Tessa Lap and Mart Vrielink trained with TeamNL: "It gets rough out there"
Tessa Lap and Mart Vrielink of DOS '46 were allowed to train with TeamNL at Papendal in recent weeks. For both of them it was a big step. "The resistance at a TeamNL training session is mega high", says Lap.
Automatically translated from Dutch. Read the Dutch original.
Lap is 25 and is playing her seventh season at DOS '46 in Nijeveen. Vrielink is starting his thirteenth season at the club. Both received a phone call from national coach Ard Korporaal: players were injured in both the women's and the men's squads, and TeamNL wanted to have as much opposition as possible in the preparation for the European Championship.
Lap did not have to think long. After a brief consultation with her work she said yes. Vrielink also arranged it with his work. "I made it clear that I thought it was really cool to train with them."
Acting faster
According to both, the biggest difference from the club lies in the resistance. "It gets rough at TeamNL", says Lap. "You could tell that the team was preparing for the European Championship and that everyone was fighting for a starting spot." Vrielink: "You get more pressure on passing, on shots, more physical strength in duels and the rebound."
Read more: Korfbal League schedule announced: champion DVO opens at home against DOS '46
Lap noticed something else. "The statistics are kept live during every training session. At the club we do have that at matches, but not during training."
What they learned comes down to the same thing. "I think that, mainly through the resistance of the other girls, I learned to act and make choices faster", says Lap. Vrielink: "Reacting faster, going into the tougher duel. If that happens more often, it becomes automatic."
Choosing the League
For Vrielink, the training stint lasted shorter than he had hoped. He has a considerable history of injuries, and after the second training session he noticed that the intensity was too high. After two weeks he stopped. "I thought it was really great to train with them, but I'm choosing for myself."
His focus is on the Korfbal League. "My dream is to compete at the highest level in the Netherlands for a few more years." According to him, TeamNL is now a side issue, even though he played in all the youth teams. "Should I be fit and TeamNL turns out to fit within that, then of course I would find that really cool."
A full Ahoy
Both of them dream of a full Ahoy, with DOS '46. "Whether that is realistic, we will find out in the coming years", says Lap. Until last year she had no ambition towards TeamNL. "But now that I'm allowed to train with them, it would seem really cool to me to be part of it." First, she is focusing on the indoor season with the club.
Vrielink is realistic about DOS '46's chances. "The top four may still be a step too far. But I personally would do everything for it, and I think my teammates and the whole club would too."
DOS '46 starts the Korfbal League on Friday 6 November away at champion DVO.