Norges Skøyteforbund (NSF) har tatt ut / fornyet sitt satsingslag for junior og neosenior, kalt «Talent 2026». Årets store nyhet er nok at Wouter olde Heuvel trer inn som ny hovedtrener for laget.
Det er skøyteforbundet som skriver dette i en egen nyhetssak i dag. Olde Heuvel fortsetter som hovedtrener for Team Sørmarka.
Les mer på nettsidene til NSF.
Bildet: Wouter olde Heuvel (Facebook.com/ssik.no)
Litt mer om hvordan dette er tenkt. Artikkel fra Schaatsen.nl. (Google på engelsk for enkelhets skyld):
Olde Heuvel appointed as head coach Norwegian talent team: ‘Always aspired’
Wouter olde Heuvel has been appointed by the Norwegian skating association as head coach of a new talent team, called Talent 2026. The 34-year-old former skater will be in charge of a group of juniors and neo-seniors who have not yet been able to make it to Bjarne Rykkje’s national team. «I would like to try to boost Norwegian speed skating.»
Talent 2026, which consists of a group of 19 skaters, is a collaborative project between the Norwegian Skating Federation and the three major training groups Team Sørmarka, Team Mjøsteam and Team Sprint. The initiative was set up to give the neo-seniors who fall between the cracks the chance to make the highest level. «Actually, it is a bit of the same problem as what you see in the Netherlands», Olde Heuvel tells by telephone. «A number of second-year A-juniors are not yet ready to take the next step in their careers, but you don’t want to write them off immediately. That would be a waste of the time we invested in them.»
In order to join forces between the talented juniors on the one hand and the neo-seniors who are just out of the boat on the other, the Norwegian association decided to set up a new talent team in consultation with Olde Heuvel and a number of other trainers. However, the new team will not be on the road together all season, explains Olde Heuvel. «We will keep our own training groups as a basis, where we will facilitate with extra camps from the union. We want to work more intensively, especially in the winter,» said Olde Heuvel, who as head trainer of Talent 2026 will be the link between the different teams. . «And I also make sure that we will go to the competitions as a unit.»
Olde Heuvel will combine his new position with his job as coach of Team Sørmarka, where he started his Norwegian adventure two years ago. At the skating club from Stavanger, he guides a talented group of skaters who want to move on to the national selection of Bjarne Rykkje and Jeremy Wotherspoon within a few years. «I really enjoy being able to hold these two positions. I have always aspired to that», continues Olde Heuvel, who does not see himself as a trainer of a commercial team anymore. «Never say never, but in the coming years I would like to give Norwegian speed skating a boost.»
Ida Njåtun to Sørmarka
At Team Sørmarka, Olde Heuvel will receive assistance from an old acquaintance next season. Ida Njåtun, who skated for Team Sørmarka between 2020 and 2021 and announced her skating pension last month, will take charge of the youngest junior group of the skating club from Stavanger next season. She will also assist Olde Heuvel in the summer and replace Olde Heuvel in the winter when he is on the road with Talent 2026. «Ida has a lot of experience and has seen many different trainers in her career. I am sure that she can be an absolute added value for this group,» said the Dutchman.
Written by
Rijcko Treep
Jeg var veldig fornøyd med å se nesten like antall gutter og jenter. Det er en de de tingene som skøyter er sterke på i verden. Vi vekter menn og kvinner likt, hvilket ikke er tilfellet i alle idretter.
Jeg er også spent på hvordan synnergieffekten mellom Talent 2026 trenerne og trenere i klubber og i de tre treningsgruppene. Jeg tipper at samarbeidet med Team Sørmarka blir ganske enkelt, men hvordan skal det gå å samarbeide med Arne Skullerud og Eskil Ervik? Blir spennende å se