When did you start playing soccer?
When I was 6 years old. I started playing in my brother’s team where my dad was coaching.
What is your favorite thing about playing soccer?
Everything! Every game is a different game and a new challenge. It is nice to be a part of the team.
What was your most memorable game experience?
Our first European Championship with Finland’s National team 2005 in England. That was a great feeling after many years of trying getting there!
What is something you always have in your soccer bag?
Cleats and lip balm.
What was your most interesting and fun soccer trip and why?
The most different and interesting trip must have been our training camp with my previous team Umea IK at the Seychelles. It is quite exotic to go from Umea, in the northern part of Sweden, to the exotic and warm Seychelles. It is not the first place in mind when you think about a soccer training camp!
What's your perfect day off?
A perfect day off I spend with my daughter and my husband, without any musts and hurries.
Name a sports team other than Sky Blue FC that you can’t live without?
My national team, Finland.
What famous person most inspires you?
I don´t have any specific one person, but I´m inspired by everyone who has passion for what they do.
If you could only eat one food item/meal for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Oatmeal with cottage cheese or spinach soup.
What's on your workout/pre-game iPod playlist?
For example, Pink and Lady Gaga are artist who speed up my workout, but mostly I listen to everything with speed and energy.
Aside from soccer, I'm really good at…
Being a mom to my daughter.
Not many people know that I can…
Sit in the sauna for hours.
If my parents were describing me, they’d say that I…
Think it is impossible to retire from soccer.
If I were stranded on a deserted island with one of my current Sky Blue FC teammates, I would want to be with…
Kacey White because we have played in a same team in Sweden before. I know that we would have a good time and that would give me an opportunity to test her Swedish skills..
I want my experience in WPS to be…
Memorable and one of the highlights of my career!
QUICK HITS – List your three favorites:
TV Shows:
1. Swedish Idol
2. Sex and The City
3. Friends
Places to Shop:
1. Dubai
2. Stockholm
3. Helsinki Airport
Restaurants:
1. Grill
2. Ciao Ciao Due
3. Phi Phi Island (…all in Stockholm, Sweden)
What are the three things you can never be without while traveling?
My laptop, a good book and snacks.
If you could travel anywhere in the world where would you want to go and why?
To South Africa this summer to watch the World Cup.
Did you have a childhood pet? What was its name?
I had a rabbit, Pomppi. And a hamster, Muru.
What was your favorite TV show, movie, and music group?
Tao Tao cartoon, Pippi Longstockings movies and New Kids on the Block.
What was the first concert you ever attended?
Metallica.
What was your favorite Halloween costume that you wore?
Clown!
What was your dream profession as a child?
Hair-dresser.
What was your first job?
Summer job at an ice-cream shop.
What celebrities have your friends told you that you look most like?
Smurfette (from the Smurf)
If you had a dinner party, who are the four people you would invite (can be living or dead) and why?
Some of my best friend because I see them so seldom.
Surely it took a lot of hard work to get to this level, what motivated you to keep working hard?
Dream to become a professional player and the will to improve my game.
When it got hard, or you didn’t make the cut what did you do? What advice could you give kids about working hard and overcoming moments like this?
It is always important to keep believing in your dreams, even though sometimes it gets tought and things don’t go the way you want to. My best advice is to keep working hard and never give up. Obstacles only make you stronger, and make you appreciate it when things are going well.
When going through school and playing soccer at the same time, how did you fit all the pieces together (soccer, school, social life)
I am currently finishing my studies, which have been improving at a slower pace because I have prioritized other parts in my life, such as soccer and family. It is important to stay organized and focused in everything you do.
What advice would you give to a young girl who dreams of playing in WPS one day?
Keep in mind that playing should always be fun, and as long as you are enjoying what you do, you keep getting better. There is no shortcut in becoming one of best, you always need to do the work.