Track & Field facilities in Finland

Hello everyone! My son is thinking about taking a "gap year" (between grade 12 and university) to perfect his javelin throwing in Finland. The Finns are the world's best javelin throwers.

Does anyone have any ideas on how I can go about discovering the right facility? I expect I need to contact a well-established track & field club, preferably one with room & board facilities or connected with a school or university that has these.

How long does it take an average teen (bilingual in English & French) to learn just enough Finnish to stumble along in a sports & semi-academic environment? I know it is a difficult language. I expect that world-class coaches would know a little English and\or French, n'est-ce pas?

Would he require a student visa? Thanks for any suggestions. Cheers, John

Hi,
I have been living in Finland for some years now. I have been learning the language rather intensively for about 1 year and a half and I would say that after 6 months, I was able to mumble enough coherent things to be understood.

In my opinion, Finns like when foreigners make an effort to learn their language rather than try to just talk in English. Especially around Helsinki.

Try to buy some "Finnish for Foreigners" books, they helped me a lot. Also, check for the "Abitreenit" website from Google. You will get exercises and grammar there too.

Good luck!