Tennis ace Jarkko Nieminen enters military service

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This autumn it has just been one engagement after another for Finland’s number one tennis player Jarkko Nieminen. In the Basel ATP tournament Nieminen showed an encouraging return to form and made it through to to the final, and last week he was seen grinding away in the Paris Masters tournament.
      On Monday this week, however, the tennis star suited up for a slightly different kind of contest. Namely, Nieminen commenced his compulsory military service at the Sports School of the Häme Regiment in the Hennala barracks area in Lahti. Around noon Nieminen appeared dressed in a camouflage suit and combat boots to hold a press conference outside the barracks.
      "It feels a bit funny that twenty journalists write a story about one man completing a six-month national service stint. Those who serve the normal 12 months should deserve to be written about", the tennis ace laughed.
     
Nieminen, 26, is known to be a resolute man. While his professional tennis career was budding, the young man insisted that he finish his upper secondary school first. Also, it has been clear to him from the start that the national service would have to be completed at some point.
      Because of his career, Nieminen ended up postponing the service for eight years. When the army representatives finally approached him offering a tailor-made service model Nieminen could not refuse.
     
Since 2005 the Häme Regiment Sports School has experimented with a 180-day training model. The model is aimed for sportsmen competing abroad, as well as for those who still live in Finland but who have already signed a professional precontract.
      The 2nd Reconnaissance Company’s barrack room No.13 accommodates Nieminen and 12 other athletes – among them the NBA-drafted basketball player Petteri Koponen.
     
While Koponen and his service mates took to target practice at the shooting range, Nieminen had his physical examination, picked up his service gear, and learned how to make his bed army style.
     
"I have certain expectations. Therefore I do have butterflies in my stomach, but otherwise I am not bothered. I just want to learn the ropes quickly", Nieminen commented.
      Today Nieminen and his fellow servicemen will learn some first aid skills. Wednesday is reserved for personal training, such as learning the insignia of the Finnish military. Some physical exercise is also on the cards, as the tennis player will be made to take his compulsory 12-minute Cooper fitness test later on.
      "I’ve done a lot of running lately, but cannot begin to guess who far I’ll run in 12 minutes. We’ll see."
     
Thursday will be spent in weapons handling, and on Friday Nieminen will already have his first day off, while attending a function by his promoters.
      After the weekend the new conscript’s week will start with target practice.
      The busy November will culminate in swearing the military oath on the 30th. After that Nieminen will spend a few more moments in Hennala before his preparation for the new season begins.
      "I hope this experience will have a positive effect. I don’t think my preparation for the coming season would suffer because of carrying out my military service", Nieminen reckons.
      The ATP list number 27 will start the new season with an ATP tournament in Adelaide in the first week of January. "After that I will take part in the Auckland tournament before the Australian Open."
     
Whilst Nieminen's military service may differ somewhat from the norm, his presence in Hennala is a definite bonus for the Finnish Defence Forces.
      The example shown by a professional athlete who elects to don his army fatigues rather than holidaying in The Maldives at the end of a long season may rub off on other young people who are wondering whether they should do their service at all.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Nieminen again finds Federer too strong in Basel (29.10.2007)

Links:
  Jarkko Nieminen home page
  Jarkko Nieminen (Wikipedia)

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