After donning 10 kilo backpacks, conscripts at the Kouvola ice stadium track are to run three kilometres as fast as they can. Such an endurance test would be unthinkable for most normal conscripts. The task will probably prove too challenging even for a few of the 280 super fit young men, applying for a place in the paratroopers special forces training programme.
With only 70 places offered each year, the competition is fierce among the men coming from all different parts of the country.
For any chance of making it, prior training is essential.
Tornio conscript Jarno Pääkkö’s hobbies have prepared him for the trial. These include scuba diving, track and field, and other sports.
A rare breed
While conscripts for normal military service are putting on more weight and their general fitness continues to deteriorate, paratrooper candidates are getting fitter each year.
A rare enough breed then, these tough young men are welcomed by the military.
According to Arto Hildén, Commander of the Special Jaeger Battalion's Paratrooper Company, many of the men are aiming to become professional soldiers and enrol at cadet school.
Long-term benefits
Most conscripts applying for a place in the special forces see the training as conferring great benefits also later on in life.
Santeri Silvennoinen from Kuopio says paratrooper training could open up a career in the army, and notes that this yields extra points also when applying for top positions at universities.
Also aiming for a job in the army, Jarno Pääkkö, along with many of the young hopefuls, sees paratrooper training as a fast track to military employment.