Ice Skating in Netherlands
It is no secret the Dutch love to ice skate. Their performance in speed skating at every Winter Olympics is testament to this. Find out more about ice skating in the Netherlands below…
WHY IS ICE SKATING SO POPULAR IN HOLLAND?
There are two essential factors which have played a role in ice skating’s popularity with the Dutch: topography and climate. The Netherlands (which means ‘lowlands’) is one of the flattest countries in the world. Flat land is always susceptible flooding. The Dutch have been managing the problem for over 1,000 years, first with dams and dikes and later with canals. The latter are everywhere in the Netherlands. The most famous canals are those in Amsterdam built in the 17th century. But canals are found in most other cities as well.
The Netherlands has a maritime climate, with temperatures fairly moderated by the North Sea. And while there is never an abundance of snow in winter, freezing temperatures are not uncommon. When those low temps persist for consecutive days, water in the canals quickly freezes over. This has always offered kids an immediate opportunity to go ice skating as the nearest canal was never far from the front door.
Way back in the 14th century, a teenage girl in Schiedam ended up crippled when an injury she sustained while ice skating did not heal properly. The girl was named Liduina and she would later go on to sainthood in the Catholic church. The story is just one example of how long the Dutch have been ice skating.
In 1909, the first ‘official’ Elfstedentocht ice skating race was organized (although references to similar skating events go back as far as 1760). Held in the northern province of Friesland, participants ice skate along a 200-km route connecting 11 different Dutch cities.
The Elfstedentocht race has only been held 14 times since then due to safety requirements put in place which sets a minimum thickness of ice (15 centimeters) before it can be organized. Meeting the requirement typically takes 7-10 consecutive days of temperatures below freezing. The last time the Elfstedentocht took place was in 1997. Based on interest expressed every year, organizers expect that the next time the event does happen, there will be over 10,000 participants.
DUTCH HOLIDAY ICE SKATING
Every December, temporary ice skating rinks are constructed in all major cities throughout Holland. These pop-up rinks introduce children to ice skating at a young age and has become a popular tradition with the Dutch. The rinks come down after the Christmas-New Year holidays when children return to school.
COMPETITIVE ICE SKATING IN NETHERLANDS
The Netherlands is the most dominant country is the sport of speed skating at the Olympics. 569 skating medals have been awarded since the first modern games in 1924; the Netherlands has won 121 of them (21.3%). Dutchwoman Irene Wust holds the record for most speed skating medals won by an individual… 11 in total (5 gold, 5 silver, 1 bronze).
The ‘Royal Dutch Skating Federation’ (KNSB) is the national governing body for skating sports, including figure skating, speed skating and in-line skating, in the Netherlands. Established in 1882, it is one of the oldest sports federations in the country.
The KNSB has a development program called Talent Teams which identifies and trains top talents in long-track, short track, inline and figure skating.
ICE HOCKEY IN NETHERLANDS
Ice Hockey is played in the Netherlands, although it is not nearly as popular as field hockey. The 12 best teams in the country compete in the ‘Eredivisie‘ (top league). For the 2023-2024 season the Eredivisie teams are:
- Amsterdam Tigers
- Dordrecht Lions
- Eindhoven Kamphernen
- Gijs HEPRO Groningen
- Nijmegen Deveils
- OG Capitals Leeuwaarden
- Red Eagles Den Bosch
- Smoke Eaters Heleen
- Sweetlake Panthers Zoetermeer
- UNIS Flyers Heerenveen
- Utrecht Dragons
- Yeti’s Breda
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