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This team describes on the ice two completely different worlds


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Ice Infinity in their free program "Dystopia". (Credits: Ville Vairinen - 2020)

The majority of Finnish teams can no longer skate due to the resurgence of Covid cases in the country. Let's use this forced break to focus on a junior team and its programs in particular: Team Ice Infinity!

If you have ever had the chance to visit Finland, you have undoubtedly heard of Vantaa, one of the cities that make up the Helsinki metropolitan area and home to the international airport.

Team Ice Infinity trains there. A junior team made up of 29 athletes aged between 15 and 19.

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Team Ice Infinity has a totally new coaching team starting this season. The coaches call themselves with a little hint of humor in their voices "the head of the process". This new coaching team includes Janniina Parssinen, Satu Laitinen, and Essi Bruun. The head coach is Janniina Parssinen, who "has great coaching talent and gifted program builder", says the team.


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"Utopia" - Team Ice Infinity (Credits: Tuula Koimäki)

"Utopia" and "Dystopia"
This season, Ice Infinity's short program is "Utopia". In this performance, the team tells how its ideal society looks like. "In a utopia, everyone is permanently satisfied and the society flows in harmony. The theme is inspired by Ivan Torrent's music "Icarus". We may perhaps find ourselves in the harmonious and mystical Shangri-La, a paradise in the western end of the Kunlun Mountains (the longest mountain chains in Asia)," explained the team a few weeks ago on social media.

In Dystopia, program skaters interpret the nightmare and world of destruction with strong, fast body language, trying to protect themselves from dangers with their hands above their heads and by very fast skating. Skaters are dressed up like fighters with flames burning in their dress edges.


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"Dystopia" - Team Ice Infinity  (Credits: Tuula Koimäki)

The head coach of Ice Infinity, Janniina Parssinen (called "Jamppa" by the skaters), found the idea of the free program with Tom Player's music. Dystopia's music contains parts of Tom Player's "speed", "desolation" and "forever lost", explains the coach. 

Team Ice Infinity's coaches found it fascinating to build a clear contrast between the short and free program, so they picked up the opposites: "Dystopia" and "Utopia". Even though the coaches were not thinking of the Covid pandemic while choosing the themes, these programs can be seen very up to date.

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Team Ice Infinity's goals 2020-21 are to become faster, stronger, and more versatile skaters. That includes excellent basic skating skills.

"We also want to support these young skaters to grow up as balanced athletes. That's the main idea of the whole thing," says the coaches.

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Finnish competitions cancelled until the end of January
A few days ago, the Finnish government announced more drastic measures to curb the virus' cases across the country. In order to avoid traveling between the regions, all main competitions organized by the Finnish Figure Skating Association have been cancelled until the end of January 2021. Only a few national teams are still allowed to skate in the Helsinki area.

The International Skating Federation (ISU) will meet on December 10th. "We can expect more information from ISU regarding the organization of competitions this season," writes the Finnish Skating Association. The World Championships 2021 events will probably be discussed.