Shuffleboard is more than just a fun pastime for the Oostenbrink family. Jan Oostenbrink (63) is the reigning world champion and hopes to extend his title this week in Drenthe. The Veldhoven resident also has a golden tip for anyone who has ever played shuffleboard: “The sides are the easiest, you should save them for last.”
Jan got his love for the sport from his father, who founded Sjoelvereniging De Kemphanen in 1978. Jan, who is now chairman, played shuffleboard from an early age. “I have been participating in competitions for at least fifty years. When I was young, I was already quite good. I finished second in my first competition. I have never stopped this sport,” he says in the Omroep Brabant radio program KEIgoeiemorgen.
His brother Siem also fell in love with the sport and won four world titles. In 2024, the brothers faced each other in the World Cup final in Strasbourg, France. Jan won his first world title in that special final battle. This week he hopes for global success again: from Wednesday first with the Dutch team, then individually. Sjors, Jan’s son, is also participating in the World Cup in his own country.
“The top eight should certainly be possible, the form is good.”
“I want to finish at the top, but you never know how a tournament will go,” says Oostenbrink. “The top eight should certainly succeed, the form is good. There are a total of about twelve candidates who have a chance of winning gold. Most of them come from the Netherlands, but also from Sweden and Germany.”
At the Zwartemeer estate in Drenthe, Oostenbrink first plays a preliminary round of twenty turns in the individual tournament, after which the best 128 continue. “In the knockout phase you play man against man. First the number 1 against the number 128, and in the end the strongest players remain.”
To reach the top, the Veldhoven resident spends many hours behind the shuffleboard. But training alone is not enough. He learned how to deal with the tension mainly during competitions. At the world top it’s all about details, the level cannot be compared to a game between recreational players.
“Go for the middle boxes in the beginning.”
And who better to give beginners a tip than the world champion himself? “Go for the middle compartments in the beginning. The stones may pile up in front of the opening. Then it is important to slide them in such a way that you clear the opening again. It is best to end with the sides.”
