It worked! Despite the harsh weather conditions, Stef Langelijk from De Weere, together with 6 other men, succeeded in completing the Pile Sitting in Lambertschaag. They climbed the pole on Friday afternoon, and on Sunday evening they were allowed to leave it after more than 52 hours. “This was the last time.”
A weekend on a pole. For many people this is not a pleasant thought, but in Lambertschaag this has been a tradition for over half a century. Also this year, residents from Abbekerk and Lambertschaag – and in Stef’s case also from De Weere – registered for the event. NH follows participant Stef Langedijk all weekend, including during the last day.
Sunday 8 a.m.: Stef is still on his pole. Even after a second – intense – night, in which the wind increased even more and the participants were regularly treated to a heavy shower. “We are still with seven men. A few have already left, someone else also left this morning. Last year only one participant gave up, now many more.”
The weather conditions make the more than 52 hours on a pole, without sleep, even harder. “Now it is raining again and the wind is really unbearable. Peeing is very difficult and the parasol we are sitting under either flies away or inside out. It was really hard last night. How long does such a night take.”
He was close to going on without neighbor Jim. “I really had to keep him awake last night, because he kept threatening to fall asleep. It was close, but he’s still there. You have to drag each other through it a bit.”
Sunday 1.30 pm: A volleyball tournament is going on on the field that the pole sitters look out on. Anything to provide some distraction. But Stef’s neighbor Jim doesn’t get it. He dozes off again. ‘Jim, Jim!’, it sounds loudly from the side. Stef sprays his companion in his face once again with a water pistol. Jim is awake again. “Have a cup of coffee,” he says.
The wind whips aggressively across the terrain, where the seven remaining contestants sit on their poles and suffer. Even the ever cheerful Stef is having a hard time. He is wearing a pair of trousers, a warm sweater and a cap. Stretching your legs is difficult because of the wind. Afraid he is about to fall off the pole. Then all efforts would be in vain. “It’s ‘only’ seven o’clock, but that’s still almost a working day… I’m glad when the time comes.”
In the meantime, the Pole Sitting announcement board has already had to give up the battle with the wind.
Text continues below the photo.
Sunday 8.36 pm:
The moment is here. Stef is taken off the pole with 6 others. They made it and are welcomed as heroes in Lambertschaag by friends and family. There are flowers and a tour through the village on the flat cart follows. “There is more discharge than last year, when I also participated,” says Stef. “Now the conditions were so bizarre, with all the wind and rain. You feel like you had to do more. You certainly weren’t there for fun at night.”
Neighbor Jim made it too. “It’s nice that you can help each other. Walking is now a bit difficult, because I’ve been sitting all weekend,” says Stef just after he’s off the pole. “I’m going to take a shower at home and then go to the party tent. There we will be honored. Then I’ll go to bed. How much money I collected this weekend, I don’t know yet. But it could run towards 4,000 euros . How much it is exactly, we will hear later. Still, I think this was my last time. It was really hard.”