On Friday, finally, the korfball part of my trip begins. At 1:00 PM, most of us arrive, and the request is made to meet at a good lunch spot. I take the initiative and find one a few miles from my hotel. The Original Pancake House is the location, and it turns out to be a great choice. Not only can we have a great lunch here (also with whole grain toast instead of sweet, greasy American pancakes), but we also have a nice table where we can sit longer without being disturbed. Here, we hold our first USKF meeting in the new style. We discuss many important things to take further steps, such as registering as a non-profit organization, the development of youth korfball, Team USA issues, and the increase in the number of requests for korfball. Equipment is always a tricky point since korfball equipment is only made in Europe and Asia, and transportation is quite expensive, both in terms of import and transport in this huge country.
After lunch, some go to the AirB&B they rented, and I go back to my hotel for some work. Our first session in the evening is at a Community Center in Getzville. I’m always amazed at how some communities in the USA are able to build the most beautiful and efficient sports facilities, fully equipped. This once again shows that besides obesity, there is also a lot of sport in Americans. Also, a group of young people immediately joins us, and we can play some very nice three-on-three matches. After an hour and a half, we end our session and go for a late dinner at Dave’s Hot Chicken. I can choose from seven different levels of spices, from ‘no spice’ to the ‘reaper.’ For the latter, you apparently have to sign a waiver regarding your own responsibility. I just choose ‘hot’ (the second-highest level of spices), and even then, every bite burns my mouth, makes my nose run, and my eyes water.
Saturday morning, I first pick up one of our players from the station. The Amtrak is the regular American passenger train. Whereas the train in many developed countries is an efficient and sometimes reasonably fast transportation system, Amtrak in the USA is still a cumbersome, heavy train that slowly picks up speed, never travels too fast, and mostly operates on an irregular schedule. They just can’t seem to get it together here. Cleveland to Buffalo takes more than three hours, while a high-speed train traveling at 300 km/h should cover a distance of about 160 km with a few stops in just an hour. For comparison: Rotterdam to Zwolle with the Intercity should take 1 hour and 37 minutes according to the schedule.
Anyway! Back to korfball… We arrive at another fantastic university campus in Lewiston, right next to Niagara Falls, where Niagara University is located. The gymnasium is excellent and (almost) big enough for an indoor korfball match. The organization of the university is also very good; the assistant to the dean is responsible for the organization. The only downside is that instead of the expected 50-60 students, we only have 25-30 because last week, the university suddenly decided to have Monday off due to the eclipse, causing most of the students to go home. It works out well for me because with four poles, it’s difficult to keep 60 people busy.
For the first hour, I start with the basics of korfball: shooting, running in, passing, duels, and of course, some basic rules. We play small matches of 2-on-2 and 3-on-3. It’s incredible to see the talent here. Many korfball trainers would be thrilled with the enthusiasm, skills, athleticism, and insight of these guys. And these aren’t even the absolute top players who participate in college competitions. It just confirms once again: You don’t have to teach Americans how to play sports; We just have to teach them korfball elements. After lunch, of course, a deliciously greasy pizza and a bottle of blue Gatorade, we play a real tournament in Korfball4. Here too, the drive and skills of the Americans to adopt a ball sport and excel within the rules are evident. They immediately notice when they commit a foul, so the referee on duty, yours truly, has an easy job.
The winners are honored, and we end with the shooting game ‘Killer,’ where a korfball t-shirt can be won with the text ‘My hoop is higher than yours’ (for the non-linguists among us: a comparison of the difficulty level between korfball and basketball). Everyone wants to win it, so here too, there is a fierce competition and disappointment upon elimination. The winner goes home very happy.
After this delightful session, we take team photos at Niagara Falls. By now, the weather has become fantastic, with clear blue skies and a lovely sun at about 9 degrees Celsius. Our current team may still not be able to compete with other countries (yet!), but our team photo is, by far, the most iconic (in terms of location) I have seen in a long time…
Best, as always…
Coach Dankmar
