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LINC ESTONIA 2012 in 12.−14. June 2012 - LINC is the European Leader Conference which combines European exchange of experience with sport events and European culinary so that the participants can network.
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The Tartu Rural Development Association is organizing the “LINC ESTONIA 2012” Conference in cooperation with the Rural Economy Research Centre (Estonian NRN) and South Estonian Local action groups Borderlands Leader, Põlva County Partnerships Board, Valga County Partnerships Board and Võrumaa Partnership Assembly.
LINC website: www.info-linc.eu/est
LINC sport: www.info-linc.eu/est/Estonia_2012/Programme/LINC-sports-programme
Sportresults 2012 www.info-linc.eu/est/Estonia_2012/Sportresults-2012
GALLERY LINC sport www.info-linc.eu/est/Estonia_2012/Gallery/LINC-sport
GALLERY LINC sport www.maainfo.ee/index.php
GALLERY The final ceremony www.info-linc.eu/est/Estonia_2012/Gallery/The-final-ceremony
GALLERY The final ceremony www.maainfo.ee/index.php
Summer is the most beloved season in Estonia – during the three summer months, people try to recharge and store as much sunshine as possible for the long winter period. Many of us take a holiday in summer, spending a month either in the country or by the sea.
The period from the end of May to the middle of July is a magical time in Estonia – with long days and practically no dark nights. Can you imagine walking in the streets at night without needing streetlights to be on?
Around the summer solstice, Estonians celebrate Midsummer. It is the only time in the year when Dawn and Dusk meet. Entire villages come together, the youth and the elderly, plus relatives and friends from the city. After a proper sauna, people light large Midsummer fires, eat and drink merrily and, of course, go looking for fern blossoms. Midsummer’s Eve celebrations include trials of strength and skill: jumping over the fire, climbing through a horse bow, and arm wrestling. Estonian white nights are filled with magic and mystery!
Our sports programme this year includes Estonians’ beloved and traditional sports. We hope you will enjoy them!
Orienteering “Looking for the fern blossom”
Orienteering - female winners:
I place - Ingrit Kala, EE Borderlands Leader
II place - Saima Värton, EE Põlva County Partnerships Board
III place - Piret Leskova, EE Mulgimaa Development
Handing over the prizes by Andrus Seeme, Chairman of the board of LAG Põlva County Partnerships Board
Orienteering - male winners:
I place - Raul Kudre, EE Borderlands Leader
II place - Kunnar Vahi, EE Valga County Partnerships Board
III place - Kristaps Soms, LV Jūrkante
Handing over the prizes by Tiina Ivask, LAG Manager of LAG Valga County Partnerships Board
The beautiful fern blossom, which blooms ever so briefly on Midsummer’s Eve, gives the one who picks it wealth and happiness, the ability to understand the languages of all animals and humans, and knowledge about all the things in the world. According to the custom, one must look for a fern blossom alone, without paying attention to any surrounding voices or taking fright from any terrifying beasts one might encounter. It is forbidden to look up or respond to any calls.
The beautiful fern blossom, which blooms ever so briefly on Midsummer’s Eve, gives the one who picks it wealth and happiness, the ability to understand the languages of all animals and humans, and knowledge about all the things in the world. According to the custom, one must look for a fern blossom alone, without paying attention to any surrounding voices or taking fright from any terrifying beasts one might encounter. It is forbidden to look up or respond to any calls.
Orienteering is natural and traditional for Estonians – our extensive forests and unused land areas offer good possibilities for enjoying sports in nature. Orienteering is a field where participants have to use a map and a compass to pass through checkpoints marked both on terrain and the map. There is no risk of getting lost.
The sports programme includes score orienteering where competitors have to pass as many checkpoints as possible in one hour. The checkpoints are located on the terrain around the Mammaste Health and Sports Centre. The competition is based on individual scores. The winner is the person who passes the most checkpoints in the shortest time within the 1-hour limit.
You can study the orienteering terrain already in advance.
By the way, dreaming of Midsummer’s Day is supposed to mean new love!
Disc-golf “Warding off the evil eye“
Disc Golf - female winners:
I place - Kairi Kell, EE Tartu Rural Development Associationt
II place - Merle Anton, EE Tartu Rural Development Associationt
III place - Kaja Rahkema, FI Iisalmi City
Handing over the prizes by Veiko Maastik, Chairman of the board of LAG Borderlands Leader
Disc Golf - male winners:
I place - Andrus Seeme, EE Põlva County Partnerships Board
II place - Lennart Liba, EE Põlva County Partnerships Board
III place - Stefan Niedermoser, AT LAG Regionalentwicklung Pillerseetal-Leogang
Handing over the prizes by Anneli Viitkin, LAG manager of LAG Võrumaa Partnership Assembly
It is said that even if you cannot find a fern blossom, you can still, when you prick up your ears, hear trees and birds and animals talk on Midsummer’s Eve. At the same time, you need not leave it all up to fate – you can take charge and cast spells to get your neighbour’s ‘milk fortune’ and ask the Creator for good cattle and crop growth. And of course, you need to ward off the evil eye from your home and property!
It is said that even if you cannot find a fern blossom, you can still, when you prick up your ears, hear trees and birds and animals talk on Midsummer’s Eve. At the same time, you need not leave it all up to fate – you can take charge and cast spells to get your neighbour’s ‘milk fortune’ and ask the Creator for good cattle and crop growth. And of course, you need to ward off the evil eye from your home and property!
Disc golf is a rather new field of sports in Estonia, but there are new disc golf courses emerging here like mushrooms after rain! It is a field that requires little activity and is more based on skill and luck. In disc golf, baskets are placed on terrain and competitors have to throw the disc in a basket from a designated spot.
The Mammaste disc golf course consists of nine chain baskets with different levels of difficulty and different distances of throwing spots. Competitors have to throw discs in the baskets using as small a number of throws as possible. The person who uses the smallest number of throws to complete the course wins. Teams consist of 7 members.
Pentathlon “Who are the best man and woman in the village”
Pentathlon - female winners:
I place - Mercedes Merimaa, EE Pärnu Bay Partnership
II place - Ingrit Kala, EE Borderlands Leader
III place - Barbara Loferer-Lainer, AT Regionalmanagement Hohe Salve Tirol
Handing over the prizes by Marko Avikson, Main organizer of sports events, LAG Põlva County Partnerships Board
Pentathlon - male winners:
I place - Kaido Kõiv, EE Põlva County Partnerships Board
II place - Rainer Tatic, AT LAG Nordburgenland Plus
III place - Kolja Zimmermann, DE LAG Chiemgauer Alpen
Handing over the prizes by Tiiu Rüütle, LAG manager of LAG Põlva County Partnerships Board
Midsummer was such an important holiday that shepherds, servants and young people were given a day off to gather around the Midsummer fire. Only urgent works were done, and herds were protected from strangers’ eyes to avoid evil spells being cast or damage being caused. At the Midsummer’s Eve party, the strongest man and the most skilful woman of the village had to be determined.
Midsummer was such an important holiday that shepherds, servants and young people were given a day off to gather around the Midsummer fire. Only urgent works were done, and herds were protected from strangers’ eyes to avoid evil spells being cast or damage being caused. At the Midsummer’s Eve party, the strongest man and the most skilful woman of the village had to be determined.
The general scoring in individual relay is based on individual results of five fields and competitors are ranked on the basis of their total results of all five fields. Participants have to compete in the following five fields:
Skiing. Estonians love cross-country skiing! And if you think it cannot be done in summer, you are wrong! We have skis that have to be used simultaneously by three people. Therefore, good results require coordinated team work! The winners are determined on the basis of times.
Bull taming. A possibility to find out whether you understand the language of animals. Riding a rodeo bull, with competitors ranked on the basis of who manages to stay on the bull and tame it for the longest time.
Discover South-Estonia by push-scooter! The domed landscape of South-Estonia can be enjoyed best travelling either by push-scooter or push-sledge. This time, we have chosen the push-scooter and have marked a track on the ground. Competitors are ranked on the basis of time – the faster you are, the more points you score.
Hit the nail! This is a team relay competition. Competitors are ranked on the basis of time – the faster you manage to hit the nail in a log, the more you score.
Belt weaving. The Estonian folk dresses have hundreds of different patterns and belts, one more beautiful than the other. By the way, in the old days people used to wear folk dresses to Midsummer’s Eve party! This is a competition in weaving belts, where both speed and quality are important.
Boating competition “Let the best village win!”
Boating competition
The best boating team of LINC sports competition: Aive Tamm EE LAG Jõgevamaa Cooperation Chamber, Ene Saar EE LAG Mulgimaa Development, Koit Kelder EE LAG West- Estonian Islands Partnership, Kristaps Soms LV LAG Jürkante, Lennart Sünt-Mengel EE LAG Pärnu Bay Partnership, Mercedes Merimaa EE LAG Pärnu Bay Partnership, Mihkel Pukk EE LAG Nelja Valla Kogu, Piret Leskova EE LAG Mulgimaa Development, Raili Mengel-Sünt EE LAG Pärnu Bay Partnership
Handing over the prizes by Kristiina Liimand, LAG manager of Tartu Rural Development Associationt
It sometimes happened that people from the neighbouring village came over for the Midsummer’s Eve party. That meant endless telling of stories, dancing and merriment. Torches were lit and boats were taken to the lake – the play of lights reflecting on water were breathtaking to watch! And of course, the best and most skilful person in each village had to be determined – and that person could boast his achievements for the entire following year.
It sometimes happened that people from the neighbouring village came over for the Midsummer’s Eve party. That meant endless telling of stories, dancing and merriment. Torches were lit and boats were taken to the lake – the play of lights reflecting on water were breathtaking to watch! And of course, the best and most skilful person in each village had to be determined – and that person could boast his achievements for the entire following year.
The boating competition will take place in large boats on Põlva Lake. After receiving instruction and putting on safety equipment, competitors will go on boats together with the men and women of “other villages”. You will then be one team and work together to beat the other boat teams.
By the way, doing a somersault in dew on Midsummer’s Eve is supposed to prevent back ailments. You can try it at Põlva Lake!
The Best Teams
I place - EE Põlva County Partnerships Board
II place - EE Borderlands Leader
III place - EE Valga County Partnerships Board
Handing over the prizes by Krista Kõiv, Head of the Department of Rural and Fisheries Network, Estonian Rural Network Unit
Kiiking www.kiiking.ee
Swinging is still a popular pastime on Midsummer’s Eve – village swings are traditionally large and can take on about ten people at a time. Swinging was supposed to ensure crop, cattle and human fertility. People also believed in the cleansing effect of movement through air.
Kiiking is a field of sports invented in Estonia. The aim is to swing the swing 360 degrees over the swing shaft. We did not include it in our competition programme, but bolder participants are welcome to try it!
Swinging is still a popular pastime on Midsummer’s Eve – village swings are traditionally large and can take on about ten people at a time. Swinging was supposed to ensure crop, cattle and human fertility. People also believed in the cleansing effect of movement through air. |
Estonian National CAP Network 
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