SKOGSTRÖM Helena Anneli – FIN (PVE)
Helena had no previous experience of volleyball, but in 2007 she was invited to try sitting volleyball. She immediately fell in love with the sport. It has been a life-changing experience according to her and it would take a book to describe all the good things sitting volleyball has given to her. She started to be internationally active, as well as nationally, after the 2014 General Assembly at the World Championships and the meeting with World ParaVolley Sport Director Denis Le Breuilly. Those meetings were most important for her personally.
She used all opportunities to open conversations with ParaVolley Europe and World ParaVolley staff to share ideas, increase her understanding, and develop education opportunities and events. For her, Maciej Chodzko-Zajko, Denis Le Breuilly, Barry Couzner, Phil Allen, Louise Ashcroft, Branko Mihorko, Joe Campbell and John Kessel, international classifiers, referees, team managers and coaches were all wonderful. They were warmly welcoming and open to new ideas and she is sincerely thankul to them.
“I cannot say just one person influenced my development. From Finland, Timo Väre (previous Head Coach) and Petri Räbinä, provided opportunities, encouragement, and support to enable me to become involved more deeply in national and international sitting volleyball maters. All teammates in the National team (FIN) over the years, and all team managers and coaches of teams in Europe and the World, have been open for conversation and have given me a chance to learn as they listened and shared ideas and worries concerning the sport. Open listening and a strong will to develop the sport connects all of us. The support has been heartwarming. Humble Thank you all for great moments together.”
Event involvement:
2008 The Netherlands – Double Dutch Open – player
2008 Finland – Summer tournament – player
2009 The Netherlands – Euro Cup – player
2009 Poland – European Championships – player
2010 Finland – Pajulahti Games – player
2011 Finland – Pajulahti Games – player
2011 Finland – Marjola BeachVolley tournament – player
2011 The Netherlands – European Championships – player & Assistant Team Manager
2012 Finland – Pajulahti Games – player
2012 Great Britain – Kent Tournament – player & Team Manager
2012 Hungary – Tournament for Women – player & Team Manager
2012 Finland – International BeachVolley – player
2012 Russia – Izmailovo Open – player & Team Manager
2013 Finland – Pajulahti games- 20-23.1 – Player & Assistant Organizer
2013 Russia – Moscow – player & Team Manager
2013 Poland – European Championships – player & Assistant Team Manager
2014 Finland – Pajulahti games – player & Assistant Team Manager
2014 Hungary – Budapest Open – player & Assistant Team Manager
2014 Estonia – Tallinn tournament – player
2014 Russia – Moscow open – player & Assistant Team Manager
2014 Poland – World Championships – player & Assistant Team Manager – FIN representative at the General Assembly
2014 Hungary – ParaVolley Europe Sub zonal – player & Team Manager
2015 Finland – Pajulahti Games – Player, Assistant Organizer
2015 Finland – during Pajulahti Games organised classifiers Level 1 course
2015 Warendorf, Germany – European Championships (Men) – FIN representative at GA
2015 Slovenia – European Championships (Women) – Player – Member of Athlete Commission
2016 Finland – Pajulahti Games & PVE Sub-Zonal – player & Assistant Organizer
2017 Finland – Pajulahti Games & PVE Sub-Zonal – player & Assistant Organizer
2017 Hungary – Hungarian Open – player & Athlete Commissioner
2017 Croatia – European Championships – Assistant Team Manager & FIN representative in General Assembly
2017 – 2018 – ParaVolley Europe Sport director
2018 Finland – Pajulahti Games & PVE Sub zonal – Assistant Organizer and Technical Delegate
2018 The Netherlands – World ParaVolley World Championships – player, Team Manager, FIN representative at the General Assembly – Ahos Scholarship study*.
2018 Hungary – ParaVolley Europe Sub-Zonal – Assistant Technical Delegate
2018 Latvia – ParaVolley Europe Sub-Zonal (Men) – Technical Delegate
2019 Finland – Pajulahti Games – player & Assistant Organizer
2019 Hungary – European Championships – player & FIN representative at General Assembly
2019 France – New Nations League – Assistant Technical Delegate
2019 Peru – Parapan American Games – Ahos Scholarship study*
2020 Finland – Pajulahti Games – player & Assistant Organizer
2020 Canada – World ParaVolley Qualifier for Tokyo Paralympics – player
2021 Turkey – European Championships – Team Manager & FIN representative at PVE GA
2022 Finland – Pajulahti Games – player, Team Manager & Assistant Organizer
Playing (2008-2020):
Event Organisation: 2013 – present
Classification Administration: 2015 – 2018
Administration (Governance): 2015 – present
Technical Officiating: 2017 – 2018
Coaching: 2019 – 2020
Awards Received:
Scholarship from Ahos Foundation (Finland) to network, interview and study sitting volleyball in different countries. Also to study the integration of sitting volleyball with national volleyball associations.
Official posts held:
2021 – present – Sitting Volleyball Sports Manager, Finnish Volleyball Federation
2012 – 2018 & 2021 – present -Team Manager, Women´s National Team Finland
2017-2018 – ParaVolley Europe Sport Director
2015-2017 – Member of ParaVolley Europe Athlete Commission
2015-2018 – Member of the Board, Finnish Sports Association of Persons with Disabilities
2014 – present – Member of Finnish Sitting Volleyball Sport Commission
2012 – present – Communication Officer International Affairs, Finnish Sitting Volleyball Sports Commission