RACE TOWARDS THE NATIONAL TOP

The 1980s brought an increasing number of competitions and skating courses. However, the club still suffered from a lack of training sessions. This was the reason why HL’s skaters managed well only in the B-series. The most talented skaters transferred to other clubs to benefit from longer training hours available there.

A remarkable turn towards new goals took place at the end of 1980s. Tarja Sipilä was then nominated as the club head coach. She initiated a new, versatile coaching method with clearly defined objectives. Her coaching concept has a pyramid structure, which is based on an efficient ice skating school and capable young skaters. The principle is that a figure skating school gives the opportunity for everybody to learn the basics of skating and to enjoy it as such. However, at the same time the club will offer the best possible environment for the talented, enthusiastic skaters in order to help them progress even further - up to the world’s highest levels (top of the pyramid). Competition related training became a key part of club activity during this time. The new coaching approach included extensive off-ice training and choreography sessions.


STRONG GROWTH, DEVELOPMENT AND SUCCESS

The 1990s were a time of rising growth and determined development. Tarja Sipilä set a challenging objective for the club directed by Irja Simola. The objective was to get the club’s skaters back to the national top. Purposeful determination brought forth quick results within no time.

The club grew strong not only in traditional figure skating events, but also in the newly introduced synchronized group skating.

In result of that expansion, HL was the first club in Finland to hire a full-time club manager, overlooking all aspect of club activities. The coaching became more professional with six full time coaches hired on permanent basis.

Synchronized skating quickly gained a lot of popularity in the nineties. HL club was sturdily developing this fast, show-like new type of skating. Head coach of synchronised skating Anu Jääskeläinen’s creative and pioneering coaching has sculpted the HL teams, Marigold IceUnity and Musketeers, not only into Finland’s best, but also the world’s. Synchronized skating has brought a large amount of new skaters and presented new choices for a potential skater considering skating as a hobby or competitive career. Synchronized skating also offers continuity: you can skate as long as you can stay up on your skates. In fact, why not to give it a try with our synchronized adult team, Creme De Ments!


Sources:
Helsingin Luistelijat Club r.y. 1908-1993, by Riitta Linna
Irja Simola’s interview in Finnish Figure Skating Magazine 4/97, by Anna-Liisa Hämäläinen