SynchroNice / Fourth Edition / 2019

SYNCHRO NICE Can you still remember your first time on the ice? Sure, I can. My parents took my sister and me skating during our first school holiday, somewhere in October. This is when I was 5 years old. It was my first time ever on the ice. After sort of skating for a while, I didn’t want to get off the ice anymore and fell totally in love with it and my mom realized that she couldn’t but start searching for a skating club where I could join. Did you start in Synchro immediately? No, as soon as my mother found Skating club ‘Kids on Ice’, she contacted them and asked if it was possible to let me skate with them, since the season had already started. I was able to join immediately, but first in the starters group, of course, to learn how to skate. The ice rink has been my second home ever since. But, it’s not like you had a relative as a role model? Nope, in fact I am the only one in my entire family who’s ever been a skater. Of course, over the years, let’s say between the age of 8 and 15, I went skating with my parents and little sister on natural ice several times. Mostly during winters when the temperature was so low that our lakes and rivers froze, and we were able to skate on them. And no, that was indeed not the best way to treat my skates and I probably wrecked a pair or so, but at that point I really didn’t care, as long as I could skate, I was happy. What are your skating goals? Hmmm, I don’t have a specific goal actually. Sure, I want to keep on and improve my skating as an individual and also as part of the team, in any way possible. I haven’t really thought much about my skating future. I just want to skate as long as possible and have a good time on the ice, preferably with my team. I would definitely like to stay a part of our skating club for a long time, maybe by teaching the new skaters, but I think it’s probably going to be a long time before I have to make any decision. We’re always curious how Synchro Skating on this level interferes with your social life? My skating life is actually my social life, haha. Only when I have a lot of time to spare, like in a vacation, I can catch up with my other friends. And there are times that school isn’t that time consuming that I also find time to spend with friends and family. Hi, I amMinke de Vaan, but my teammates just call me Mink. I was born on April 1st in 1999 so I’m 19 years old now. I was born in Jiangsu, China, but I was adopted and have been living in Eindhoven, The Netherlands, almost my whole life. And you have been skating since? I’ve been skating with “Kids on Ice” since I was 5 and this is already my 7th season skating in Team Illumination. Who’s your head coach? Angelique Visser is our head coach. Whenever we see Team Illumination compete somewhere there’s one face in particular that draws our attention. It’s the face of Minke de Vaan. Seldom will you find a face on the ice more relaxed, more shining. Here’s a Synchro skater who obviously enjoys every minute on the Ice. WHO IS MINKE? 21