ŻUŻEL/INTERVIEW/M2E: CELLFAST WILKI Krosno after training camp in Arłamów. Michał Finfa: It was a fantastic period

For CELLFAST WILKI, the first season in METALKAS 2. Ekstraliga after relegation from the best speedway league in the world. The team from Krosno finished in fifth place in 2024, while also struggling with injuries to key players. Before the 2025 season, the team underwent a significant transformation – four seniors left the club, and a new coach will lead the team. Recently, everyone participated in a training camp in Arłamów, about which Michał Finfa shared more details on ekstraliga.pl.

• CELLFAST WILKI was one of the first speedway teams in the country to go on a training camp – the destination for the team from Krosno was once again Hotel Arłamów
• The camp schedule included numerous physical activities, mental training, and group sessions
• It was a fantastic period in superb conditions – says club director Michał Finfa about the trip
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Marcin Rusewicz (ekstraliga.pl): How was the camp in Arłamów? Are you satisfied with how it went?

Michał Finfa (director of CELLFAST WILKI Krosno): The time in Arłamów went very well for us. Such camps primarily serve mutual integration and a sense of unity in the team, combined with a training cycle. In the morning, we would wake up and go for exercise together. We took advantage of nature, and if the weather was unfavorable, we used the gym. Then we would have breakfast and prepare for the next training. In the evening, there was time for team games, such as football, squash, or floorball. These were enjoyable days combined with relaxation, greatly facilitated by the Arłamów resort. Additionally, we had sessions with our mental coach, Norik Koczarian, who filled our schedule daily with practical activities aimed at strengthening our sense of community.

It was a fantastic period in superb conditions, and from what I discussed with the guys after the camp, each of them is satisfied with how it went. They are also in the preparation phase for the season, so we, along with the coaching staff, looked at what stage of preparation they are currently in, to check if there’s anything to correct or improve. However, I think we shouldn’t worry; our players will be in good condition and fully prepared for the season. In summary – the trip was definitely worth it.

The only players of CELLFAST WILKÓW who have never ridden in Krosno are Mathias Pollestad and Jakub Jamróg. Was integrating with them, as well as with the rest of the team and the staff, a challenge for you?

There was, of course, no problem with integration within the team. During the camp, the “official” language was English, in which everyone could communicate. Both coach Piotr Świderski and mental coach Norik Koczarian are entering our team for the first time. Little remains of the team in which Tobiasz Musielak rode, and Kenneth Bjerre was in Krosno for just half the year, so I thank the guys for coming to the camp in full and for approaching the matter with full commitment. Everyone diligently implemented the plan and used the amenities of Hotel Arłamów with interest and engagement.

Returning to the lineup: Jonas Seifert-Salk, Norbert Krakowiak, Patryk Wojdyło, and Vaclav Milik left Krosno. Was it hard to say goodbye, especially to the latter?

That’s sports. We had various lineup proposals, and the one that finalized came about at a later stage, so certainly, we had to modify some of our plans, which affected Vaclav. As managers, we must make choices, and our priority is that the club operates professionally, with very good sports results, developing youth, because above us are fans and sponsors who hold us accountable. Unfortunately, we had to part with some. The relationship with Vaclav was very close, almost unique, and over four years, we became very attached, so it was a great loss, but I believe this change could benefit both him and the club. Sometimes a new environment provides a positive impulse for a player. As a club, we need to introduce some freshness from time to time, so I believe Vaclav had a beautiful history with CELLFAST WILKI, but after some lineup adjustments, we decided to part ways, which was difficult because he was not an ordinary player of this club.

Regarding the favorites for promotion, only two teams are usually mentioned, and they are rarely CELLFAST WILKI Krosno. What is the goal set for the team by Piotr Świderski?

The management, together with the sports director, contract players during the transfer window based on financial possibilities. On the basis of the closed lineup, goals are set for the coaching staff. By hiring Piotr, we all agreed that our minimum goal for the 2025 season would be to reach the play-off phase. Life has shown that you cannot rely solely on minimum plans, and surprises do happen, and we’ve already caused a surprise in 2022. Back then, in my opinion, there was one team that, on paper, had a strong lineup before the season and should have dominated the rest of the league, and that was STELMET FALUBAZ Zielona Góra. Today, there are, in my opinion, a few more clubs like that, but I don’t think it rules out our chances of ultimately winning the league. We must set high goals for ourselves. Besides the minimum plan, we want to face the league’s best.

As for Piotr Świderski, since you’ve already had a chance to work together – do you think he will fulfill his role after a few years’ break?

The entire story of this change in our coaching staff results from a “brainstorming” session over what happened at the peak of the previous season. The excessive workload of Ireneusz Kwieciński and myself necessitated bringing someone in to lead the first team, preferably from outside, to look at everything objectively and assess. Since I knew Piotr Świderski quite well and knew his strengths, I presented this candidacy to the board and believe that at this stage, he is the coach we need. He has extensive knowledge in speedway sports and equipment, and he is a demanding and committed coach. He was like that during his playing career and approaches his current responsibilities the same way. Moreover, we needed some stimulation for our juniors because we noticed certain burnout in this aspect. I believe that from Piotr’s initial contracts with the team, this will be a fruitful collaboration, and the performance of our juniors should improve significantly, which we are very hopeful about. We are also introducing a range of new young riders for future years. We have Oskar Kręglicki, Arkadiusz Kordek, Miłosz Grygolec, and Jakub Wieszczak, so we have a large backup, and one of Piotr’s responsibilities, apart from leading the first team, will be to maximize the potential of these young riders, so they will represent Krosno proudly in the coming years, hence the two-year agreement with Piotr. We do consider, however, that Piotr recently had a break from speedway, but we believe that the combination of our entire staff, with Piotr as the head coach, Ireneusz Kwieciński as the youth coach and supporting coach, who will be present at every match, both home and away, myself, who already has extensive experience working in the pit area, and the mental coach, who will support our players during every competition and lift their spirits, will be a great, young, engaged management group consisting of four people, aiming to bring out the “max” from our players. Additionally, during the camp in Arłamów, we had a two-hour staff meeting to clarify our work during competitions. Roles were clearly defined. I assure you that our team will operate professionally.

Finally, a question about Grzegorz Węglarz. How significant is his loss for you, if it can even be considered that way?

The 2025 season will verify this, but probably it can’t be considered like this. We thank Grzegorz very much for the joint 1.5 seasons.

Marcin Rusewicz