Training Future Generations

Van der Vinne after his raceBASELGA DI PINE – While many athletes spend a long time training for the Universiade, some do not have the same kind of warning. Pepijn van der Vinne of the Netherlands actually only found out that he would be competing about five or six weeks before the start of this year’s Winter Universiade.

In actual fact, a large portion of Pepijn’s training came from being an assistant trainer himself, where the head trainers ask him to skate behind juniors to help them improve. “It’s really cool to train the younger guys”, he said. “It’s fun to do the sport, it does not matter what level you reach. It’s great to help some the younger guys get better.”

It is not unusual for athletes to help younger generations, as the Dutch speed skater explained, “It is quite common for previous skaters to train others. If you stop, you are out of the skating world, which most people do not want. You do not want to leave the sport as you have a lot of friends there and love it.”

While he is enthusiastic about his protégés, he is realistic about what they can achieve, “Maybe some of them will be future stars, but not all of them of course! It’s a group of juniors who are the best in the north of Holland, some of them should become good.” Perhaps we may see some of them in future Winter Universiades or FISU World University Speed Skating Championships.

Toby Fisher, FISU Young Reporter