Sven Boekhorst from Den Bosch is now 45 years old, but the former world champion inline skating is still happy to be a skater ‘on stage’. In fact, he has just returned from a large skating show in Australia that took place in the iconic Sydney Opera House. “I sometimes think: I am happy that I can still do this at my age.”
This year, Sven is touring all over the world with ISH Dance Collective in a show where various freestyle sports and stunts come by, including BMXs, breakdancing and freerunnen. And so he was also allowed to go to Sydney, and to the Opera House.
And that was very special, he says, sitting at the skating track in Den Bosch. “Certainly also because the shows were well visited. We were sold out almost every day.”
The Show Elements of Freestyle took place for four days, from 26 to 29 June. “The Opera House was also not on our bucket list. It just didn’t seem feasible. But just to go there from your hotel is really very special. It wasn’t a dream of mine, but it was a great experience.”
After the shows, Sven also met the owner of the Opera House, Louise Herron. “That is an older woman of around 65.” She almost became emotional, she said, because she was a bit nervous: it was the first time that this kind of sports could be seen in the Sydney Opera House. That it was a success was a discharge for her. “
And that is not weird, says Sven, because it was a big spectacle. “The audience thought it was great. Their reaction was funny by the way. In different countries you have different reactions from the audience, and in Australia the audience started to clap before the show. We had never had that before. There was a kind of hype in it.”
“But if you hear that audience before the show starts, it helps them enormously. Then you immediately feel like it. ”
Some people had injuries after a few days of performing, or were just tired. “But if you hear that audience before the show starts, that helps them enormously. Then you immediately feel like it.”
Still, staying is important, because there are still the necessary shows on the program. “Yes it is bizarre. We have already been to Norway, we are going to Taiwan at the end of August. Brisbane and Singapore are also on the program. And there are even talking about new locations.”
He does not take that Sven can do all that at this age. “I am 45 and still touring and traveling through skating. It is a perfect combination for me, because I also skate a lot. This way the world is really special is really special. It is sometimes just a kind of school trip,” says the former world champion.
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There is one more place where he would love to go with the Tour – and there might be a chance that it will happen. “New Zealand. I’ve never been there. Then I immediately stick a long vacation after it,” Sven concludes laughing.
