Dutch gymnasts practice for Olympics on Long Island

[divingbrit]

Ayla Wilbrink teetered on one leg on the 4-inch-wide balance beam, her arms outstretched. Sensing the inevitable, she steeled herself for the 41/2-foot drop to the mat.

As she rose, the tiny girl looked to her coach Elke Engbers for guidance. Wilbrink's cheeks flushed pink. Tears welled in the corners of her eyes, but none fell. The 13-year-old Dutch gymnast pulled herself back onto the beam and continued her routine, intent on performing every turn and jump.

"Even though American gymnasts practice less hours than we do, their mentality is different," Wilbrink said, using her coach as an interpreter. "If they fall on their face, they get up and do it again. And Dutch girls have problems with that." That is the main reason Engbers traveled from the Netherlands with six of her gymnasts, ages 11 to 13, to the New Image Gymnastics Academy in Edgewood. She knew training in an unfamiliar environment would instill mental toughness in her girls, all of whom are top gymnasts for their age group in the Netherlands, and 2012 London Olympic hopefuls.

And this past Saturday afternoon -- stronger and tougher, thanks to two weeks of training with their American counterparts -- they boarded a plane heading back home.

Unlike in the United States, where athletes are praised for striving to excel, Engbers said, top young athletes in the Netherlands are considered "show-offs."

"In Holland, it's like, 'Well, if you do average, it's OK,' " she said. "Life is easy in Holland. The government pays for school and health insurance."

And that easygoing lifestyle can impede athletes' progress if they're not careful, she said.

"We have as much talent in Holland as over here," said the coach, whose gymnasts usually train 32 hours a week, compared with the New Image Gymnastics' girls who train 16 hours a week. "But it's all about the way you handle it."

Nine months ago, Engbers contacted Charlie Amerosa, a team coach at New Image Gymnastics, who is friendly with one of her gymnasts' families, and said she wanted to arrange a visit. After arriving April 26, the girls stayed with host families whose children also train at the facility.

The Dutch gymnasts practiced in the mornings while the American girls were at school; in the evenings, the groups shared the gym while training.

Their parents paid for the airfare and Amerosa collected donations from the American parents to pay for cultural activities and a limousine to pick up the girls from the airport.

Each girl kept a daily online journal, documenting their training experiences and sightseeing adventures for friends and relatives.

"The view from the Empire State Building was great," Nikki Olivje, 13, said through her coach, smiling and craning her neck skyward. "I couldn't imagine we were going right up there."

The Dutch gymnasts aren't the only ones who benefitted from the experience. Amerosa said he's seen an improvement in the focus and dedication of his gymnasts, who range in age from 6 to 17.

"They want to be like those girls," he said of his gymnasts. "My goal was to have our team learn from them -- to watch how Olympic hopefuls behave. And if they just leave a little bit of their work ethic with us, it will be a blessing."

newsday.com