My Past, Present & Future...
My Family
On the 28th of November 1983 I was born in Leidschendam, in Holland. When I was five years old our family moved to Nieuwe Tonge on Goeree-Overflakkee, which is a small island of the province South-Holland. There are a lot of small towns over there, including one you might know: Middelharnis, which is the town where Miss Olympia Juliette Bergmann lives. Actually the reason of us moving to Goeree-Overflakkee was that my father was the chief editor of the Ironman Magazine, which was owned by Juliette and her husband.
At that time our family consisted of 6 people: my parents, my younger brother Falko and my two younger sisters, Xena and Arenda, who are twins… but shortly after our move my youngest sister Rowena was born. That’s what you can call a crowded household! I also have a half sister, Zillah, who is ten years older than me. She’s the daughter of my father and his former wife. On the pictures below you can see my parents, and also from the left to the right: Falko, Xena, Arenda and Rowena.
All of us have always been quite involved in sports. Falko and Xena have practiced judo for quite a long time, just as myself. Here you can see how Xena became 3th at the Junior European Championships. At this moment Falko practices windsurfing and Xena plays tennis. Arenda is a talented soccer player and Rowena likes horse riding. Zillah used to do gymnastics when she was a teenager. Since last year she started taking boxing lessons.
At tis moment my parents still live in Niewe Tonge. I myself have been living in Rotterdam for quite a while now. When I visit my parents I sometime go to the gym in Middelharnis to train together with Juliette Bermann.
My Childhood
Judo
From the age of seven until the age of eighteen I have been practicing judo. I competed at national and international level, which I did pretty well. During that period I already did some weightlifting in order to gain more strength in order to enhance my judo performance. At the age of fifteen I passed the exam for my black belt.
Japan
Almost two years later I passed another exam: the exam for the so-called “Kodokan dan”, which can only be obtained at the Kodokan in Tokyo, Japan. The Kodokan is the judo facility that is looked upon as the “Mecca” for all judo competitors. The reason that I have been able to do that exam and even be a member of the Kodokan, is that I have lived in Tokyo as an exchange student. I stayed at the home of a host family during one year. I went to a Japanese high school were I was the only foreign student. During that year I learned to speak and partly write the Japanese language. After my return to Holland I got interviewed by a reporter of a Dutch newspaper. On the left you’ll see the article that was published in the “Rotterdams Dagblad”.
Econometrics and Operations Research
Some time after my return to Holland, in the year 2002, I passed the highest level of Dutch high school (this level is called VWO). After summer I started my studies of Econometrics and operations research at the Erasmus University of Rotterdam. Econometrics and operations research is a study of economic problems which are approached as mathematical problems. Mathematics plays a major role of importance in my studies. Also statistics, computer knowledge and of course economics also play a role. At the photos below you can see me at the graduation day of my first year of my studies. On the photo on the right you can see me together with my grandparents. Unfortunately my grandfather passed away recently. At this moment I’m in the final stage of my studies. Now, during my Master, I’m specialising myself in logistical econometrics.
Boxing
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Like I mentioned before, I've been doing judo for quite a while, but at the time I started my studies at the Erasmus University I switched to doing boxing. I wanted to compete in boxing as well, so I did my first competition in 2003, which I won. I become the Dutch champion of Southern Holland. In 2004 I even won the national title in the category under 63 kilograms, shortly after which I got selected for the Dutch women boxing team. |
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Fitness
At the beginning of 2005 I decided I wanted to switch sports again: I started training specifically for fitness competitions. I’ve been wanting to do that for quite a while. My interest in this sport started in my teenage years, because now and then my father took me along to bodybuilding competitions where my father was a judge. Seeing the girls on stage made me wonder if I would also be able to get in that kind of shape, since I had been involved in sports and weightlifting from a relatively young age.
My first competition was a great success for me: At the end of 2005 I became the Dutch National overall champion of the natural federation, called the “YBF”. Two weeks later I competed at two other competitions: one in Brussels (Belgium) and another one in Holland again. At the international competition in Belgium I became fourth and in Holland I became second. It was a great experience for me, these first competitions!
After these competitions in 2005, my next goal was to compete in the IFBB National Championships. In 2006 I took a whole year off from competitions, so that I could train the whole year to further improve my physique. In 2007 I qualified for the Dutch Nationals in Middelburg, four weeks before the National Championships. I came in 3rd at that competition, because I wasn't in real good shape at that moment. During the following four-week-period I managed to improve my physique tremendously. Pictures of my progress can be found at the top of this gallery. On the 29th of April I made my debut at the Dutch IFBB National Championships... and I won! I was selected for the European championships four weeks later. Before that I also competed in Belgium at the international IFBB Body Zoi Championships. In a tough field of some twelve women I came in second. Two weeks later I had a terrific experience at the European Championships in Servia. Unfortunatally I didn't make the finals. However this experience motivated me even more to train harder and further improve my physique!
Bye bye!
