In Longtrack's Shadow

A voice of frustration from the Netherlands

Longtrack has a long history in Holland. And as long as I can remember the Dutch longtrack skaters were the best in the world. Everybody in Holland skates. When there is natural ice (outside), every child put on their skates. It is a tradition. So many people like to do it and like to see it on television.

And because of that, there is always a lot of money for the longtrack. There is a good structure for the youth. They have a lot of facilities, and good sponsors. Because it is a big happening in Holland, it is easy to find sponsors. There are so many commercial teams in Holland, even junior teams are commercial. People like Gianni Romme and Erben Wennemars (and all the other good skaters) are famous in Holland. They are in television and radio programs, and have a lot of fans. The thing with longtrack is, if you are good in Holland, you almost can be sure you are one of the best in the world.

Dutch shorttrack speedskaters were pretty successful in the 80's. There were even some world-champions. But there was no structure and no money, so the achievements got worse. And nowadays, there is still no money for it. The team cannot skate on fast ice and do not have good medical support. And because longtrack is so huge in Holland, it can be frustrating sometimes for shorttrack speedskaters. Especially when I see this season, the results of the Dutch longtrack [ladies] are not that good. Not much better than the shorttrack ladies. And they still get a lot of facilities more. I think shorttrack in Holland will always be in the shadow of longtrack. And that would not be a big problem if shorttrack gets more attention and promotion. I do not ask a lot from the Dutch skating federation, just the basics, but even that seems to be too much.

It seems like the federation does not care a lot about shorttrack. They will not extend Yves Nadeau's contract for next year. The results of our team weren't great, but if you see what facilities we had, it is not even that bad. Yves is one of the most wanted coaches in the world. And our federation sends him away! As you hear it is a weird situation, and that is so frustrating for the athletes. So I had serious thoughts about becoming a longtrack speedskater. But I love shorttrack so much. It is a great sport and the whole atmosphere is so nice! I know I have to stay positive and I just keep in mind that there is no way it can be worse that it is now! There must be some better times!

I wrote a longer story than I planned to do! I do not want you to think that it is a hopeless situation, and that I don't like doing it anymore! That is not true. But some things are just not fair. The federation has big expectations. They want us to be one of the best in the world with hardly any facilities and money. I hope now you have an idea about why shorttrack is not popular and longtrack is. And I hope one day I can write you the opposite of this!!

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