In the early days, when you still had the choice to attack in section 'A' or 'B' and korfball was played in three instead of two sections, I was working hard to get most out of my personal talent. I trained hard, I wanted to win, always, and I had the continuous drive to score. And, with some luck, I was selected for the Rijndelfland team, to join the national selection for junior players. My mates at that time were e.g. Daniëla Riet, Jan Tromp, Yke Bijlsma and Dennis Doves. Though with great joy, internationally our coverage reached only to an 'intercountry game' with Belgium. It were the days that international trips solely were organized by enthusiastic individuals from within your own club.

My first international korfball trip went to the Czech Republic.

Summer 1991 we left, with players of the junior teams of KVS (Scheveningen) and VEO (Voorburg) fully inspired by this beautiful country. We travelled from school to school to give clinics. We even played korfball on the little market squares and in front of a church. We caught a lot of attention and meanwhile korfball grew in popularity.

Those days it was decided that the 'Oranje team' would do the promotion trips instead of the 'real' Dutchmnational team. Unfortunately we just missed the promo trip to the US, but sequently the trips to Portugal, Czech Replublic and Spain followed. We even played the World Championship in Taiwan. Harry Dassen coached us to the glorious championship, headed by André Simons who evidently showed what real talent is able to reach.

As said in the weeks precending the World Championship we were on promo tour through Taiwan. It was a marvellous experience to play korfball with hunderds of school children as audience, all wearing the same outfit. There are times that I carry my mind back to this adventure, and I viciously hope that Ricky Wu was one of those little kids that watched us then. And that he became that enthusiastic that he start playing korfball. So that, in the end, I can conclude that I had a tiny share in the upcoming qualification of Nic. for the coming semi-finales, ofcourse due to a goal by Wu in the last split second of the deciding match against Blauw-Wit. Or something like that...

Currently the international developments are emerging in the world of korfball. Many young talents get the chance to benchmark themselves against their peers from other parts in the world. Which is actually an excellent development and meanwhile the opportunity to meet new fellows nationally and internationally. As eventually it is not about winning, it is more and to a large extend about your personal development as talent and about expanding your network with soulmates and friends.

Talking about friendship. My most precious international memory is Nic.'s promotour to Italy. During my first year as member of the club we won the National Championship (against Die Haghe) and as additional incentive we were invited to promote the korfball sports in Rome. When we got there the Italian Sports Federation organised an international event to promote and stimulate rather 'unknown' sports for Italian citizens.

I must admit the promotion didn't have that much of an impact and I can write 10 more columns with entertaining stories about this trip, but the most important thing those days was that we as a group have grown. We became a team, a real team, which in the end formed the basis of the successes that were a fundament of the years that came.

I wish all the participants lots of success, show your value, expose your talent and most of all: enjoy these days, make new friends!

Ciao,
Riko Kruit