Winter Viking Games 2005

Team of the Viking-Nevo club is the winner of the Winter Viking Games 2005!

In the beginning of February 2005 nine Viking teams took part in the seventh international Winter Viking Games in Finland. The Games 2005 had its own intrigue. None of the Vikings knew in what kind of situation the Games will be hold in an hour before the start. Usually the distance passed on the ice around the Läntinen Pukkisaari island where the Iron-Age Trading Place is situated. But the Finnish Gulf didn’t become frozen for a long time this winter.

The organizers of the Winter Viking Games did not want to change the tradition and decided to be close to the usual place. This year the distance was made not on the ice but along the shore line of the island. One part of the distance laid on the narrow path between the trees, another part — on the reed. And Viking skiers had to get under the tree limbs in two places.

The Viking-Nevo team of the year 2005:

• Max Pryazhevsky,
• Olga Titova,
• Rita Kardash,
• Sergey Suhoruchenkov.

The usual tactics of the Russian Viking-Nevo team — to put the strongest skier on the first stage — paid its way again. Nine Vikings started the race with a jerk with the first sounds of horn. Max Pryazhevsky squeezed through the thirsted for victory Vikings with difficulty and got on the ski-track the first. Nimble Pentti Yrjänäinen from the Grey Wolves team was the second. The serious struggle started between them on the distance. The Vikings outran one another several times and came to the finish line almost at one time.

The miss of Pentti on the shooting line held up the start of the second Viking from the Grey Wolves team for a while and Olga Titova had gone ahead for a little. The Viking-Nevo team took the leading position. The professional archers from the Torahammas club were the main challengers for the victory and they put Vikings on the race by growing their speed potential. Their girl could not compete with the leading teams on the first stage. It was the main fault of the Torahammas club. The last year winners of the Winter Viking Games were only the seventh after the first stage.

The Grey Wolves team put the strong Viking on the second stage also which pursued Olga Titova closely and never let her had a minute’s peace. Olga hit the target with the first arrow on the shooting place and gave the skis to Rita Kardash, the debutant of the Russian team. The Viking-Nevo team waited for Rita on the finish line with sinking hearts. And Rita came first! It turned out that the small and graceful figure let her pass narrow places of distance without any problems in contrast to other big and massive Vikings which caught on trees with their clothes and equipment. But suddenly Rita fell down during skiing up to the shooting line. Olga Titova extended a helping hand to her in a burst of emotions that was forbidden by the rules of the Winter Viking Games. This episode had been notice by the strict referees and almost became fatal for the Viking-Nevo team later.

The Vikings from Torahammas club were evenly strongest this year but they had to fight with the results of the start fault during three stages. To get to the leading positions they had to outrun six Vikings ahead but only two areas of the distance were suitable for that. Heated archers were forced to ski behind the main group of Vikings almost all the time so they could only cry out the demands to make way for them. And Torahammas club became second after three very tense and hard stages.

But Sergey Suhoruchenkov, the captain of the Viking-Nevo club, did not lose the leading position which was conquered by his team partners on the previous stages. In spite of two misses on the shooting line and penalty round Sergey finished the race first and the Viking-Nevo team won the Winter Viking Games 2005! The team of the Torahammas club finished the race after, the Warangians became third. The Grey Wolves which were second during the long time got the problems with the skis on the last stage. Their very light in weight skis did not stand the hard distance and broke up. Angry with that Vikings burnt down the skis after the race.

The delay before final results announcement gave the hope to the Torahammas club for the first place. Referees of the Games were considering the episode of Olga Titova help to Rita Kardash — the youngest participant of the competition. But finally the victory was given to the Russian team. The Viking-Nevo team won the Winter Viking Games for the third time and became the owner of the challenge main prize!

Final standings:

1. Viking-Nevo club (Smolensk, Russia),
   Max Pryazhevsky, Olga Titova, Rita Kardash, Sergey Suhoruchenkov
2. Torahammas club (Finland),
3. Warangians (Finland),
4. Grey Wolves (Finland),
5. Rus-farers (Finland),
6. Ango (Finland),
7. Hollola (Finland),
8. Living Middle Age (Finland),
   prize for the best ancient clothing and equipment
9. Viikinkiajan laiva (Finland).

The legendary prize of the Winter Viking Games was presented to Sergey Suhoruchenkov — the captain of the Viking-Nevo team. Following a good tradition the bailer was filled up with Russian drink. And Sergey gave the honor of the first taste of it to Fredrik Koivusalo who instituted the hand-made bailer from the wrecked Viking ship Rus as the main prize of the Winter Viking Games seven years ago. After couple of gulps the captain of the famous Viking ship Heimlosa Rus instructed the Viking-Nevo team about bailer caring. The Vikings from other teams also touched the filled bailer for the last time but not so willingly as previous years. The Living Middle Age team from Finland got the special prize for the best ancient clothing and equipment.

As usual Finnish friends of the Viking-Nevo club organized interesting cultural program for the team. They presented to the winners three wonderful days in the capital of Finland which included city tours, visiting the snowboard competition, cinema and swimming center.

The team of the Viking-Nevo club thanks a lot for the invitation and for the warm hospitality the organizers of the Winter Viking Games (Dirk Schneider, Sommelo Association), and also Arvo Reijonen, Seppo Suhonen, Pentti Yrjänäinen, Topi and Tanya Tapaila.