Hi everyone, I’m Oliver Alaviuhkola, and I’m from Helsinki, Finland. I’m a Finnish international student athlete here at GCC majoring in Business Administration. Finland is a relatively small northern European country, best known for Santa Claus, northern lights and our harsh winters. As an athlete from the north, the logical sport would have been ice hockey, but from a young age I fell in love with football or soccer as it is known in America. 

Beginning

My early introduction to soccer came through my father and many of my friends. The first club I joined was founded by my father and other local parents for me and my friends and everything just kind of progressed from there. One of the biggest European youth tournaments “Helsinki Cup” is hosted in my hometown and my dad trained me for it all summer when I made the choice to become the team’s goalkeeper after my first year playing.

Eventually, after that tournament I fell in love with the role and I’ve been practicing goalkeeping ever since. I transferred after my first year into a bigger club in hopes of improving the environment I was developing in and my dad came with me to coach the team there. The club team KäPa made me take my first steps in my journey with the help of my goalkeeper coach, “Oso”, who I consider to be one of the most influential people on my journey.

 Life of a student athlete

I was always a good student and hard working, but an increasing training load and difficult courses was definitely something I had to adapt to each year. There wasn’t much room for socializing in my early teens because my day consisted of school from 8 am-4 pm and practice from 5 pm-8 pm. Luckily my mom and dad were always there to help me study, feed me and to drive me back home from practice. 

My journey 

By no means has my journey been easy and I don’t think there is a single athlete that hasn’t gone through their fair share of hardships. I consistently struggled to make the cut onto the first team academy and I was neglected in a sense due to not being from a promising background. Wherever I went, I carried the label that is often given way too soon to many athletes that followed me, as the culture tends to favor those who show promise at a young age with the best coaching and opportunities. If you don’t display promise early on you’ll have to grind your way through and pave your own path. 

However, this all turned around when I was lifted at the age of 16, I was unexpectedly promoted to the HJK under-20 academy team due to a freak streak of injuries. I was two years younger than the second youngest player in the team, essentially playing with men. This experience sparked something in me that fueled me to train harder than ever before in my life. I went on to win bronze in the U20 Nationals with HJK and transitioned to Atlantis FC at the age of 18, where they signed me on with my first academy contract for one year. Although I didn’t get paid or get any benefits, it was still a step that highlighted the results of my hard work.

There, I had the privilege of being mentored by a goalkeeper coach with a proven track record in the MLS, Turkish main league and even as a part of Cameron’s World Cup squad in 2014 who would take me under his wing. Despite being overlooked by other coaches once again, the rigorous training under my GK goalkeeper coach, Sammy, pushed me to become the goalkeeper I’m today. The Atlantis U20 academy team went on to secure a bronze finish in the U20 Nationals.” 

Before coming to the USA, I made my final transfer to PPJ, where I spent half a year trying to qualify the team for promotion to the U20 Nationals. During my time there, I was under the guidance of Scott, a goalkeeper from Coastal Carolina and their Hall of Fame alumni, and an ex-MLS goalkeeper. He mentored me into fighting shape so I would be ready for the national powerhouse that is the GCC men’s soccer team. 

Mentors 

My mentors along the way have been my father, three goalkeeper coaches I mentioned previously and Ken Gavin the head Coach of GCC men’s soccer team. They’ve all been tough but fair and have all offered their own individual experiences to improve aspects of my game. I’ve shared a lot of highs and lows with each of the people mentioned and I wouldn’t be in the position I’m currently in without their help. 

Teammates 

I’ve always considered teammates as the best part of sports, even though I have moved between clubs. I’ve always tried to form connections with at least a few of the boys on the rosters, some of whom I still keep in touch with. However, as in life, our paths often separate after a year or two, but that’s just something you get used to. Leading the GCC men’s soccer team as a sophomore and a captain was a learning curve for me, even though I’ve always been a vocal leader on the pitch. Now, having to learn to read people’s personalities and what motivates them has been the most interesting part, and I’ve loved every minute of being here with this group of lads.

Next steps

Ever since I can remember, I’ve had a strong passion for playing soccer, and my next logical step is to transfer to a four-year college to continue challenging myself both academically and on the field. However, before I fully focus on my future, I’m determined to improve upon last year’s heartbreaking national final defeat. After that, I’ll assess where my next move will take me. In a few years, I hope to have progressed enough to secure a professional soccer contract, or if my academics show strong performance, I may use my degree in the business field.

My advice

My advice to future student-athletes is to be mentally resilient and keep working. Good things will come, but there is no set timeline. Eventually, you’ll receive what you deserve.