“I’ve completely lost my joy in hockey.”

A year ago, Jip Blaas was still playing for the Dutch Juniors and was getting the necessary playing minutes for HDM. However, the Alvin native chose to switch to Little Switzerland, which was relegated to the promotion bracket. “The reluctance to play hockey is getting bigger and bigger.”

After summer break last year, the misery began for Blass. While she had always looked forward to training, she felt hesitant. She couldn’t explain it herself. Until then, hockey had always been her passion and life.

Blass (21): “From an early age I used to get nervous when I played hockey. Both for competitions and for training. This was a constant feeling.” Excitement. But now that has turned into an unpleasant kind of stress. It took me a lot of energy to drag myself to the club and training sessions for the Dutch junior team.

The frequency only increased

Blaas quickly made a decision. She quit Dutch Juniors at the beginning of October to see if it would make a difference in her state of mind. “At that moment, playing so much hockey was too much. But the hoped-for effect was not achieved. In fact, the hesitation increased.

Meanwhile, Blas is still getting plenty of playing time as a defender in HDM. This was not the problem. The team was nice too. I also lived with two of my teammates, Ben van der Heide and Amy van Es. very comfortable. However, my enjoyment of hockey is completely gone.

Jeb Plus in an HDM vs. HGC match in September 2022. Photo: Bart Scjölderman

Blass hired a sports psychologist, hoping with this help she could turn things around. Without avail. “I didn’t just want to give up, but I think I was already stuck. It was difficult. Specifically because I couldn’t put my finger on the painful area. I talked about it with my housemates, family and other friends, but it didn’t change anything either.” .

An early end to HDM

When she broke her knuckles for the first time after winter break and was still disgusted when she returned, Blass made a decision. In April she ended her season at HDM prematurely. I couldn’t take it anymore. I was still watching the games, but other than that I had completely distanced myself from my team. It was a difficult decision, but it was a relief.

Leading up to the 2023-2024 competition year, Blass had doubts about her future in hockey.

Blas: “Somewhere I couldn’t live with the idea that this was the end of my time as a hockey player. I always thought it was a great sport. I decided to give it another chance and trained with Kartouche, Viktoria and Little Switzerland, which had already been relegated. At KZ, I immediately felt “A click with the other players they trained with. It appealed to me that almost the entire squad and staff were new. I could also see myself playing in Victoria, but the travel distance was the deciding factor. Now I’ll be cycling to the club in five minutes.”

The promotion category, in which Little Switzerland competes, has completed six matches. KZ currently ranks last with four points (four draws). Blass: To be honest, it doesn’t surprise me. Everything shows that we are a team in the development stage. We literally still have to find each other on the field. The process of becoming a team takes time. We have to get beyond that. However, I am convinced that we will not finish the season in last place.

Suddenly routine

The role of Blow is different from that of HDM. Where she played in the defensive line at her previous club, she now plays in midfield. She is also, despite being 21, a routine. Only captain Micky Gaberinga and goalkeeper Anna-Louise Nijdam also have significant league experience in KZ’s squad.

Meike Tjaberinga is one of the few players remaining in Little Switzerland after last season’s relegation. Photo: Willem Vernis

“This takes some getting used to, especially since I’m still very young. I feel much more responsible and I speak more loudly than HDM. This is not something that our coach imposes on me. It just happens. And although this role is new and unfamiliar, I also find it Challenging in a fun way.

The main question, of course, is whether Blass enjoys the game again. ‘Yes, I got it all back. Especially since we have already started preparing for the competition, I look forward to every training session. I prefer to train every day. I don’t know how you made this cover, but it doesn’t matter anymore. I feel at home in KZ.

Have her orange ambitions returned? Plas: ‘When I stopped with the Dutch youth team, it was a relief. I don’t feel like thinking about Orange again yet. For now I will focus entirely on KZ. Of course getting back to the big league would be great. But with little Switzerland.”