Nú øll eru á gosi um søguliga avrikið í Budapest, so eru tað eisini tey sum eru skjót at taka sær part í heiðurinum, ella at seta spurnartekin við um ikki onnur høvdu kunnið rokkið tað sama, um pengarnir vóru farin til tey og teirra áhugamál, heldur enn til Pál. Til tað havi eg bara tað at siga, at fyrra søguliga avrikið í Beograd varð gjørt so gott sum útilokandi við fígging frá Páli og hansara familju, frá Jón Bjarnasyni og frá Suðuroyar Svimjifelag. Svimjisambandið betaldi sjálvsagt fyri sjálvan túrin til Beograd tá, men restin var eginfígging. Um onkur noyddi meg at skula taka éin faktor burtur frá verkætlanini runt Pál – Pál, Jón ella pengarnar frá landinum – so hevði tað uttan at blunkað verið pengarnir!
Ikki tí, Pál er skjótur at siga, at tað sum hendir nú ikki hevði verið gjørligt uttan stuðulin frá landinum. Vit eru øll ógvuliga takksom sum fáast við hesi verkætlan, og hava brúk fyri hesum pengum til at kunna gera tey ting sum skulu til, um Pál skal mennast enn meira sum altjóða svimjari.
Men lat ongan iva vera um, at hetta ikki hevði kunna latið seg gera við 10 ella 100 ferðir so nógvum pengum, um ikki Pál og Jón vóru partir í projektinum. Tað eru teir sum eiga æruna, og egentliga alla æruna sum hon er, meðan vit onnur bara kunnu vera glað fyri at hava kunnað stuðlað teimum í teirra projekti. Um tit ivast, so kunnu tit til dømis fara at kanna hvussu nógvan fíggjarligan stuðul fótbólturin hevur fingið, í mun til verkætlanin her.
So persónliga dámar mær ikki orðingar sum tær hjá Jógvani Arge á Vágaportalinum, har hann sum politikari og formaður í mentamálanevndini í Havn leypir á leistum fyri at kunna siga, at “Løgtingið hevur fyrr sagt A við síni hepnu játtan til úrvalsítrótt, sum eigur sín part í evropeiska silvurmerkinum”. Mær dámar heldur ikki at síggja fólk niðurgera ætlanirnar um at byggja 50 metra hyl á Facebook, við at pástanda at tað finnast líknandi føroyskir úrmælingar innan akademiska heimin, sum ikki fáa trivist tí teir ikki fáa pengar. Typiskt uttan at nevna eitt einasta úrmælinganavn, út yvir Pál.
Tað eru ikki pengarnir sum hava skapt Pál Joensen, men pengar skulu sjálvsagt til. Mín greiða fatan er, at hendan tíðin nú og Pál Joensen verður nakað sum fer at verða tosað um alla hansara ævi og longri, sum annaðhvørt tann størsta ítróttarhetjan nakrantíð í føroyskari søgu, ella sum tann fyrsti av teimum veruliga stóru. Og so kunnu vit hvør í sínum lagi taka í egnan barm og umhugsa, hvønn lut vit ynskja í søguni. Eru vit við, ella eru vit ímóti? Skulu tey minnast okkum sum tey ið tóku kjansin og floytaði á pengapungin eina løtu, til at stuðla nøkrum sum egentliga longu var ein succés, ella skulu tey minnast aftur á hesa tíðina sum “um nú bara” ?
Persónliga vil eg gjarna seta pengar í ein og hvønn sum er ein veruligur, føroyskur úrmælingur, líka mikið um tað er innan ítrótt, akademi, vinnulív ella mentan. Men kom ikki við hasum at “onnur høvdu kunnað gjørt tað sama um tey høvdu fingið pengarnar hjá Pál”, tí Pál var ein succés longu áðrenn hann fekk eina krónu frá okkum.
American swim coach and blogger Chris DeSantis was on Facebook interested in getting a translation of this rant, probably to understand why there was so much interest and ‘Facebook Like’-support. I sent him one, asking for a cleaned-up version in return:
Is it money that makes Pal Joensen?
At the same time that everyone is excited about the historical accomplishment in Budapest, there are also those who are fast to claim their part in the honour, or to question if others wouldn’t have accomplish the same, if the money [a government grant of DKK 350.000 in 2009 and DKK 500.000 in 2010, to pay for travel expenses etc] had gone to them and their interests, instead of to Pál. To this there is only one reply, that the first historical accomplishment in Belgrade was reached almost entirely with money from Pál and his family, alongside money from Jón Bjarnason and Suðuroyar Svimjifelag [their swimming club]. The Faroese Swimming Federation did, of course, pay for the trip to Belgrade, but the rest was self financed. If someone were to force me to take one factor out of the mission surrounding Pál – Pál, Jón or the money from the government – it would be without a moments notice the money !
Don’t get me wrong, Pál is himself fast to say that what happens now wouldn’t be possible without the grant from the government. We are all very grateful, those of us involved in this project, and need this money to be able to do everything that is necessary for Pál to improve even more as an international level swimmer.
Let there be no doubt, that this would not have been possible with 10 or 100 times the money, if Pál and Jón weren’t part of the mission. The results are entirely their accomplishment, while the rest of us are just be happy to be able to support them in their goals. If you doubt this, then you could for instance investigate how much financial support Faroese football has gotten, compared to this project.
Personally, I don’t like statements like the recent one from Jógvan Arge on [Faroese news web site] Vágaportalin, where he as a politician and a chairman in the culture committee of the council of Tórshavn said: “The government has earlier said ‘A’ with its successful grant for elite sports purposes, that it owns it’s part of the European silver medal”. I also don’t like to hear people tear at the plans to build a 50 meter pool by saying that their are similar Faroese elite in the academic world, that cannot thrive because they don’t get money. Typically without mentioning a single name except Pál.
It is not the money that has created Pál Joensen, but money allows him to continue. I’m convinced that from now on Pál Joensen is someone that will be discussed as either the biggest Faroese sports hero of all time, or the first of many. And then we can ask ourselves, what part do we want in the story? Are we with him or against? Will they remember us as those who took the chance and didn’t care about the money for a minute, to support something that was already a success, or will they remember this time as “if only”?
Personally I’ll gladly invest money in anyone that is a real Faroese champion, whether it is in sports, science, business or culture. But don’t come here with your “others could do the same if they had gotten the money that Pál gets”, because Pál was a success already before he ever got a single krone from us.