By Davis Jamison ’24
The fellowship between Cardigan Mountain School and Hyvinkää, Finland is a special one. Years ago, the Cardigan hockey team traveled to Finland for a tournament. This was back when cell phones were nonexistent and people still used landlines. Upon arriving in Finland, the Cardigan boys were quick to realize that the tournament had been canceled. However, a small town, about 45 minutes by car from Helsinki, accommodated the stranded guests. The hosts provided this lost team games against the local school, the Vehkoja School. Since the mid-1970s, this tradition of kindness and hospitality has continued. This year the Finnish boys came to The Point and celebrated the 49th year of friendship between Cardigan and Vehkoja School.
I traveled to Finland last March and it was one of the best experiences of my life. I stayed with a host family and one of my teammates. It was magical to experience Scandinavian culture and life through living in a household. I enjoyed the trips to the sauna most nights and met life-long friends. It was a special bond to experience. The boys from Cardigan were treated with the utmost respect and hospitality. We attended classes, played floorball, explored the Hyvinkää mall, toured Helsinki, enjoyed Finnish cuisine, and even went to the disco one night. I am so happy that I went!
This February, the Finnish boys traveled to Cardigan. When the Finns entered the dining hall, there was an immediate connection. All the boys who made the trip last year recognized familiar faces and friends. What a relationship! They experienced the Cardigan way of life for a week, just as I had a year before. The Finns also explored Boston and the New Hampshire state capitol, and got a sense of American life for the week. The Cardigan Varsity Team and Vehkoja School Team faced off one night. Unfortunately, we lost in overtime, but it was an incredible game and matchup. Additionally, the Finns played other local school teams.
I had the great opportunity of having four boys in my dorm, two upstairs and two downstairs. Every night, all the Finnish boys and some Cardigan boys would congregate in the French 1 common room. The conversations would last for hours. We discussed likes, dislikes, travel, favorite sports teams, and what it is like to live in our respective countries. It was so cool to catch up with past friends! The language barrier made no difference in the meaningfulness of our conversations. If anything, it made the experience more powerful! We exchanged candies from our countries and laughed until we had to return to our rooms for the night. I enjoy the friendships created during this short span of time.
I interviewed a few teammates about the Cardigan-Finnish exchange. Here is their responses:
How does the experience compare while both hosting and traveling to Finland during your time at Cardigan?
Nathan Caples ’24: Although the team did not get to travel to Finland like last year, it was still a blast to host the Finns, and see familiar faces from the 2023 trip.
What is the largest takeaway from this memorable exchange experience?
Nathan Caples ’24: I learned that people of different cultures and backgrounds can still collaborate and create meaningful friendships. I also learned that Finnish guys can really play hockey.
I also interviewed our Finnish student at Cardigan this year. Eetu Lindholm ’24 has been the goaltender for the varsity squad this year and a large part of the team’s success. He is a one-year ninth grader like most of the Finns who study at Cardigan.
What was it like to play against the Finnish boys in a Cardigan jersey?
Eetu Lindholm ’24: It was different to play against old friends. I played on the Vehkoja team last year and played against Cardigan. It was a special experience.
Have you enjoyed your Cardigan experience and are you proud to join the group of Finnish alumni––also known as the “Old Boys”?
Eetu Lindholm ’24: Yes! It is an important thing to me. My father is a part of this group and graduated from Cardigan in 2000. Great experience!
I have joined a selective group through the Cardigan and Hyvinkää connection. This is a tremendous opportunity to learn and grow. Through traveling to Finland and hosting the Finns, I learned how different yet quite similar our lives are. We are all kids. The Finns returned to their everyday lives in Hyvinkää as I have here at The Point. I am thankful that I was able to partake in this interaction. If I ever return to Finland, I will definitely visit Hyvinkää!
Editor’s Note: The Varsity Hockey Team enjoyed another successful season, skating to a 18-7-3 record and winning both the Belmont Hill Holiday Freshman Invitational in December and the end-of-season Belmont Hill Hockey Invitational in February.