Dutch canal-leaping pole vaulters aim for the sky
"This is really a typically Dutch sport," De Groot, holder since 2017 of the long jump record at 22.21 metres (73 feet), told AFP.
"I think because in the rest of the world there are not so many canals and also maybe the people are not so crazy."
The sport involves competitors sprinting toward the water and launching themselves into the air on a 12-metre carbon pole -- roughly the height of a four-storey building.
But the vault is only half the challenge. Mid-flight, competitors must climb the pole, tilt it forward, and aim to land as far as possible on a sandbank.
If the timing is off, they plunge straight into the water.
"It's just extreme and crazy and addictive," said the farmer, who trains year-round and has introduced his children to the sport.
The sport traces its roots to farm life, when Dutch farmers used wooden poles to cross their fields, vaulting over their canals and ditches.
Over time, it evolved from a daily task into a folk challenge, and then into a formal sport. The earliest known competitions date back to around 1767.
Local legend has it that in 1575, during the Dutch revolt against Spanish rule, one man hid a secret message in his pole before slipping through enemy lines.
The shift to a sport reportedly happened in a bar, according to Eelco Tigchelaar, spokesperson for the local fierljeppen association in Lopik, central Netherlands, where an annual Friesland–Holland grudge match is held.
"Farmers' sons got together, drank a little and said, 'I can jump a canal of two meters'. 'Oh, I can jump three meters'."
"And the barman said, 'oh, maybe there's money to be made. I'll make a canal of five meters and they'll have to jump'."
Today, fierljeppen -- "long jump" in Frisian -- is a recognised sport with its own regulations, practised mostly by men, though a small number of women have also made their mark.
"With a lot of women, once they go to study or they have kids, they quit," said Tessa Kramer, who is part of the Holland team.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
France 24
16 hours ago
- France 24
UEFA Euro 2025 highlights attention given to women's football
As the UEFA Women's Euro 2025 breaks attendance records in Switzerland, FRANCE 24's Perspective programme discusses a boost in support for the women's league and how it's covered in the media. A French broadcaster that was supposed to show a group stage match between France and the Netherlands on Sunday night decided to show the men's FIFA Club World Cup final between Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea instead. For retired French footballer Laura Georges, the decision was disappointing. "As the main broadcaster, you have to support your team," she says. Women's football "has been evolving", Georges adds, though it still needs "more sponsors" and "leaders who believe in the game".
France 24
2 days ago
- France 24
Sweden's Soft Hooligans push better vibes at Women's Euros
The idea for the Soft Hooligans came about in 2017 when Kajsa Aronsson, 61, and her daughter Estrid Kjellman, 29, attended the Women's Euros in the Netherlands. "It was just so incredibly dead. We shouted sometimes, we cheered, and people looked at us as if we were completely crazy," Kjellman told AFP. "We joked that we were hooligans. And then we were like: 'But we're not like other hooligans, we're soft hooligans'," she added with a big smile. The young woman then created a Facebook group to spread their message. "In the beginning, there was no defined cheering section," Aronsson explained. "We had to build everything from scratch and get people to want to stand in the stands. Early on, it wasn't even that much fun to attend the games. You were on your own," Kjellman said. Eight years later, with the Women's Euros now underway in Switzerland, the atmosphere has changed significantly, the two women noted, sitting in front of a ski lift in an alpine landscape wearing caps with the slogans "More Women in Football" and "Soft Hooligans". "There are many more Swedes here. I think there's a big difference with the other teams too," said Kjellman. "In England, there were several matches where the opposing team basically had no supporters. Now I think most teams have some kind of organised supporter group," she added. A change they welcome enthusiastically. "We definitely cheer for Sweden the most. But then you support women's football and want there to be more atmosphere, better football, better conditions," said Kjellman. "The culture in the stands is also a big part of making it more and more interesting to go to women's football matches." Political message The Soft Hooligans stick to some core values: "Everyone should feel welcome," Kjellman stressed, underlining the inclusive and LGBTQ-friendly nature of the group. "There are many families and children in the stands," Aronsson explained. Their movement is not, however, without its detractors. "We receive mocking comments about our name," Kjellman said. "But we choose not to focus on that," her mother added. Kjellman lamented the ever-present political aspect of women's football. "Women's football is still very marginalised. In Sweden, we've come a long way. But there's still a long way to go," she said. "In other parts of the world, girls don't have the opportunity to play football at all." The two women are optimistic about younger generations. "Women's football is much more accepted today. Now we have children who have (Spanish double Ballon d'Or winner Aitana) Bonmati as their favourite football player," Kjellman noted. For the more immediate future, the Soft Hooligans are hoping for a Swedish victory in this year's Euros. In the stands, their massive banner proclaims "41 Years Since Last Time" on one side and "Bringing the Gold Home" on the other, referring to Sweden's triumph at the inaugural Women's Euros in 1984. They are through to the quarter-finals in Switzerland after a completing a perfect group stage campaign with a 4-1 win over Germany on Saturday. "I have never, as a national coach, experienced the kind of support we had," said Sweden coach Peter Gerhardsson. "There was a whole section that was completely yellow with a little bit of blue, and we had people above our bench, so we were enclosed in a cool way." Sweden will stay in Zurich for their quarter-final against reigning champions England. "It feels great that we are playing here again on Thursday, almost like home advantage," said Gerhardsson.
France 24
3 days ago
- France 24
Chelsea stun PSG to win first edition of expanded Club World Cup
In the Women's Euro, France secured a last eight spot with a 5-2 win over the Netherlands. France will face Germany in the quarter-finals, while England will take on Sweden. In tennis, Jannik Sinner got his revenge over Carlos Alcaraz by winning Wimbledon for the first time. In the Tour de France, Tim Merlier won Stage 9 despite Mathieu van der Poel's heroic breakaway, as he was caught by the peloton 700 meters from the finish.
