What about the skating skills of young people, now that we have so few ice days in most winters? We took a look at the skating rink in Nieuw-Buinen.
“I was already free at 10.10 am, so I was lucky,” says Sem Panman (16) from Nieuw-Buinen. He is one of the few youngsters already on the ice at the beginning of Tuesday afternoon. Together with his grandfather, from whom he learned to skate.
With their skating suits and helmets, the two look as if they do this often, unlike many other young people who are making a valiant attempt to get ahead this afternoon. Do young people still skate?
“I follow training courses, but I am almost the only one,” says Sem. “When I ask at school who wants to come with me when there is ice like now, I don’t get very enthusiastic responses.” His grandfather Roelf Panman nods. “Most people can’t do much of it. There is hardly any natural ice left in the winter, that’s the reason.”
‘We’re just having fun’
While grandfather and grandson ride their rounds with beautiful technique, Ylan (12) and Mike (13) strap on their irons. “I saw on Facebook that it was possible today,” says Ylan. “I immediately asked my friends if anyone wanted to come along. Mike wanted to.”
Occasionally, when there is ice, they skate. But can they do it? “No, I don’t,” Ylan answers firmly. Mike: “A little bit, yes. We just have fun on the ice and then we move forward.”
Mike and Ylan have ice hockey skates on, like many young skaters. Ilse Smit (13) does not. She is trying out Norwegians for the first time. She shuffles forward carefully, close to the edge. Fortunately, she gets help from good friend Hugo (13), who already has more experience. Skating backwards, he leads her across the track.
Water boards warn: ice on waterways is unreliable
After the abundant rainfall in recent weeks, the water boards are still draining water. This means that watercourses freeze less quickly, but the water level under the ice layer may also drop further. The ice floor is therefore unreliable, the water boards warn. So be careful!
“I have been skating since I was seven and have skated on speedos before,” he explains. “We need a few ice days this winter, so we came here straight away.”
‘That’s just like old times’
Ice master Freddie Moorlag, who is closely monitoring the quality of the ice layer this afternoon, looks on approvingly and thinks that everything is not too bad with the young skaters on the track.
“Some train on the track in Kardinge and as soon as possible, they go on the track here. There are some pretty good skaters among them,” he thinks. “And most are not afraid at all, even if they have less experience. That’s just like the old days.”
Moorlag and other volunteers worked hard to ensure that the ice rink in Nieuw-Buinen was one of the few in the North to open today. He thinks that skating can also take place on Wednesday and Thursday morning, but after that it is uncertain. That is why he does not mind that it was not possible to get the marathon to Nieuw-Buinen.
“It simply wasn’t freezing hard enough here for that. And yes, everyone wants to see a marathon here one day, but now the school classes and people from the village can take to the ice themselves. That is also very nice, especially if it only freezes for a few days.”