“I would like to return something to the society with the Sjinkie Foundation”

Skating super-fast on the ice is what Sjinkie Knegt loves most. This ended in January 2019. He was severely injured when he lit the wood burner and his clothes caught fire. A long and difficult rehabilitation process followed. He received heartwarming support from the society. Others who have gone through the same as he did deserve this support as well. The Sjinkie Foundation was established with that thought.

“The silver medal in the 1500 meter during the world cup in Dordrecht November this year was a boost indeed. I can use it quite well in preparing for the 2022 Olympics in Beijing. It was the first time in a period of three years when I won a medal again. This seems like a long time ago, but it was only my fourth race after the accident with the wood burner. I had needed one and a half years for my recovery from the severe burns which I had suffered. When I was ready again to go racing, everything came to a standstill due to COVID-19. It was not an ideal situation. Physically, I am all right and you do not unlearn the tricks of competitive skating either, but I’d rather have had more races before the Olympics. But all right, the most important fact is that I am back in the rink again and that I can follow my dreams. I have already won one silver and one bronze Olympic medal. One is still missing. It will always be short track, so anything can happen, but I will do my utmost for this golden medal.

“It was quite an intense process with many ups and downs, but I have never given up on my dream”

Sjinkie Knegt

Actually, from day one in the hospital, I already set my goal to be back in the rink again. That was an intense process. I was in the hospital for eight weeks after which I needed at least a one-year rehabilitation period. That was accompanied with many ups and downs, but I have never given up on my dream. I continued to believe that it was possible again. I did everything in my power to accomplish that goal. What helped me a lot is the support I received from people all over the country. That helped me so much. I wanted to do something in return. The Sjinkie Foundation was established with that thought. To help others who have gone through the same as I did with their return to the society. So that they can follow their own dreams and pursue their goals. I know from my own experience how hard this is. Some extra support does not do any harm.

With the Sjinkie Foundation, we support the recovery. Training and being physically active are important tools to achieve this. We often organize activities, even though it is more difficult with COVID-19 now. And sometimes we help by listening. People believe that you are very limited in your movements due to the burns. This is partly true of course, but you can always do something about it. It is extremely important to start moving during the early stages of the recovery. That makes such a difference for the following stages of your recovery. It is inspiring if you can share this with people. They see that it also worked for me and that I am back in the rink again. It is great that I can be of any help to someone this way.

The other day, we came into contact with a little boy who had also been hospitalized in the burn center in Groningen and whose skin was completely burned. He was not involved in sports at all but he thought it was fantastic that I had also been hospitalized there. He really wanted to come to watch one of my races. That was supposed to happen during the World Cup in Dordrecht. It did not occur due to COVID-19. An audience was not allowed to be present. But the fact alone that we had called him and invited him to come and watch the race, had already made him very happy. He had contacted us via the burn center. The physicians there had told him about the Sjinkie Foundation. We have very good contacts with the burn center. We have close ties with them.

What I would like is that everyone receives the same treatment as a high-performance athlete. I was informed by the physicians that I would receive a different treatment than someone who was not a high-performance athlete. They considered, discussed and reviewed carefully what we were going to do: ‘Hey, he wants to go skating again and participate in the Olympics. His skin is burned in some parts of his body. These parts are crucial for skating. We have to devote more attention to this.’ The physicians were also involved in the Beijing Olympics in this respect. Which is wonderful of course. But it should also be the case for others. The Sjinkie Foundation makes them aware of this. It makes sense that I am the showcase to this end, but I focus first and foremost on my high-performance career. That is who I am, a high-performance athlete. But I help where I can and I do so with great joy.”

societal engagement by TeamNL

“Everyone deserves the same treatment as a high-performance athlete”

“If you are annoyed by all the rubbish you find, then you might as well pick it up and collect it yourself”

Sanne van Dijke

Two men or two women against each other on the tatami and then see who is the strongest of the two. That is judo in its purest form, Sanne van Dijke believes. In fact, anything around it is just a side issue. Thus, she did not miss the audience in Tokyo. Although she did like it indeed to celebrate her bronze medal with friends and family during the TeamNL Olympic Festival in Scheveningen. No matter how much she focuses on herself during sports, she shows a completely different side of herself from a societal point of view.

“I took a three-month break after the Olympics. I needed that, I was mentally tired. I met with a lot of friends and I went on vacation twice. I thought it was enough at a certain moment. I am not the type of person to sit at home. I am back to my work-out routine once again. I reflect on Tokyo in satisfaction. Bronze is nice, but I aimed for gold. It was possible. What I truly find a pity, is that we did not win a medal as a team. We were so close. Then, you go home with a better feeling as a judo team. We did not accomplish what was possible. You need to have luck sometimes as well.

The preparations for Tokyo were special. We were quite shaken by COVID-19. I truly was extremely careful. Perhaps I was the most panicky of the team in that respect. I have not seen anyone inside for a period of eight months prior to the Olympics, apart from the trainings. I did not visit my mother, I did not enter into restaurants and I did not meet with friends at their homes. I only went for a stroll outside with people and I went for a coffee at a two meter distance. No matter what, I did not want to be infected by COVID-19. What if you do not make it to the Olympics after all. You don’t know either for whom or as regards what you have to be cautious.

Due to COVID-19, the games were different from any other one. Without an audience really makes a big difference, is what I heard from everybody who had already performed at the Olympics. Of course, that is true, but it did not bother me at all personally. I am a high-performance athlete. I was there to win a medal. I actually thought it was all right this way. No audience, no hassle, no show. It is you and me against each other on the mat. See who is the strongest of the two. That is judo in its purest form. Anything around it is a side issue and I don’t care. It is all about winning and being the best. Let’s see where we will end up in Paris, although I have to qualify first of course.

Whether I like collecting rubbish? I just like to go for a stroll and to be out in nature. However, it is such a mess. When I was still in high school in the past, you would already find all kinds of rubbish back then. Empty bags of chips, cans. I thought, people no longer do that, right? Well, they still do, unfortunately. When you are annoyed by all the rubbish you find, then you might as well pick it up and collect it yourself. That is how I started. With garden gloves and a plastic bag. At a later stage, it turned out that my municipality, Bernheze, was already involved in it. I registered together with my mother. We were given a jacket and garbage bags. These are collected when they are full. I like doing it. You are rather selfish as a high-performance athlete. This way, you can do something for the society after all.

When the COVID-19 crisis had just started and we were no longer allowed to practice at Papendal, I offered sport training sessions to people in my village. I had to do something. I am not good at sitting on my hands. It started with my mother and my brother, who wanted to stay fit. We started power stepping, work-outs with sports elastics bands and skippy balls. They liked it so much that I started to offer sports to everyone in the village who was interested. I offered it for free to those who could not afford it. And I bought coupons from local restaurants with the money I received from the people who could afford it. I distributed these among health care professionals from the nursing home in Heeswijk. They had to deal with so much. You realize that there is more than just sports. Just as the death by suicide of my brother Steef. Then nothing is important anymore, really. Upon completion of Tokyo, I ran a marathon to collect funds for 113 Suicide prevention, to stimulate an open discussion about suicidal thoughts.

I have always been engaged in society. We used to discuss politics at home quite often. About the way in which we should shape a society. And when you grow older, you observe your own role in the world and you act pursuant to this role. Thus, it is no coincidence either that I pursue an education to become a lecturer in social studies. I think I will be busy studying for another one or two years. Unfortunately, it is a study program which is hard to combine with high-performance sport. It is difficult to actually teach and be present. I still have to complete several internship assignments from the third and fourth year. It will be all right in the end. My number one priority is the mat now. And I do something on the side at times. I gave a judo clinic during the National Sports week. I truly enjoyed doing that. And it is for a good cause: inspiring children, adults, elderly to practice sports and be physically active. Everybody benefits from it.”

“It is you and I against each other on the tatami. See who is the strongest of the two”

“It started with my mother and my brother, who wanted to stay fit”

societal engagement by TeamNL

“Baseball has given me a lot, and I want to pass it on”

Kalian Sams

TeamNL baseball player Kalian Sams returned to The Netherlands in 2019 after a successful career abroad with clubs such as the Seattle Mariners, San Diego Padres, Texas Rangers and Québec Capitales. He signed a contract with L&D Amsterdam Pirates and won the Holland Series twice in a row. Sams has always been engaged in the community. It is a rewarding experience for him to guide young people and to help them in accomplishing the best for themselves. He will commit himself fulltime to this when he has finished his baseball career.

“Baseball has given me a lot. First of all fun. It is a fantastic sport. Additionally, I am happy to have lived so many experiences. But I am not ready yet. I want to continue for another two to three years. If I look back now, then I see a wonderful high-performance career. I look at this career with pride. And with a smile. I signed a professional contract with the Seattle Mariners when I was nineteen years old. It was a dream that came true for me. I took pride in that moment. Winning the Baseball World Cup with The Netherlands in 2011 was an all-time highlight. Just as batting in Andruw Jones during the 2013 World Baseball Classic was. At that time, he was my teammate, whilst I had had a poster of him above my bed when I was a child. He was my idol. It is an overwhelming feeling to play together in a team with him. The birth of my son gave me an equally overwhelming feeling. It was the same day as the finals of the European Baseball Championship in 2016. Immediately after my son was born, I drove from The Hague to Hoofddorp with the speed of 160 kilometers per hour, where the final game was played. The sixth inning was already underway when I arrived. The audience gave me a standing ovation. And some moments later, we were European champion. A memorable experience indeed.

I want to pass on what sports has given me, what I have learned. This is why I am exploring the opportunities of a societal career upon the completion of my career in high-performance sports. I enjoy working with young people, to get them on the right track ánd to keep it that way. I have been committed to this in the past years. I assisted youngsters who attend special schools which focus on children with behavioral problems and a difficult situation at home. They have gone into trouble before. Then you start talking with them. ‘Everyone deserves a second chance’, I tell them. ‘Believe in yourself, believe in your dreams and follow your dreams.’ There is one boy whom I coach who has quite some criminal history. Now, he goes back to school again. He has a living and a job on the side. That gives me satisfaction. When I have completed the baseball career, I want to continue with that. I am working on a business plan and I have followed the group programs TeamNL@work | Personal branding and TeamNL@work | Entrepreneurship: an opportunity for you? These programs focused on personal positioning and profiling: How do you want the world to see you? What is your unique story? How are you going to share your story? How do you start your own business? These programs will help me when I really start my entrepreneurship in a while. I also met Celeste Plak there, the volleyball player. Together, we came up with an idea to get youngsters into moving. The Holendrecht Games are a result of this. Young people could do all kinds of activities. Basketball, boxing, street baseball, singing. It was so much fun and it leads to the desire for more.

I have also been involved in the community. This has partly to do with my childhood. I often visited the Bijlmer in Amsterdam when I was a child. My cousins lived there. It was quite an intense neighborhood. At the same time, I saw many talented boys and girls. They were able to play soccer well, sing, dance or whatever. At a certain moment, they would quit and started doing the wrong things. I thought that was a pity. When you are gifted with a talent, then you have to do something with it. I found my career in baseball and I developed myself to this end. This is how it should be for everyone. I have always kept that in mind. I thought: There is so much talent. If I am ever in in the lucky position to help those youngsters, then I will do that. In a while, when I have finished baseball, then I will commit myself to this fulltime. I can coach young people every once in a while now during my high-performance career.

The other day, I was asked to become socially involved for TeamNL for the Healthy Generation. This is an initiative to obtain the healthiest youth world-wide in The Netherlands by 2040. We went to two schools and we gave a warming-up. We started playing sports, walking, running. It is good to get these kids into moving. To make them aware of its importance. That is necessary. As a child, I was outside all the time. Playing, building huts, you name it. Now, kids watch their phones the entire time or they are gaming with cola, cakes or apple pies. One boy had four cans of Red Bull with him. I said: “What are you going to do with it?” “Drink it.” “Not all today I hope?” “Oh yes, I finish these every day before three o’clock.” Unbelievable. My own children will not eat sweets during the week. They should not get used to eating sugars which is devastating for their health. I want them to grow up healthy. I have that wish for all children. This is why we have to provide them with a solid foundation.”

“Everyone deserves a chance in life, also a second one”

“It is good to get these kids into moving!”

societal engagement by TeamNL

“High-performance sports feels as receiving quite a lot, therefore, I want to do something in return as well”

Sanne Voets

Sanne Voets is one of the Dutch most successful Paralympic high-performance athletes. The para dressage equestrian, 35 years old, holds a master’s degree in communication studies at Utrecht University, she is the reigning European, world and Paralympic champion and she earned a total of eleven golden medals during the three large tournaments. She prolonged her Paralympic title in Tokyo with flying colors. Nevertheless, she does not focus on high-performance sport all the time. Sanne is engaged in others quite often. For instance, she is the ambassador for Unique Sports (Uniek Sporten) of the Dutch Disabled Sports Foundation (Fonds Gehandicaptensport) and for BrabantSport, and she is a member of the NOC*NSF Athletes Committee. This sounds as a pressing schedule, but it is no trouble for Sanne at all. “I am privileged as a high-performance athlete. So, I feel the need to do something in return.”

“The result was marvelous in Tokyo which is also the reason that you are present there: to perform. You try and somehow ignore all minor phenomena which might distract you. But of course, everything was different than how it was meant to be. No family, empty stadiums… You think for a moment, what a pity, and then you continue with your daily routine once again, you focus on the most important things. When I came home and had some reflections on it, I realized: to start with, it is already very special that it did take place in the end. We did have several honors celebrations in The Netherlands where the audience was also present sometimes. I had not realized until then that I had missed that. And it felt the same way when I was able to hug my family again after a long time.

After the Paralympics, I have had more hours to spend on other things, for instance my role as ambassador for Unique Sports (Uniek Sporten) and BrabantSport. In this respect, I have been present for Unique Sports during the National Sports Week of NOC*NSF in Eindhoven on a day which focused on adaptive sports. Many providers from adaptive sports and other organizations were present, ranging from a gymnastics class, as well as to a supplier of devices for athletes with a disability. And people could try out all kinds of sports. I brought my medals with me and I had many pictures taken, especially with children. When you hear their enthusiastic responses, then you realize once again what is most important. It really concerns all those children who are climbing and swarming whilst having fun. Everyone should be able to participate and then it does not really matter for me whether we talk about athletes with or without a disability. However, the metaphorical barriers are often higher for people with a disability. We have to let go of the idea ‘I am in a wheelchair, so I cannot practice sports’. The mere fact that people have a disability does not mean that they cannot participate, work out, play soccer, go horse riding. They are part of it all.

The starting point from BrabantSport is quite nice to this end. They take ‘the athlete’ as a basic principle, no matter if it concerns Olympic or Paralympic athletes. It can be compared to TeamNL in that respect. At BrabantSport, I am also a member of Team BrabantSport, which is an initiative to bring high-performance athletes in contact with each other, but also with the business community. We have had the BrabantSport Fund for a year now, in which several entrepreneurs make investments to address some big societal topics. One of these topics is getting and keeping people with a disability into sports. I am in the advisory board. We review the projects, give advice whether financial means are allocated in the end. There are many good ideas to get people with a disability into sports and to let Brabant shine a little more. It is great to see and contribute to this.

I want to do something in return with this type of work. The profession of a high-performance athlete is rather selfish in many ways. You require a lot from yourself, but also from the people around you, to simply contribute and align with you. In addition, high-performance sport is arranged quite well in The Netherlands, thanks to the Dutch Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport and the partners from TeamNL as well. The infrastructure offers plenty opportunities to practice sports at a high level and to focus primarily on performances. Thanks to this, I have the chance to learn and experience things as a high-performance athlete which others cannot learn and experience. I am truly privileged. The other day, I was invited in my personal capacity for an Instagram Live-session in mental training for a number of basic equestrians. For instance, they asked me if I was nervous for a competition and how I dealt with my nerves. I think it is wonderful when not only I but also others benefit from my experiences as a high-performance athlete this way.

And, last but not least, I am a member of the NOC*NSF Athletes Committee. I am responsible for communications, which corresponds well with my education. Many important topics are addressed there, such as integrity and levels of authority in sports, as well as the role of high-performance athletes in the policy making of sports federations and NOC*NSF. For these types of cases, communication is a means to an end, to manage processes and convince people. I learn a lot from it. I gain so much experience in this respect which I would miss if I were only involved in my sport. What is a fact in this work, but also in all my other activities: actually, the combination with high-performance sport is not hard for me at all. All organizations are very flexible as regards my sport and, additionally, I want to be active in several areas indeed. I understand that many see high-performance sports as their number one priority at all times, but I’d rather aim at the balance between high-performance sport and other societal activities. A golden medal is wonderful, but what is it worth if you don’t do anything with it, if you don’t represent anything?!”

“We have to let go of the idea ‘I am in a wheelchair, so I cannot practice sports’ ”

“A golden medal is wonderful, but what is it worth if you don’t do anything with it, if you don’t represent anything?!”

societal engagement by TeamNL