Naomi Wessels made a remarkable switch last summer: from graceful figure skating to fast long -range skating. And with success. After only one season, the 16-year-old from Den Bosch was already included in the KNSB Talent Team Zuid, where the fastest talents in the region are. Her ultimate goal, the Olympic Games, is still standing – only now as a long -distance skater.
After having arted artificial at the top level for more than ten years, Naomi lost the pleasure in sport. “I didn’t feel like it anymore, the pleasure was gone. Yet she couldn’t let go of the top sport.” I am really an athlete and was always the fastest on figure skating. I thought why not try something new? “
That became long -distance skating. After skating a few times, she went to former top skater Annamarie Thomas, who guides young athletes with Delta Talent. “Within half an hour I already rode the competition riders from Delta and the track selection,” says Naomi.
Exciting
Yet the switch was exciting. “I always had a goal in mind – the Olympic Games – which I worked on from the age of four.” Releasing figure skating caused uncertainty. “Because you don’t know how the long track will go. But sometimes you have to take risks. So far I have not regretted it.” She often heard that people think this better suits her. “Because I am super long with 1.80 meters, while everyone in figure skates is super small.” As a figure skater she also needed a lot of strength. “I had to work harder because of my height to make rotations. At the long track it now comes together: power, long legs and hard work.”
“Sometimes you have to take risks.”
“It went so well from the start. If I want something, it works. But I didn’t expect it to go so fast.” She drove her first 500 meters in 46 seconds, now that is 42. Due to her strong first year, she was even allowed to skip the job selection and she was admitted to the regional selection. “I didn’t want too big a step, but thought: we’re just going to do it. And it’s going very well, the training sessions are easy to do.”
Although long -bars are a completely different discipline, Naomi benefits from her figure skating past. “I have a lot of benefits in the turns. With figure skating we made deep sides and, like short trackers, we can make short turns.” It was getting used to. “Klapnoren are longer and thinner.” She can also correct missing miscarrants because of her past, her mother Ingrid adds. “You can see that she has a lot of control over her body.”
“In the beginning I had something like ‘Huh’, but now I see how it is possible.”
Naomi feels more in place on the long track. “Everyone helps each other and there is no jealousy. Art skating is more a jury sport, at the Langebaan you really perform for yourself.” The team feeling believes it is important: “You go to competitions together, where you also talk to others. Everyone knows each other.” She likes that everyone encourages each other. “In the beginning I had something like ‘Huh’, but now I see how it can be done. Afterwards you realize that it was strange that it didn’t happen there.”
Another big advantage is the balance with school. “I trained with figure skating more than 25 hours a week. Now much less.” That means less absenteeism. “I haven’t missed for hours yet.” The competition options also like her better. “There were only four or five games a year in the Netherlands, I always had to go abroad. I can now ride a competition somewhere every weekend.” At one of those competitions at Thialf in Heerenveen, she came across Toppers Marrit Fledderus and Mats Siemons from Team Reggeborgh. “You literally have your goal in mind.”
“Scary choices sometimes lead to beautiful things.”
For now, Naomi focuses on her training. She would rather not talk about figure skating anymore. “It is closed and my gaze is ahead.” Her message to young athletes who doubt or struggle? “Don’t be stopped by others. Keep working on your goals and don’t be afraid to close doors, because then others open again. Scary choices sometimes lead to beautiful things.”
