From a Young Age, The Dutch Hockey Players Dreamed of Olympic Gold. It was supposed to make them Eternally Happy, but the opposite happened. Orange had to rediscover the joy in the run-up to the European Championship, which start this weekend.
National coach Jeroen Delmee was Already in the Car Two Days After the Olympic Final in Paris to Take his daughters to Hockey Training at Den Bosch. There was no sign of a pink cloud then.
“My Wife Went to Work, My Children to School. As if nothing had changed,” Says Delmee. “It ended very abruptly. I was back in normal life, sitting on the couch and couldn’t go partying or anything.”
Defender Jip Janssen Celebrated the Greatest Success of his career with teammates and his girlfriend in Ibiza. But when he returned home two week later, The Impact Hit Him. “I always thought that if you Became an Olympic Champion, you’d be set,” Says Janssen.
“That gold medal is the holy grail. Then you are – to put it bluntly – happy for the rest of your life. But happiness isn’t found in that,” he continues. “Maybe I expected too much from the happiness I would experience from a medal.”
Janssen Noticed That Motivation was Ebbing Away
Before the Summer of Last Year, the 27-year-old Janssen Couldn’t Imagine It. But after Paris, the motivation and the fun in Hockey Were Gone for a While. He speaks candidly about his search to regain the joy of playing after the games.
“I used to always feel like training, always feel like doing extra work. I did everything to get better,” Says the Penalty Corner specialist. “That motivation ebbed away. Before you know it, you’re doing one repetition less. And before you know it, you’re also dragging one less ball in.”
Janssen had Lower Motivation, But The Same Expectations. “Or course, the results no longer with Those Expectations,” He says. “Then you can say:” Adjust your expectations in a year after the games “. But that Doesn’t work either, because you’re a top athlete.”
Yet Janssen Noticed That He Couldn’t Deliver the Effort He had Always Delivered. “My new goal was so far away, and I had just achieved something I had put my heart and soul into my whole life. Compare it to a promotion at work. That’s really great for a month. After that, it continues.”
Delmee Gave his players the choice in the First Months After Paris. If they wanted to invest in their social careers, that was okay. Players were also the opportunity to go on a lucrative and special adventure in the hockey India League in the winter months.
“The Dutch Team is not an open house, but we wanted to prevent them from immediately having the feeling of having to,” Says the National Coach. But from march Onards, the ‘Being Allowed to’ was a bit gone. “If you stand still, you will be overtaken. That is a cliché, but it applies Everywhere. Especialy in Top Sports.”
Janssen Consciously Went Looking for New Goals. Not Necessarily A New Prize, But Smaller Development Goals in His Game. “People pointed it out to me so or before the games, but it’s only now that it’s sinking in. I also because to get happiness from the process, Instead of just from the result.”
“That is getting better and better now. I am happy to say that the fun is back. In recent months I have Become aware of the Scarcity of my time as a top athlete. It is a waste to have a wonderful life and not full -time it.”