December 2008 / January 2009 - Association of Dutch Businessmen

Singapore
Taken after the victory of the Dutch hockey men at the ZOAT.
Hockey ladies victory after the
ZOAT event.
I am curious about the ladies… Geertje?
“Well… the ladies won as well! We played against
Hong Kong in a very exciting final. Though they
had a very strong team and we were under a lot
of pressure, we managed to keep the score after
30 minutes at 1 all. In the extra time it was all
about the golden goal, and after some nail biting
and exhausting minutes we scored!”
Rutger, you are the captain of the A-league
tennis team at the Hollandse Club. What is
that like?
“Being captain of the Hollandse Club A-league
team, I try to organize 6 players on both weekend
days to play three matches of doubles against
another club. This itself is quite challenging
with the team consisting of an international
group of expats with a lot of traveling involved.
Nevertheless we managed to pull of some excellent
performances this year finishing fifth out of ten
teams competing.
One more question for you Rutger. What
grand tournaments did you attend in
Holland & Asia?
“I have attended numerous tournaments throughout
the years including Davis Cup and the ABN-AMRO
tournament in Holland and some exhibition
matches in Hong Kong. I also visited the Clash of
Champions series in KL a few weeks ago which
was a match between old legends like Mc Enroe
and current top ATP players like Roger Federer.
Furthermore, I am representing the Tennis Summit
2009, an exhibition and Legends Tournament to be
held in Dubai in April 2009; www.tennis-open.net
as their Asian & Netherlands representative”.
Olaf and Geertje: was the party afterwards
the ZOAT comparable to the notorious
hockey parties in the Netherlands?
“Olaf: Absolutely comparable, but probably
even better. On Saturday evening we had a big
party at the beach on Sentosa Island. The setting
was beautiful and the band, flown in from The
Netherlands, knew how to get this crowd on
their feet. Strengthened by some drinks and a
professional DJ, this party lasted until the wee
hours of the morning”.
“Geertje: I think it was even better! I can’t
remember a hockey party in the Netherlands
where I was dancing barefoot on the beach!”
Rob: what is your handicap? I am an expert
in golf; is that good?
“My current handicap is 23,4 and I feel there is
still a lot room for improvement. Playing golf
is a real challenge as there is no one to blame
except myself when playing a bad game. It is not
always easy to play on a golf course in Singapore
as you have to be a member or to be invited by a
member. I did not want to become member of a
golf club as I do not like to play on the same golf
course every time. My Singaporean golf instructor
advised me to become member of the Society of
Singapore Golfers. This society has around 300
members (only 15% is non Singaporean). It is an
independent organization and not linked to any
particular golf course. Through this organization
I achieved my official handicap and it also gives
me the opportunity to play on most of the golf
courses in Singapore. The society is also organizing
a monthly golf event on different golf courses”.
Ard: what is your trainer’s vision regarding
the position on the football field and what
is yours?
“Our trainer has read a huge pile of football
literature, as a result of which we play a
sophisticated 3-2-3-1-1 system. When executed
flawlessly, this system is a guaranteed avenue to
victory. Reality is different and the system does
not only confuse the opponents, but often also
our own players. Nevertheless, we continue our
attempts to bring it to perfection, which is why
we also have a training evening every week on
Thursdays. Within this system I generally play the
position just behind the striker”.
Rutger playing
an invitational
tournament on grass
at the Padang;tennis
against the
Singaporean skyline.
13
Vol.18 • No. 10 • December 2008 / January 2009