Joel’s X factor
Third-generation Van Huizen reveals his superhero
KUALA LUMPUR: National hockey player Joel van Huizen not only adores Professor Xavier in the X-Men movie – he also tries to emulate the good traits of his favourite character.
“The professor has the ability to read people’s minds. I think it’s really cool if you can read someone’s mind,” said Joel, who loves to watch the superhero movie X-Men: Apocalypse when he’s not busy on the hockey field.
“It helps in some way in hockey too. One cannot read another’s mind but we can anticipate what’s going to happen on the field.
“When you play a match, you want to know where your opponent is going to make a pass and whether he is going to dribble past you.
“I try to think what the opponents are thinking. It helps you mentally,” said the midfielder.
The 26-year-old will be featuring
in his first World Cup in Bhubaneswar, India, which begins on Nov 28 but his presence in the squad did not come as a surprise as hockey runs deep in the blood of Joel’s family.
Joel is the third generation player from the Van Huizen clan to be involved in the World Cup.
Joel’s grandfather Lawrence represented Malaysia at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics and also coached the national team in the 1970s.
The 88-year-old Lawrence was one of the coaches involved in helping Malaysia finish a creditable fourth in the 1975 World Cup in Kuala Lumpur.
Joel’s father Stephen featured in the 1981 World Cup in Bombay (now Mumbai) and also played in the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics.
Stephen was the skipper of the national team from 1985-89 and was also the national coach of the national team several times. He is now assisting national coach Roelant Oltmans of Holland.
Coming from a family with a rich tradition in hockey, Joel is simply honoured.
“I’m proud to keep the family tradition going,” said Joel, who made his international debut in the six Test series – four against New Zealand and two against South Korea – in Auckland in 2016.
“I believe that this is the first time in the history of Malaysian hockey that three generations from a family have been involved in a major hockey tournament.
“There was no World Cup when my grandfather played hockey in the 1960s but he featured in the Olympics, which was the biggest and most glamorous hockey event in his time – and still is,” said Joel.
“I’m also proud of my dad, he played in the World Cup and Olympics. My family has inspired me to become a national player and now, I’m so thrilled to feature in my first World Cup.”
Sixteen teams will feature in the World Cup and Malaysia are in Group D with three former champions – Holland, Pakistan and Germany.
“We’re in the group of death as Holland and Germany are former world champions and they are ranked fourth and sixth respectively.
“We’ll also face a strong challenge from Pakistan as they too will be going all out to finish in the top three to advance into the second round.
“But we’ll give our best to deliver,” said Joel, who has a degree in business, majoring in accounting, from Help University.