What exactly does the sports services do there?

"What are you doing in the library so early in the morning, even though service time doesn't start until eleven o'clock?"

Not once or twice, the librarian has heard this question during his career. It's always annoying. Don't the questioners realize that borrowing is only a small part of library work? However, I am not better than them, because I always wonder what is being done in other offices in the city, for example.

While visiting the Sports Hall, I have wondered why there are office spaces there. Why do people from the sports side need an office, they swim and throw a ball all day long? They probably go for a run so that they don't fall out of shape. Who works there anyway, you can't see them anywhere? Are the sports services just an urban legend, with which we, other players in the city, are stunned?

As an information search professional, I decided to find out, that is, I asked. It turned out that there are five permanent and two temporary employees working in the sports services of the city of Imatra. The words guidance, planning, implementation, communication and network cooperation were repeated in the job descriptions. Tasks common to all physical education instructors include, among other things, guiding students in the field and using and completing Timmi, the time and space management system so beloved by everyone. Being on duty at the computer and phone is very familiar to them, so their life is not just exercise 38,5 hours/week.

The overall picture of sports services is managed by the sports and wellness coordinator Henna Jääskeläinen. He is responsible for the health and well-being promotion work of the city of Imatra and acts as the supervisor of the sports services staff. His duties include cooperation with various operators, clubs and organizations in the city, and he is also involved in several cooperation groups in the province. So Henna doesn't throw the ball, she handles paperwork and bureaucracy. Henna is also a welfare agent, but the mission is secret, and its content cannot be revealed here.

It became easier when I found out that there are also swimmers on the city's payroll. Three handsome and more or less young men work as the city's swimming supervisor-gym instructors: Jani Kemppi, Vesa Rautio ja Tuomo Tynkkynen. Swimming supervision is their most visible activity for us city dwellers, but they also take care of teaching swimming to all ages and guiding exercise groups, from planning to implementation. Their job description also includes being responsible for the transport arrangements and schedules for school swimming, taking care of the safety issues of the swimming hall together with the facility staff, and customer service in the swimming hall in general. Their account also covers equipment purchases for the swimming hall. And the fact that we citizens stay afloat.

And that's not all! The swimming pool also has a swimming instructor who received the municipal athlete of the year award Taina Itkonen. During her career, Taina has taught swimming skills to at least 6600 South Karelian children, and she currently works as a teacher at swimming schools funded by the Save the Children association. Taina's lessons would have been necessary even for the librarian, but as a child I didn't dare to go to swimming school because I couldn't swim.

I have often said that the library cannot operate in such a way that it only attracts new customers all the time, it must also take care of its existing customers. Fitness instructor Riitta Pellinen does exactly the same when it comes to exercise. At Imatra, he is responsible for promoting the elderly by, among other things, organizing and implementing the "power to old age" activity. The organization and scheduling of transportation and various tests, as well as the planning and implementation of events, are an essential part of this work as well. Riitta has also networked with various actors in both the city and the province. In addition to senior activities, Riita's work includes cooperation with schools, especially physical education institutes. Communication, marketing and customer service are also Riita's daily work. All kinds of guidance are characteristic of Riita: guidance of sports groups, guidance of students, guidance groups. Riita is also responsible for special exercise and issuing BMI cards. Would I already get such a card?

Fitness instructor Marjo Hiltunen is special. He manages special exercise groups, issues special exercise cards, is responsible for the promotion of special and applied exercise and runs the network cooperation for applied and elderly exercise, and acquires the necessary exercise equipment. Marjo also organizes group exercise counseling for working-age people: that's exactly what I need, because when it comes to exercise, I'm the best at coming up with excuses to avoid it. Marjo organizes events, informs and markets, and guides students.

Even for us librarians who avoid exercise, an exercise instructor Suvi Seppänen has become familiar with the morning jogging events he runs in Teams. It's been really nice to avoid them. As a lively person, Suvi specializes in promoting children's and family sports. In addition to traditional network cooperation, planning and implementation of sports events and sports services, and guiding sports groups, his work includes early childhood kindergarten visits and group family fitness counseling. Suvikin is part of the army of welfare agents, but you can't talk about it.

So the answer to the question in the title is: work is done in sports services. Am I surprised? I don't. Of course, despite my wonderings, I already know with my more than 20 years of experience in the municipal sector that even in the city, despite all the bad talk, you don't get paid just for breathing. Sports services have a lot in common with library work, not only in terms of work, but also in the most important aspect, i.e. taking care of the mental and physical well-being of the citizens. From baby to danger. With the help of exercise and culture, we humans stay functional much better than without them.

The text was written by librarian Mika Kähkönen