The ice masters’ love for skating: ‘I’m happy when you can get on the ice’ | Winter climate

Ice masters are already called upon the first forecasts of freezing temperatures. If they can say anything about the opportunity to skate. But mastery of the ice is much more than that. NU.nl spoke to three ice masters about their work.

There is no ice master without a huge love for skating. “For me, skating gave me a feeling of enormous happiness,” says Sytse Kroes, ice master of the Frisian Ice Association. “When I was young I could often go on the ice. That’s how I discovered Friesland through skating.” During those exploratory trips with friends, he learned to confidently recognize ice.

Ice master Dirk de Groot also loves skating on natural ice. He can talk about it for hours. “It’s pure passion. You skate when you’re young and then you get interested. That’s how you grow.” De Groot soon became ice master of the Baambrugge ice club.

Sytse Kroes

Age: 53

Have you ever fallen through the ice? “Only once. Luckily I had dry clothes, a flotation backpack and friends with me. So it wasn’t that bad.”

Favorite ice cream: “Magical, black ice. It’s smooth and strong.”

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Frisian ice master Sytse Kroes warns about snow ice: ‘It’s not strong’

Repair wobbles and cracks

The ice masters and their skating club ensure that you can skate in cold weather. But when there’s ice, the job isn’t done. “Any holes or cracks that have formed also need to be repaired,” says ice master Pauline van der Zant (because yes, for a woman the position is also simply called ice master). You work on it constantly.

Even in the summer the work doesn’t stop. A little ice master does everything to make the ice better than last winter. “Keep an eye out for new techniques all year,” notes De Groot.

According to De Groot, the first cleaning system in the Netherlands was developed in his club. A wet carpet was spread on the ice. “This created a very thin layer of water on the ice that quickly froze.” The construction drawings were sold for five guilders to other ice clubs. The club sold about thirty of them.

Dirk de Groot

Age: 71

Have you ever fallen through the ice? Yes, it was a “traumatic, but educational experience.”

Favorite memory? When someone invented a new misting system. “The fact that you can make ice cream like that so easily is wonderful.”

Dirk de Groot on the ice rink in 2021. Photo: Dirk de Groot

Safety first

But «we are not just ice cream makers», continues Van der Zant. “We also monitor for safety.” Ice masters cordon off holes and weak spots to prevent people from falling through the ice. Kroes notes that more attention is being paid to this aspect. “People are paying more and more attention to their own responsibility and safety.”

Yet he is sometimes annoyed by others. “When the ice is about to become skateable, they already go there. Even if the KNSB (the Royal Dutch Ice Skating Association, ed.) says it’s not possible yet.” Without proper precautions this can be quite dangerous.

“They do it much safer in Sweden,” he says. So people always skate in groups and wear a floating backpack. If they fall into the water, they are in dry clothing and there is little to worry about. “I always do it like this.”

Fewer and fewer skating moments

De Groot notices that more and more people are losing consciousness, making skating on natural ice less and less safe. “He freezes less and less often, which means we can skate less.” As a result, less knowledge is conveyed. “And while everyone in the Netherlands would really like to get on the ice if possible.”

“We also noticed at KNSB that people lose consciousness,” says Van der Zant. The ancients had their own way of doing things, but they often kept it to themselves. “That’s why we created the Natural Ice Masters Guild.” The guild organizes meetings where people can learn from each other.

De Groot and Van der Zant now offer ice master courses. “I think passing on knowledge is a lot of fun,” says Van der Zant. Not entirely by chance: when she’s not busy at the skating rink, she’s a special education teacher.

Paolina van der Zant

Age: 43

Have you ever fallen through the ice? “Born!”

The best moment of the season? “If you can say, ‘We’re open.’ It’s a real competition to be first.”

Ice instructor Pauline van der Zant prevents ice knowledge from being lost. Photo: Hielco Kuipers Photography

“I can do some rustling at work.”

All ice masters are volunteers. “Some people work behind the counter at the football club. That’s what I do,” says Van der Zant. Around 20 ice masters are active in his association. “We are really lucky that there are so many of us.” If something happens during the day, she can’t go to the ice rink, but her colleagues, who are already retired, can.

“I had a job where I could do something,” Van der Groot says. He’s retired now, but he was a security expert. Yet he also did some smuggling. Once he told his boss that he was going to have an accident, but secretly went for a skating trip. “You have to relax a little, otherwise you get stressed.”

Furthermore, you can’t do it alone, he points out. Others always want to help. “It really creates a social bond.” Everyone who helps is happy when the skaters can get on the ice without problems. “Those people are having a great day.”

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Ice skating clubs are busy setting up natural ice rinks

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2024-01-09 20:04:00
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