Finnish Champion is getting ready for FinskaFest

The 2016 Finnish National Champion, Damien Landais, is looking forward to making more Finska friends and go home a winner at the Embassy of Finland's FinskaFest. The event takes place on Saturday, March 30th at La Trobe Park in Canberra. The event is so popular that on the day there are now 64 teams competing for the crown on FinskaFest champion. We interviewed Damien to learn about his love for and success in the game of Mölkky, or as it is called Down Under, Finska!

1.    You have competed in tournaments all around the world, what is it that you love most about Mölkky?

I love Mölkky because it is an easy game accessible to everyone. Everyone can score points and it is an easy way to gather people around a nice outdoor game. Also, the game is way more than that as there is obviously the precision and accuracy but above all the strategy. If you are behind in the score, you can try to drop your opponent to 25 and taking your chance at winning. There are never 2 games the same.

But above all, I have had a lot of great days meeting new friends in tournaments. There is always a great atmosphere on the fields, at the bar, and I really have met a lot of people playing the game, most of them have become good friends and it really feels like a family reunited when there are the big tournaments, even though it remains a competition

2.    In 2017 you finished 2nd in the Mölkky World Championships and were crowned Finnish Champion in 2016, so what do you owe your success?

The first years were a bit harder as the adrenaline of the tournaments was often taking over. But then once the throws were steady and with nice regular games and tournaments around Europe, it became really enjoyable and I had a great time at the tournaments. Building a nice team also helps and playing with friends is always a pleasure. So all those factors with the fact I was playing more and more during those years, with regular tournaments (1-2 a month) helped in having a steady hand for the throw.

2016 was also the year I changed my posture for the long distance throws and it helped me become more accurate.

Also, the fact to have different types of throws, being able to throw from a long distance, in the back of the pack or in the front of the pack...all of that helps in building a winning strategy.

3.    Today you are so involved with the game, but when and how did you first learn about Mölkky?

I first learnt about Mölkky in Helsinki thanks to my friend Oli Good who made me play first. He was already an addict of the game and wanted new training/playing buddies. So I went with him...It was January and we went outside, the temperature was about -15C so throwing was a bit hard, hands were getting really cold. But I did love the game, the fact that strategy is so important...so I went on and on and played more, joined the Helsingin Mölkkyseura and played from there a lot of tournaments, first locally, all over Europe and even Japan.

4.    Living in France, Finland and now Australia, are there many differences in the style of play?

The differences are not really in the style of play. It is more in the type of tournaments. In Finland, there is a limited number of players who go regularly to tournaments. All of them are very good players so the level is high from the beginning. And we can see the same faces in almost all tournaments, it is very competitive

In France, there are a lot of different associations and a lot of players. Many of the tournaments are local and are very festive, with a good atmosphere. Tournaments are more about being with friends out and playing! A lot of people come and play for fun, without caring too much about the results. A lot of the B tournaments (Loser Tournaments) have been created then because people didn't come to win, they came to play and have a great day out. Nowadays in the World Championship, there is usually a B Tournament to allow everyone to play a lot during the weekend.

In Australia, well I am still too new to comment but I can't wait to discover more.

5.    You recently moved to Sydney, and are already actively promoting the game, can you tell us what you have in store for fans Down Under?

I am working towards the organisation of new tournaments locally. I want to grow the community and gather people to play outside, in parks. And the best way to do this is defintiely through great games and tournaments. Hopefully, this picks up well and I can have a great growing number of players gathering.

6.    I will not ask your strategy for FinskaFest, but what do you think it will take to win on the day?

It will take for sure a steady hand...but mainly a great day having fun with your playing partner is the first thing to succeed. Then thinking through a game and not going all the time for the highest number is usually the great idea... Often people start thinking too late about how to reach exactly 50...

But above all, this is a game to gather people and be friendly with each other. A good spirit will do the day, and the fun will do the rest until the final for the lucky ones.