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Related Reading: "Why are you coaching in Belgium, Renee?" ... I've been asked this a lot in the last few months. So here's my answer: It all started with an email from Gonda Verbruggen in 2004 asking if her son, Ferre Spruyt, could come and train with Team Florida during a break from school.
When he returned home he incorporated the Team Florida training methods and drills into his own practices. He returned the following year and continued developing both his indoor and outdoor skills. Dutch Invitation Ferre's mom, Gonda, was apparently pleased with his progress because she soon asked me to come to Belgium to coach a developmental and national team clinic. (Gonda is the secretary-general of the Belgian skating federation.) I taught my first clinic in Belgium in February 2006 and fell in love with the kids. They were very attentive and determined to perform the drills perfectly. Their eagerness to learn and practice technique impressed and inspired me. Although there was a language barrier, we were able to communicate with some translation and lots of demonstration. I brought some of my Team Florida skaters to the clinic as demonstrators. They also competed in an annual International Indoor Meet in Evergem. (The Team Florida skaters stayed with speed skating families in Belgium and the hospitality was awesome. The skaters learned about the culture and even learned to speak a little Dutch.) In 2006, I made a decision to retire from indoor coaching and concentrate on developing skaters for international outdoor competition. While I feel training indoors is extremely important for developing technique, I think advanced skaters should focus on outdoor competition and use available finances to compete in international events. Job Offer I was invited back to Belgium in February 2007 to coach more clinics. During my stay, I was asked if I would be interested in being the national team trainer for Belgium.
I was flattered, but uncertain. Taking the position would mean being away from my family and job (as a physical therapist) and all summer. On the other hand, it would mean doing what I loved and spending time in Europe and South America! When I went back home, two Belgium skaters, Ferre and Bart Swings, returned with me to train indoors and take advantage of the warm weather for outdoor practice. When I saw how hard they worked and how much they wanted to win, I decided to give the national team coaching position some serious thought. I sent a proposal to the Belgium officials, and after a long political process, they chose me as their national team trainer. I arrived in Belgium on June 26th. I always love a challenge, but this was huge: taking on a country with fewer registered speed skaters than the state of Florida and producing world champions. I had a strong desire to improve the level of speed skating in Belgium, but I needed time and the cooperation of the clubs, skaters, parents and the federations (there are two roller skating federations in this small country!) Results I committed to coaching the Belgium National Team for three years. The first thing I had to do was select Junior and Senior European Teams and have them ready for the European Championships in July. At the Junior Europeans, Belgium finished second in the medal count with 7 gold, 4 silver and 7 bronze medals! The Senior Europeans would prove more of a challenge. Both Wouter Hebbrecht and Ferre Spruyt suffered injuries and were unable to finish the competition, and Belgium managed only 1 silver and 2 bronze medals. My next task was to select the Belgium Team for the World Championships later this month in Colombia. We finished the selection profess this week. Goals Our goal, of course, is to win medals at Worlds. With our senior men back in action and our juniors still training hard, we will be prepared for the challenge! Revitalizing the Belgium team means changing the way things have been done for years. Toward this end, I have proposed a less subjective selection process for choosing skaters for the Europeans and World Championships. I favor creating an actual trial or using the results of the National Championships. In order to achieve the goal of developing younger skaters throughout Belgium, I will be traveling to various clubs around the country and will be teaching clinics for the skaters and coaches. During the winter season, I will provide training programs via email for the National Team, which is made up of the top 35-40 skaters age 12 and up. I also plan to spend six months training the team in Belgium next year. There are several skaters who plan to come to Florida to train for a couple of weeks in the winter when skating outdoor in Belgium is impossible. Since the 2008 and 2009 World Championships will be in Europe, making travel less expensive, I expect to be able to take more skaters, which will give them more experience in top level competition. Rewards So do I like coaching in Belgium? ... Yes! I feel appreciated for my efforts and knowledge. I enjoy the respect of the skaters. I feel that their goals are more "in line" with mine: international racing and inclusion in the Olympic Games. I like the advantage of coaching in such a country (about the size of Maryland). It allows me to train the whole national team together and travel to all the outlying clubs, as well. But the best thing is simply the skaters. They are well-behaved, disciplined and a pleasure to coach, and I'm excited about watching them become world champions over the next few years! I am proud to announce the 2007 Belgium World Team: Senior Men:
Junior Boys:
Junior Girl:
Renee Hildebrand is one of the world's top inline speed coaches. Among the skaters she has trained are Joey Mantia and Brittany Bowe, who together won seven gold medals at last year's World Speed Skating Championships. A protege of the legendary Virgil Dooley, Hildebrand was the coach of Team Florida from 1988 to 2006. Related Reading: • Racing News
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