For us, being a top crew doesn’t mean that the team scores the most goals. A top crew is a community, where each individual feels good. As a family-owned company, we know how important the well-being of your own crew is, and we want to support teams who understand the importance of fair team spirit.
Every year, we look for youth sports teams, clubs or communities that act responsibly and show by their example and actions that they are indeed top crews. They can, for example, be tough on bullying, do carpooling, recycle sports equipment, encourage tolerance and non-discrimination or e.g. respect the nature.
We choose one top crew from each of the eight Vatupassi towns (Joensuu, Jyväskylä, Kuopio, Nurmes, Oulu, Tampere, Turku and Vantaa) per year, and divide the sponsorship money reserved for that year equally between these teams. Each one of the eight top crews receives a one-thousand-euro “Junnutonni” grant.
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The 2023 winners:
Joensuu: Joensuu Cheerleading Club
In a community of about 200 athletes, a positive atmosphere and kind values shine. Team camp meals are prepared through collective efforts, and competition costumes are borrowed between teams for fittings. At the heart of the sport is a sense of camaraderie and body positivity that’s suitable for all enthusiasts!
Jyväskylä: Table Tennis Jyväskylä
The club’s main focus is on getting children and young people moving, serving the vision set at the founding of the club: to provide each member with a path to their own table tennis dream. “This isn’t just a beautiful idea written in the club’s strategy; we’ve done our best to make sure this happens in practice as well. The table tennis dreams of juniors often aren’t about the Olympics or the national team but rather about simply enjoying the sport and making new friends.”
Kuopio: Linkki ry U-14, Boys’ Team
The group is united by a strong sense of camaraderie and a can-do attitude. Behind the scenes is a tight-knit community of parents who pitch in and ensure that everyone has the opportunity to participate! Among the basketball team’s fundamental principles are respect, encouragement, helping others, and fair play. In this team, it’s not just about chasing medals but genuinely enjoying sports.
Oulu: Gymnastics World Oulu, Keijut-team
The gymnasts on the apparatus gymnastics team form a close-knit community, radiating a strong team spirit and positive atmosphere. Although artistic and apparatus gymnastics is traditionally an individual sport, the Keijut (‘Fairies’ in English) team emphasizes the importance of common goals and the significance of teamwork and supporting others.
Nurmes:
Unfortunately, we did not receive any applications from Nurmes this year.
The 2022 winners:
- Joensuu: Karelia Golf juniors, Golf
- Jyväskylä: Jyväskylä Basketball Academy (girls’ team), Basketball
- Kuopio: Kuopio Ski Club ry, Alpine Skiing
- Nurmes: Dance Studio SunShow, Dance
- Oulu: Oulun Kärpät 46 ry, U11 Team, Ice Hockey
The 2020 winners:
- Joensuu: Tikun Puuhevonen, Riding
- Jyväskylä: Jyväskylän Nousu, Boys 2011, Football
- Kuopio: Kuopion kisaveikot, Wrestling
- Nurmes: Hurtat13, Ice Hockey
- Oulu: Oulun Luistelukerho, Stella Polaris, Synchronized skating
Congratulations to all our winners!