Moving to WIN-land - part 2
We will continue our series with cheerleading athletes who have moved to Finland to pursue their dreams within the sport. Simon Skou went all the way from handball and powerlifting to cheerleading superstar, who is internationally known for his phenomenal partnerstunt skills. Cheerleading has led him all the way from Denmark to Finland.
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How it all started
Simon, who has done cheer for 9 years now, started out in Vikings in Denmark. The team was training at his high school at the time. After injury in handball, and just doing powerlifting for a while Simon was missing the team and comradery from training with others. Cheer filled up the missing piece and there has been no turning back. Simon has been on Team Denmark two years, and also part of Rockets cheerleaders for a short while before covid hit. He also has 5 years of coaching experience from Denmark from multiple age levels. After moving to Finland he joined FTC Gorillaz and Team Finland. Simon mentions partner stunt techniques, work on perfecting the basics and working on athlete mindset as his favorite parts of the sport.
Q&A
What brought you to Finland?
I came to Finland with a partner and also in the hopes of taking my cheerleading career to the next level as Finland had a really strong reputation within Europe for being the best in cheer. My working life has had to adapt to what was possible at the time, and I have since then found a career in a sales position for a German company that allows me to continue to do cheer.
What has been different in cheerleading culture here?
The culture here is definitely more self-motivated and driven by the athletes to progress. Training outside of practice is very common, and when covid allowed it, it was normal to practice at least an hour before practice to work on new skills, or to work on the skills you have in your routine. There is a lot of guidance to be found from other athletes, and the internal feedback system between the athletes is really amazing here. Having talented stunters like Tuomas guiding me, helped me to become a much better stunter that I had ever been.
I came to Finland with a partner and also in the hopes of taking my cheerleading career to the next level as Finland had a really strong reputation within Europe for being the best in cheer. My working life has had to adapt to what was possible at the time, and I have since then found a career in a sales position for a German company that allows me to continue to do cheer.
What has been different in cheerleading culture here?
The culture here is definitely more self-motivated and driven by the athletes to progress. Training outside of practice is very common, and when covid allowed it, it was normal to practice at least an hour before practice to work on new skills, or to work on the skills you have in your routine. There is a lot of guidance to be found from other athletes, and the internal feedback system between the athletes is really amazing here. Having talented stunters like Tuomas guiding me, helped me to become a much better stunter that I had ever been.
Does the practice structure differ somehow here?
The practice structure on a day to day basis does not differ that much from what I experienced in Denmark, but one of Mija’s strong sides in Gorrilaz is making a long term plan with different phases and focus points, making sure that all areas of a routine is ready for comp season. So the individual practices are not that different, but the overall picture and structure I would say is.
What is the one thing you wish everyone could learn from Finnish cheerleaders?
The internal motivation to be better, and to train hard on your own time. It’s something that I admire in all the athletes that I have been training beside all this time. People put in a lot of hours outside the practice to make themselves better.
What would you like to bring from Danish cheerleading culture to Finland?
The social culture is what I’m missing the most from Denmark; saying hi and giving a hug to everyone before practice starts, and to kind of check in how everybody is doing and to lift the team spirit up. The hype up that you can get from your teammates in a practice in Denmark is something I also really miss.
The practice structure on a day to day basis does not differ that much from what I experienced in Denmark, but one of Mija’s strong sides in Gorrilaz is making a long term plan with different phases and focus points, making sure that all areas of a routine is ready for comp season. So the individual practices are not that different, but the overall picture and structure I would say is.
What is the one thing you wish everyone could learn from Finnish cheerleaders?
The internal motivation to be better, and to train hard on your own time. It’s something that I admire in all the athletes that I have been training beside all this time. People put in a lot of hours outside the practice to make themselves better.
What would you like to bring from Danish cheerleading culture to Finland?
The social culture is what I’m missing the most from Denmark; saying hi and giving a hug to everyone before practice starts, and to kind of check in how everybody is doing and to lift the team spirit up. The hype up that you can get from your teammates in a practice in Denmark is something I also really miss.
Greetings
"I’m always happy to have a chat about cheerleading, life or anything in between. Don’t hesitate to say hi, even if I might look scary :P!"