Dutchman breaks through by going Canadian
PYEONGCHANG, SOUTH KOREA— When TedJan Bloemen arrived in Calgary in the summer of 2014, he had goals and dreams. But he also had a rule.
The goals and dreams were clear: He wanted to be a great speedskater, something he’d been trying, and failing, to be- come in his native Netherlands for most of his young life. He also wanted to be Canadian, just like his father, GerhardJan, who was born to Dutch parents in Bathurst, N.B., and spent the first seven years of his life there before moving back to the Netherlands.
Which dovetailed into the rule. Even though Bloemen and his new coach on the Canadian team, fellow Dutchman Bart Schouten, shared a common homeland and a native tongue, Bloemen insist- ed they speak only in English. Never mind that speaking Dutch would have been easier for both of them, especially when it came to discussing the nuances of a high-performance sport that has its epicentre in the Netherlands. For the past four years Bloemen and Schouten, even when they’ve talked on the phone one on one, have stayed committed to speaking only English.
“I didn’t want to be just a Dutch guy skating for the Canadian team.”
Schouten said it’s been crucial for team unity.
“We think it’s super-important that everybody feels included,” the coach said. “We think we could exclude people if we speak Dutch.”
Bloemen said the language of choice was also important to him because he didn’t want to be seen as a passport-swapping mercenary who was adopting Canada’s flag out of convenience.
“When I decided to move to Canada, I decided I wanted to be a Canadian. I wanted to be part of this Canadian team as a Canadian. I didn’t want to be just a Dutch guy skating for the Canadian team,” Bloemen was saying this week. “That would feel like cheating a little bit. That’s the reason why I said to Bart, ‘I want to be a Canadian. So let’s speak only English.’ ”
There are those in the Netherlands who surely wish Bloemen was plying his trade while speaking Dutch. In the four years since he left, Bloemen has risen to rare heights. The reign- ing world record holder in both the 5,000 metres and 10,000 metres, Bloemen set both marks by breaking the standards established by Sven Kramer, the Dutch powerhouse with the legendary resume that includes 19 world championship gold medals and the past two Olympic golds in the 5,000. While the 31-year-old Kramer is here attending his fourth Olympics — and looking to add to his collection of seven medals — Bloemen, also 31, is making his Olympic debut. And as much as Bloemen owns the world records, Kramer has proven a difficult man to beat in big moments; their impending showdown figures to be a compelling on- ice drama.
Bloemen, for his part, chalked up his late-blooming success to speedskating’s status as the biggest winter sport in the Netherlands.
“As with all really big sports, you have to be really good, really fast at a really young age. And if you’re not really good, really fast at a young age, sometimes you’ll be able to get a chance — but still, you have to show very fast that you’re very good,” Bloemen said. “I was never able to do that. But I still felt in my gut that I could be great. I just needed more time. And I needed a team that would give me more time. I wasn’t going to find that in Holland.”
Hence the move to Canada, which has been positive in almost every way, save for an important one.
“I do miss my family and friends, of course,” he said. “Their lives go on and I’m not there. Sometimes that hurts. But it’s the way it is. I’m happy where I am now.”
He was made happier when, after his first year in his new home, his Dutch girlfriend, Marlinde, joined him in Calgary. They’ve since married.
“I met her not that long before I left for Canada. We were going to break up. Like, you can’t ask somebody you know for half a year to come with you,” he said. “And then the day before I left, she asked me, ‘Should we try to keep it going and I’ll visit you over there and then we’ll decide?’ I was like, ‘Yeah, that’s awesome. Let’s do that.’ She came over and she liked it.”
What’s been the key to Bloemen’s success in Canada? He has a difficult time pinpointing it.
“Because so many things changed, it’s hard to point out why I got better. Is it because I have a really awesome wife I married? Is it because I do less weights than I did in Holland? Is it because I’ve got another coach? Is it because I’m really happy and I’m great friends with all my teammates?” Bloemen smiled and shrugged. “There’s so many great things about coming to Canada,” he said, “and I like all of it.”