Newsletter 2/2012 Great success of the Holland Cup 2012
On Sunday, 3rd June 2012, the 3rd edition of the Holland Cup took place in Pijnacker, the Netherlands.
479 competitors from 42 clubs, 76 referees, 45 volunteers, and 610 spectators from Belgium, England, Ireland, Germany, France, Scotland, and the Netherlands participated in this great tournament organized by Mr Tim Kool, the owner of Sportschool Tim Kool and head of the Organising Committee of this superb event.
The competition was held in a large (1.872 m2 surface area) and modern sports complex called ‘de Viergang’. Some of the teams who had to travel a long distance came on Saturday and stayed in the WestCord Hotel in Delft. For these teams the organizer had arranged the Weight In Procedure on the spot in the hotel, so the competitors could enjoy going out for a nice dinner with no worries about excess weight for their weight divisions. Those who arrived on the day of the competition went on the scale in the sports hall on Sunday morning before the tournament started. Only then did all the competitors receive their ID cards.
Following the coach meeting in the morning, people gathered in the sports hall waiting for the ‘big day’ to began. After 9 a.m. the competitors, coaches, referees, and volunteers lined up in the venue in front of guests and a large audience in the grandstand . They were warmly welcomed by Mr Tim Kool, who also explained the routine of the tournament. The rules were very clear and helpful for everyone.
Following the Opening Ceremony, the tournament started on 7 squares with pattern category which ended within about 2 hours. After individual pattern various competitors started team pattern on the center ring, and the other contestants put their gloves on for the sparring event. Straight away after every match the medalists were taken for the medal awarding ceremony to the nicely prepared podium set on the side of the hall. The sporting rivalry finished with a very exciting and long awaited event - team sparring.
After the whole day of competing on the top of the podium climbed the England Taekwon-Do Association (ETA) from England, winning the title of the best Overall Club at the 3rd Holland Cup.
Below you will find a few words from Master Thomas Denis, Vice President of England Taekwon-Do Association:
- Could you tell us a little bit about England Taekwon-Do Association (ETA)?
England Taekwon-Do Association was formed in 2005 when some instructors were allowed to join Master Ellis 8th degree and his group called Ellis Taekwon-Do Academy. ETA have had the pleasure of supplying many members of ITF England National Team. Many of the members have been crowned World and/or European Champions at some time.
- It is not the first time England Taekwon-Do Association took part in the Holland Cup tournament. What are your previous achievements of this competition?
ETA have been competing at the Holland Cup since its beginning. In terms of how close we have come to winning the overall trophy -Holland Cup- I think last year we came close. The first year of the competition we did not really fully understand the rules that determined the overall best school. As such we had to take pride in how many individual members came back from the competition with a medal or two. In the first two competitions we travelled with about 15 competitors each time and most of them returned with a medal as well as valuable international experience.
- How many students of ETA took part in the Holland Cup 2012? How many medals did you win?
This year we had 21 competitors and returned with 7 gold, 4 silver, and 4 bronze. The senior male team won gold for team sparring and we also took the overall best club.
- Which of your students taking part in the tournament would you like to praise?
I think they all deserve praise, from the medal winners to the unlucky individuals who may not have won anything this time, as we all know that sometimes you may need an element of luck to be a medallist.
- How did you celebrate the victory?
We celebrated not just a victory but a great weekend away as a group by going to a wonderful Chinese restaurant where you can eat as much as you like and they cook the meal in front of you, also all your drinks and desserts are included in the extremely low price of 21.50 euros. A bottle or two of champagne may have been consumed as well.
- What is your impression about the Holland Cup?
My impression of the Holland Cup is that I will continue to take my students to compete there for the following reasons. Organisers are brilliant and leave nothing to chance. Good level of competitors. Competition runs well and all the divisions and categories are easily displayed so no problems occur with kids not knowing which area to compete in. Cost of the competition and accommodation is easily affordable.
Mr Piotr Capaja, the coach of the ETA, would like to thank all competitors who participated in the Holland Cup, especially a male team for gold in team sparring. He would also like to thank Miss Julia Cross. Although Miss Cross came with her students from Scotland she also helped with coaching ETA’s competitors during the tournament.
The success of not only this but also any other competition and its professionalism are contingent upon both conspicuous matters and minute details. Organiser of the 3rd Holland Cup deserves sincere words of praise for the preparation and running of this very successful professional tournament. I would like to mention and put together things which decided about and contributed to its great success:
- The Weight In Procedure divided into two days (on Saturday in the hotel for the competitors who came earlier and on Sunday morning for the rest of the contestants)
- Good circulation of information and clear rules
- ID Cards with the particular details: competitor’s name, club name, date of birth, gender, sparring and pattern category, ring’s number
- Up-to-date information of the category and ring number displayed on a huge screen visible also for the supporters in the grandstand
- A high number of referees and volunteers who really knew their job
- An awarding ceremony straight away after every category was completed
- Nice and stylish area prepared for the guests and VIPs
- Excellent refreshments for the referees, guests, VIPs, coaches, and volunteers served very often and always when needed
- Designated area to gather competitors for every next category, and then directing contestants to the right square by volunteers
- Stand with merchandise for the Holland Cup
- Nicely put decorations inside and outside of the venue
- Tournament’s program outlined in the form of booklets
- Cakes with Holland Cup logo
- Flowers for referees as a sincere thanks for all day’s hard work
- Well-run website and fan page on facebook
I would like to introduce the Organising Committee, Head of the Referees, and various volunteers of the Holland Cup:
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Tim Kool (IV Degree)
Tim Kool has been practising Taekwon-Do for 20 years, and is the owner of Sportschool Tim Kool. Tim has the main responsibility for governing and handling all the decisions taken by the Committee after careful consideration and deliberation.
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Corine Kool (II Degree)
Corine has been practising taekwon-do for 11 years, and is Tim’s sister. Corine has a natural talent for organisation, and therefore her main task within the Committee is administration. She also governs all contacts with competing clubs and countries.
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Rory de Vries (IV Degree)
Rory has been practising Taekwon-Do for 11 years as well. He has a lot of experience going to international tournaments and his main task is to give his experienced opinion on the organisation of the tournament. Next to this he is responsible for graphical design and translation of all correspondence.
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Lydia Post (I Degree)
Lydia has been practising Taekwon-Do for 10 years. Initially, she was the driving force behind the idea to organise an own tournament. Lydia is an experienced taekwon-do practitioner, but has also experience with decorating. These things together make her a valuable member of the committee.
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The organisation committee of the Holland Cup consists of four main people mentioned above. However, besides these four persons are a great many volunteers from Sportschool Tim Kool who play a very important role. They are
Diana Traub and Gerard v/d Wijngaart
These two volunteers, Diana and Gerard, are the main contacts for sponsors of the Holland Cup.
Diana Wildschut
Diana is the treasurer of Sportschool Tim Kool, but also the main responsible person for the financial welfare of the Holland Cup. Even though the main focus of this tournament is taekwon-do, we would not have organise this event without apt handling of the finances.
Cleem Kool
Cleem is Tim and Corine’s father. He does the actual purchase and collection of most items necessary for the Holland Cup. Cleem is also very skilful and creates most of the Holland Cup décor. Of course there are many more volunteers without the assistance of whom the tournament wouldn’t have been be as good as it was. They worked very hard, knew their tasks very well, showed unflinching commitment and always delivered with a smile.
Head Referee - Patrick den Hoed (IV Degree)
Patrick started his Taekwon-Do career in January 1996 at the age of 10 at Taekwon-Do club OH DO KWAN in Capelle a/d IJssel. Now Patrick is 26 years old which makes him the youngest International Instructor of I.T.F. Netherlands. Besides still furthering his skills, Patrick has also been teaching Taekwon-Do for about 9 years. He has also participated in multiple international seminars and is part of the Dutch National Team.
In 2001 Patrick completed his first umpire course and later on the same year he acted as an umpire at a tournament for the first time. At present, he is an international A-license holder, which makes him the youngest international license holder within I.T.F. Netherlands. In 2007 he accepted Sabumnim Harry van Schaik’s (V Dan, KiSport) invitation to become a member of the national Tournament & Umpire Committee. Since then he has already educated more than 200 umpires and directed 4 Dutch National Championships in this capacity. Currently he is chairman of this Committee, which he runs together with Boosabumnim Corine Kool (II Dan, Sportschool Tim Kool) and Sabumnim Henny van Zon (VI Dan, Difesa – Willy v/d Mortel).
Patrick has been involved with the Holland Cup since its first edition in 2010. As a Head of the Umpires, he has been responsible for all rules, procedures, and affairs related to umpiring.
I had a great pleasure to conduct a short interview with Mr Tim Kool, Head of the Organising Committee.
Head of the Organising Committee
- This is the third Holland Cup. Is it now easier to organise this competition? What differences can you see between your first time and the competition this year?
It is getting easier to organise the Holland Cup every year. The first year everything was new and we had to find out everything by ourselves. This year we have some more routine. The only thing is that we like to do new things to give the tournament more professional appearance (laminated competitor cards with lanyards and a projector for extra information) every year, so we still have challenges. The difference between the first Holland Cup and this one is huge. The most important differences are: the number of competitors, adding team sparring and team patterns, better services for our (foreign) guests, more promotion, more decoration of the hall and in the neighbourhood, a website www.hollandcup.net, and a raised centre ring.
- Did you have any problems this year?
We didn’t really have any problems. There were things that could go better, but I wouldn’t call them problems.
- What would you like (if anything) to improve for the 4th Holland Cup?
One of my goals it to make the Holland Cup a two day event. If we do this, we would be able to expand patterns to an optional and designated pattern, and sparring matches to two rounds. This is especially important for foreign competitors, because they travell a long way and want to compete as long as possible even when they lose the first round. It is difficult, because in the Netherlands there are no Taekwon-Do tournaments that last multiple days. We need to figure out how we get the Dutch referees, coaches and competitors to the Holland Cup for two days. It’s a good challenge for us. Furthermore, we would like to use the projector more efficient and in multiple ways. This way the competition can run even smoother with more entertainment. Finally, we would like to organise an after party or something like that. And we have some other plans, but you’ll have to wait until the next year to see them.
- In three months time (4-7 October) we have the World Cup in Brighton. Do you think this competition is a good preparation for this great tournament?
We feel the Holland Cup is an excellent preparation for the World Cup. Every tournament is a good preparation to get more routine and meet different opponents. Here, especially the categories at higher levels are big, with many competitors, giving everybody a chance to spar or perform patterns for multiple rounds.
- How do you consider the sport level at the Holland Cup?
The sport level is very high! Because it’s an open tournament you can see winners of World and European championships from different associations compete against each other. Normally this wouldn’t be possible. This way the competitors can learn a lot from each other.
- Did you have special guests?
We had a lot of special guests. Within taekown-do, of course you were one of them. Furthermore, we were happy to Mrs. Julia Cross, Master Thomas Denis, Master James Tjin-A-Ton, Master Willy Van de Mortel and Master Wijnand Tapilatu attending our competition. Furthermore, all of our sponsors, Dutch television and newspaper reporters stopped by and the sports councillor of Pijnacker.
- In the Netherlands you have several Taekwon-Do organisations. Is the Holland Cup well known in your country among the other organisations?
The Holland Cup is well known with other organisations. The Netherlands is a quite small country and because of that most competitions we have are open for all other ITF associations. These were all present and we got a lot of compliments from them as well. So it’s safe to say that the Holland Cup is well known with them too.
- How did you promote the 3rd Holland Cup? We have not only great number of the competitors but also numerous spectators all day in the grandstand!
Luckily, I don’t have to do everything by myself. Other people from my gym help me with the promotion and finding sponsors. For this edition we announced the Holland Cup in newspapers, radio, and put up some Holland Cup flags along the route. We’re trying to get Taekwon-Do some familiar in the Netherlands. Today, local television was present, so we are hoping to gain a little bit more familiarity this way as well.
- Did you receive a support from sponsors?
Like I said: luckily I don’t have to do everything myself. Diana Stacy and Gerard van de Wijngaart are representatives for sponsors of the Holland Cup. They convince companies to sponsor the Holland Cup and Taekwon-Do as a sport. We had a lot of different sponsors from hardware stores to food chains to entertainment companies to garbage disposal services. Without them we couldn’t achieve our goals this fast.
The following companies sponsored the Holland Cup: Cognitus Consulting, Restaurant La Mama, Autorijschool Mimi, Autobedrijf Nootenboom, Expert Pijnacker, Hubo Delft, Restaurant Yosshi, Karwei Delfgauw, Bram Ladage, Vitamine store, Trigion Beveiliging, Berry Langedak, Van der Leeuw Optiek, Volta Schoonmaak, Pizza Dennis, Harders Architecten, Atlantic Pizza, Funny’s Feestartikelenhuis, Consolid, Midnight Star, Het Viswinkeltje Pijnacker, Lansbergen Gerbera, New York Pizza, Toerkoop vd Werf reisbureau Delft, Toutlemonde Restaurant, AutorijschoolLlicence 4you, Van Meurs Installatie, Van Koppen&Eick, Restaurant Matties, Royal Security Service, Keba Projectservice, Intratuin, Albert Heijn – Delfgauw, TrueSound, Hema Delft, Bakkerij van Maanen, Squaremelon, Unilever, Grolsch, Energie Box, Milieu Express.
- Your students competed in this competition. Did you win some trophies for your club?
I think we performed quite good. A lot of prizes, and our senior male team won bronze in sparring. Considering we lost to Master Denis’ team from the ETA, who won first place in the end, we did pretty well. Unfortunately I haven’t seen my students compete that much today. Most of the times I was busy with other things.
- There are two more good tournaments in Holland (‘Battle of Utrecht’ and ‘Open Dutch’) as well as some great tournaments in other European countries. It is nice for the competitors that they have a wide range of good international competitions to take part in. What would you tell about the Holland Cup to promote it and encourage the competitors to take part in this tournament next year? (what is special about the Holland Cup?)
We always say that the Holland Cup is a tournament organised by the competitors for the competitors. The organisers are all national and ex-national Dutch team members. We know what we do very well, and in what way we need to please competitors. Another thing is that we ask Masters, coaches, and some experienced competitors for their opinion and comments on the tournament. These opinions and comments are taken very seriously and are taken into our evaluation. Our goal isn’t to make as much money with this tournament as we can. Our goal is to make our tournament world famous and to make sure that everybody can compete in the sport they like the most. Doesn’t matter who you are, where you’re from or which association you are. We all love Taekwon-Do...
- Is there something else you would like to add?
Most importantly, thank you for your presence. We really appreciate it. Furthermore, I would like to thank all the Masters, instructors, coaches, and competitors for being at the Holland Cup. Last but not least I would like to thank the referees and our volunteers. Without them there would be no Holland Cup at all. Photo’s will be posted onto www.hollandcup.net within the next 3 weeks. See you in 2013!
I also asked Mrs Annick van Driessche, the President of ITF Belgium and very famous umpire about her opinion of the Holland Cup. Please, find her kind response below.
- You are well known and highly respected referee who take part in all most important Taekwon-Do tournaments around the world. I would like to ask you, as an expert and very experienced umpire, about your opinion of the level of refereeing at the Holland Cup?
I was quite busy during the championship, so I did only notice the level on a few rings, but in these rings there wasn't any problem with decisions taken by the umpires. I could agree with all decisions, both in patterns and in sparring, and in the rings my students had to compete in, there was not a single injury, which is always a good sign. I heard on some rings the contact was a bit hard, but this was not the case in the divisions I followed. So also these centre referees did very well. The start of the competition was a bit slow, but once everyone knew what to do, things went smoothly.
- How do you consider the level of the organisation?
The organisation was very well, and the competitors liked some of the details, e.g. the ID-cards and the podium. There were a lot of volunteers, all of them knew what to do and when to do it, for the organizers it must be a relief to be able to rely on such persons. Although there were appr. 500 competitors, the atmosphere was never too busy around the rings, and the time schedule was OK. It's the second time I was present at the Holland Cup, in my opinion it's one of the best organized championships in the neighbourhood.
- You took part in this competition as a coach. Did you enjoy the tournament coaching your students all day? How does it feel to be on this place/side at the competition? Which role is closest to you and you feel more comfortable with – coaching or refereeing?
It's great being a coach from time to time. Some championships in The Netherlands are my only opportunity to be a coach, as in Belgium I need to be an umpire and/or an organizer and also on big tournaments people expect me to be a referee. But it's great to see my students perform, as I teach them the whole time, and for sure the children sometimes ask me to coach them during their competition. So I'm happy some of my other students also like umpiring, and they're willing to travel along to championships, so I can be amongst the students. If you ask me which role is closest to me, the role of umpire or the one as coach, and which role I like most, I have to admit I like being an umpire a bit more however.....training, teaching and umpiring, then coaching.
- How did your students perform at the Holland Cup?
Due to school exams and a busy calendar, only few of my students could participate at the Holland Cup. This time only 8 students participated, all of them coloured belts, most of them youth members. Most of them didn't have any experience, it was their first or second championship, the first one abroad. So I didn't expect a lot, I wanted them to gain experience and to enjoy themselves. They did quite well, with 2 silver medals and a 4th place. I was extremely happy with their good spirit, inside and outside the ring, and the fact they used the techniques they learned during classes.
We have been overwhelmed by the positive response we received after the Holland Cup. The organizers can be proud of the results of the hard and professional work they have done. They absolutely did their best to make the 3rd edition of the Holland Cup totally successful in a very friendly and welcoming atmosphere. The organisers should be assured that most of this year participants will definitely come back next year. I would like to truly recommend this great competition for everyone to attend its 4th edition in 2013.
The results available here (MS xlsx, 25 kB).
