Markku Uusipaavalniemi
Encyclopedia
Markku Uusipaavalniemi (born November 23, 1966 in Karkkila
) is a Finnish
curler
and politician.
with his wife and three children. His older brother Jussi taught him how to curl.
in 2000. He is also a two-time World Curling Championships
bronze medalist (1998 and 2000) and two-time European Curling Championships bronze medalist (1999 and 2001).
Uusipaavalniemi's Finland team disappointingly finished fifth at the 2002 Olympic tournament
.
In 2004, he and his somewhat altered Finland line-up pulled off the daunting task of securing qualification for the 2005 Ford World Men's Curling Championship
s from the 'B' competition at the European championships, where they languished following the country's relegation the previous season. To do this, they had to win the competition outright, and then overcome Russia
in an additional play-off match.
At the 2005 World Championships, Uusipaavalniemi's team finished the round-robin tied for first place with five other teams on an 8-3 record. In the tie-breakers however, they were knocked out of contention by Canada
's Randy Ferbey
. Also in 2005, Uusipaavalniemi won the first ever European Mixed Curling Championships with team mates Kirsi Nykänen, Teemu Salo and Tiina Kautonen in Andorra
.
Uusipaavalniemi's Finland team won the round-robin at the 2006 Olympic tournament
with a 7-2 record. They beat Great Britain
4-3 in the semi-final, with the last stone of the final end — thrown by Uusipaavalniemi — giving the Finns the deciding point. Finland lost the final to Canada 10-4 taking the silver medal.
Two weeks before the start of the 2006 World Men's Curling Championship
in Lowell, Massachusetts
, Uusipaavalniemi suffered a wrist injury that forced him to miss the team's first three games of the competition. He recovered enough to start playing in the fourth game, where he skipped and threw second rocks. He played out the rest of the competition throwing third rocks, but Finland did not make the playoff round, finishing tied for fifth with a 6-5 record.
Uusipaavalniemi returned to the 2007 Ford World Men's Curling Championship
but his team got off to a rough start, losing their first two games and stringing together back-to-back wins only twice. Finland qualified for a tiebreaker with a 6-5 record, but lost to Germany
8-5 and finished sixth. Markku admitted that his recent campaign for (and eventual election to) Finnish parliament had forced him to cut back on curling practice time, perhaps contributing to the team's early struggles.
Uusipaavalniemi returned to curling in the 2010–11 season
with a new team. He will be participating in the 2011–12 curling season
with another new team.
in the 2007 election
for the Centre Party.http://www.keskusta.fi/apila/uutiset/?article_id=13095. Uusipaavalniemi was elected along with three other members of his party from the Uusimaa
constituency.
He voted against the further privatization of government owned companies as well as against the Lisbon treaty, both of which were supported by the party.
On 11 November 2010 Uusipaavalniemi defected from the Centre Party and joined the ranks of the True Finns
Party.http://www.yle.fi/uutiset/news/2010/11/mp_defects_conservatives_take_top_spot_2134311.html He was not reelected in the 2011 election.
Karkkila
- External links :*...
) is a Finnish
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
curler
Curling
Curling is a sport in which players slide stones across a sheet of ice towards a target area. It is related to bowls, boule and shuffleboard. Two teams, each of four players, take turns sliding heavy, polished granite stones, also called "rocks", across the ice curling sheet towards the house, a...
and politician.
Personal life
Uusipaavalniemi lives in HyvinkääHyvinkää
Hyvinkää is a town and municipality of Finland. It is located in Uusimaa region, approximately north of the capital Helsinki. The town was chartered in 1960. Hyvinkää belongs to the Province of Southern Finland. The population of Hyvinkää is ....
with his wife and three children. His older brother Jussi taught him how to curl.
Curling career
Uusipaavalniemi has been involved in international play for over two decades, and he has been the skip of Finland since the mid-1990s. All of Finland's curling medals have been achieved with Uusipaavalniemi as skip. Uusipaavalniemi's team won the European championshipEuropean Curling Championships
The European Curling Championships are annual curling tournaments held in Europe between various European nations and hosted by the European Curling Federation. The European Curling Championships are usually held in early to mid December...
in 2000. He is also a two-time World Curling Championships
World Curling Championships
The World Curling Championships are annual curling events which showcase the world's best curlers, organized by the World Curling Federation. There are men's, women's and mixed championships. The men's championship started in 1959, while the women's in 1979...
bronze medalist (1998 and 2000) and two-time European Curling Championships bronze medalist (1999 and 2001).
Uusipaavalniemi's Finland team disappointingly finished fifth at the 2002 Olympic tournament
Curling at the 2002 Winter Olympics
Curling at the 2002 Winter Olympics took place from February 11 to February 18 in Ogden, Utah:-Medal winners:-Teams:* Hammy McMillan was replaced by Warwick Smith as skip after Draw 4.-Final standings:-Draw 1:February 11, 9:00...
.
In 2004, he and his somewhat altered Finland line-up pulled off the daunting task of securing qualification for the 2005 Ford World Men's Curling Championship
2005 Ford World Men's Curling Championship
-Draw 2:April 2, 18:30-Draw 3:April 3, 09:30-Draw 4:April 3, 14:00-Draw 5:April 3, 18:30-Draw 6:April 4, 09:00-Draw 7:April 4, 15:00-Draw 8:April 4, 19:30-Draw 9:April 5, 09:00...
s from the 'B' competition at the European championships, where they languished following the country's relegation the previous season. To do this, they had to win the competition outright, and then overcome Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
in an additional play-off match.
At the 2005 World Championships, Uusipaavalniemi's team finished the round-robin tied for first place with five other teams on an 8-3 record. In the tie-breakers however, they were knocked out of contention by Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
's Randy Ferbey
Randy Ferbey
Randy Ferbey is a Canadian curler from Sherwood Park, Alberta.Ferbey is a six-time Canadian champion and a four-time World Champion....
. Also in 2005, Uusipaavalniemi won the first ever European Mixed Curling Championships with team mates Kirsi Nykänen, Teemu Salo and Tiina Kautonen in Andorra
Andorra
Andorra , officially the Principality of Andorra , also called the Principality of the Valleys of Andorra, , is a small landlocked country in southwestern Europe, located in the eastern Pyrenees mountains and bordered by Spain and France. It is the sixth smallest nation in Europe having an area of...
.
Uusipaavalniemi's Finland team won the round-robin at the 2006 Olympic tournament
Curling at the 2006 Winter Olympics
Curling at the 2006 Winter Olympics was held in the town of Pinerolo, Italy from February 13 to February 24. It proved to be the sleeper hit in terms of television ratings in Italy. According to a CBC feature, curling at the 2006 Winter Games drew 5 million viewers, eclipsing ice hockey and figure...
with a 7-2 record. They beat Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
4-3 in the semi-final, with the last stone of the final end — thrown by Uusipaavalniemi — giving the Finns the deciding point. Finland lost the final to Canada 10-4 taking the silver medal.
Two weeks before the start of the 2006 World Men's Curling Championship
2006 World Men's Curling Championship
-Draw 2:April 1, 16:00-Draw 3:April 2, 09:00-Draw 4:April 2, 14:00-Draw 5:April 2, 19:00-Draw 6:April 3, 09:00-Draw 7:April 3, 14:00-Draw 8:April 3, 19:00-Draw 9:April 4, 09:00...
in Lowell, Massachusetts
Lowell, Massachusetts
Lowell is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, USA. According to the 2010 census, the city's population was 106,519. It is the fourth largest city in the state. Lowell and Cambridge are the county seats of Middlesex County...
, Uusipaavalniemi suffered a wrist injury that forced him to miss the team's first three games of the competition. He recovered enough to start playing in the fourth game, where he skipped and threw second rocks. He played out the rest of the competition throwing third rocks, but Finland did not make the playoff round, finishing tied for fifth with a 6-5 record.
Uusipaavalniemi returned to the 2007 Ford World Men's Curling Championship
2007 Ford World Men's Curling Championship
-Draw 2:March 31, 18:00-Draw 3:April 1, 08:30-Draw 4:April 1, 13:00-Draw 5:April 1, 19:30-Draw 6:April 2, 08:30-Draw 7:April 2, 13:00-Draw 8:April 2, 18:00-Draw 9:April 3, 08:30...
but his team got off to a rough start, losing their first two games and stringing together back-to-back wins only twice. Finland qualified for a tiebreaker with a 6-5 record, but lost to Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
8-5 and finished sixth. Markku admitted that his recent campaign for (and eventual election to) Finnish parliament had forced him to cut back on curling practice time, perhaps contributing to the team's early struggles.
Uusipaavalniemi returned to curling in the 2010–11 season
2010–11 curling season
The 2010–11 curling season began in September 2010 and ended in April 2011.Note: In events with two genders, the men's tournament winners will be listed before the women's tournament winners.-CCA-sanctioned events:...
with a new team. He will be participating in the 2011–12 curling season
2011–12 curling season
The 2011–12 curling season began in September 2011 and will end in April 2012.Note: In events with two genders, the men's tournament winners will be listed before the women's tournament winners.-CCA-sanctioned events:...
with another new team.
Political career
On September 20, 2006 he announced to be a candidate for Finnish parliamentParliament of Finland
The Eduskunta , is the parliament of Finland. The unicameral parliament has 200 members and meets in the Parliament House in Helsinki. The latest election to the parliament took place on April 17, 2011.- Constitution :...
in the 2007 election
Finnish parliamentary election, 2007
The Finnish parliamentary election of 2007 was the 35th election to the Eduskunta , held on 18 March 2007 after the termination of the previous parliamentary term. Early voting was possible from the 7–13 March. Two hundred MPs were elected from 15 constituencies.Election themes included a reduction...
for the Centre Party.http://www.keskusta.fi/apila/uutiset/?article_id=13095. Uusipaavalniemi was elected along with three other members of his party from the Uusimaa
Uusimaa
Uusimaa, or Nyland in Swedish, is a region in Finland. It borders the regions Finland Proper, Tavastia Proper, Päijänne Tavastia and Kymenlaakso...
constituency.
He voted against the further privatization of government owned companies as well as against the Lisbon treaty, both of which were supported by the party.
On 11 November 2010 Uusipaavalniemi defected from the Centre Party and joined the ranks of the True Finns
True Finns
True Finns or The Finns is a populist and nationalist political party in Finland, founded in 1995 following the dissolution of the Finnish Rural Party. The head of the movement is Timo Soini. In the 2011 Finnish parliamentary election, The party won 19.1% of votes, becoming the third largest party...
Party.http://www.yle.fi/uutiset/news/2010/11/mp_defects_conservatives_take_top_spot_2134311.html He was not reelected in the 2011 election.
Awards
- Colin Campbell AwardColin Campbell AwardThe Colin Campbell Award was created in honour of Canadian Colin Campbell, who served as president of the International Curling Federation, now known as the World Curling Federation, from 1969 until his death in 1978. It is presented to the male curler "who best displays the ideals of...
: 1998, 2003 - Markku of the Year, 2002. The award is given by an association of people named Markku.