Koen Verweij is pulling the plug on Worldstream Corendon skating team now that skater Jutta Leerdam is switching to Jumbo-Visma. That is what Verweij, the partner of Leerdam and together with her founder of the team, says in a press statement. Because of Leerdam’s departure, “the team lacks the basis to continue”, the message reads.
The fact that Leerdam announced her departure on Monday evening was already remarkable because she was the figurehead of the team and had helped to establish it. At Jumbo-Visma she will be led by coach Jac Orie. “I am convinced that Jac can make me even better,” Leerdam said in a press statement from Jumbo-Visma. Verweij was also a member of the team that now ceases to exist, but did not play anymore after the Olympic Qualifying Tournament in December.
The departure of Leerdam and the stop of the team have to do with a lack of money at Worldstream Corendon, according to a response from marketing manager Bregje van Grinsven. “We had high ambitions. Skaters, coaches, marketing, we really wanted to take it to the next level. But for that you also need a certain basic budget.”
Van Grinsven does not rule out the possibility that Worldstream Corendon will return to the ice after a “break” of a year or two. The other skaters of the team, including Olympian Cornelius Kersten, will in any case have to find another place to live.
Also read the profile of Koen Verweij: Skater Koen Verweij was always cross, first for himself and now for his girlfriend Jutta Leerdam