Wednesday, Aug 15

Just received a translation of an article from an interview with Jordie and Michelle vd Laan that appeared in a dutch paper.
It is so nice to hear such positive responses to our camp experience this summer.

I will attach the translation:

Eat lots of hotdogs
During the last week of July 2 Soccertalents from Cuijk took place at the International Soccerweek at the CBC HighSchool in St. Louis, USA. Michelle(15) and Jordie(13) van der Laan found out what it looked like to live like a real professional soccerplayer in a strange country.
Michelle and Jordie will be playing in the C1 selection of JVC Cuijk next year. They also play for the districtsselection of the KNVB in their own age-category. And besides the soccergames they get coursetraining by Theo Joosten 1 time a week.
“Because of these coursetraining it all began”, Michelle says, aiming at the trip to the USA. “Theo Joosten maintains narrow contacts with Jan Pruijn, soccertrainer and initiator of the CBC Dutch Touch Soccercamp”, completes Jordie. Also by their many presences and commitment, their talent was revealed and so brother and sister received an invitation to take part at the trainingperiod in St. Louis.
With a group of another 10 kids from the environment of Nijmegen, Michelle and Jordie set of to the airport at Dusseldorf and went to America.
All the children were categorized in American host familys. Daily they went to the Highschool campus, to train or play soccermatches several times a day at the art grass with a group of 80 soccertalents.
“Meanwhile we had lunch or diner and we could eat as much hotdogs as we want”, Jordie says so. Furthermore on the program were a reading, a soccer movie, an excursion, a barbeque and a swimmingparty at the swimmingpool. “With a gymnastic jump I won the diving contest”, Michelle lets know with her 6 years of gymnastic background.
“But the most beautiful thing was to be between al the Americans in such a great and strange country, with the different language, and see how life goes there”, Michelle says. Jordie agrees with his sister. “It’s also a good thing to be at your own feet and to make your own decisions”, they both continue. “And we have met so many new people, like Sara and Austin…”
“What kept me up, was that technically the Dutchies were more improved than the Americans, but fysically they were stronger than us…”, decides Michelle, while they both were lying down more and more as a result of the jetlag…


Thanks to the family vd Laan for sending this to me.
Stay in touch

Terry