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TOBLACH. Several Swedish men have had a difficult start at the Tour de Ski.
But they still try to maintain their discipline.
– They become little policemen, says men’s coach Lars Ljung.
Therefore, the list of fines was introduced: “There were traces…”
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During the Tour de Ski, the men in the Swedish cross-country skiing team have introduced an internal fine system that will apply throughout the World Cup season.
They are fined, among other things, if they break a race, if they forget things, if they complain about the food or take out their mobile phone at the dinner table.
At the end of the season in March, the fine fund must be used for something fun.
– It is the boys’ initiative. I myself am perhaps more in favor of reward than punishment but they seem to be hooked on that. We have our agreements from before, but this will be a little more level. It is still positive that they take care that the group functions as well as possible, says Sweden’s men’s coach Lars Ljung.
He also states:
– As it looks now, there will be quite a lot of theft in the coffers.
Incident on the bus
Gustaf Berglund and William Poromaa took the initiative for the fine fund after an incident in the bus toilet.
– You cannot do all your needs on the bus. Just the light needs. Then I wondered if everyone knew the guidelines in the toilet. That’s how the rules of conduct arose from the beginning, says Berglund.
Did it feel like someone had broken those rules?
– Yes, there were traces of it, so to speak.
William Poromaa has turned 25 years old and wants to leave the label of a careless youngster behind him.
– We have a society that is moving towards everything becoming more and more careless. In the Swedish team, we will try to sharpen up now. If you look ahead 10–20 years, maybe it will be a bunch of kids who get to pass on the baton then. We are doing a service for society, says Poromaa, smiling.
Myhlback is singled out
Gustaf Berglund and Anton Grahn have already been fined.
– I picked up the mobile phone three times at dinner, says Berglund.
– So it’s hopeless. Everyone is on one direct. I forgot the gloves in the dining room and (Lars) Ljung was standing there and said: “It says AG on these, SEK 50 in the fine box”. I’m probably up to 500 bucks soon, says Grahn.
Several skaters single out Alvar Myhlback as a candidate to win the penalty league.
– He is quite good at forgetting things, says Eric Rosjö.
Myhlback himself thinks that there are starting to be “a lot of rules”.
– Lots of hard rules. So you quickly smoke a few fines, he says.
Some rules are more difficult than others.
– No phone at dinner I think is difficult. It is easy to pick it up out of pure reflex.
