Fanneke Alkemade
Fanneke Alkemade
Field Hockey Umpire – Pre Olympic Chat
Officials101
Fanneke Alkemade Field Hockey Umpire
A little chat before heading to the Olympics
Without Officials it is just a practice!
Fanneke Alkemade is an elite international field hockey umpire from the Netherlands. She has been selected to be an umpire in the Olympics next month in Rio de Janeiro. Many years of hard work and dedication are about to be rewarded with a trip to one of the greatest sports event on the planet.
Fanneke works in the in the pharmaceutical industry doing research and writing papers about drug safety. Currently she is promoting research into Parkinson’s disease as chairwoman of Stichting Alkemade-Keuls. She speaks Dutch, German and English. When she is not busy travelling the world umpiring, she volunteers as a mentor with new umpires working in their first games. It helps the newcomers to get comfortable and build confidence when they first get started.
A number of weeks ago, before I had the blog added to the website, I had the pleasure of a short conversation with Fanneke about the upcoming Olympics in Brazil.
This is Fanneke’s first visit to the Olympics. She has trained hard and travelled many miles to gain the experience and composure it takes to umpire in an event as big as this. Only the very best are even considered for the job and it is a very special appointment that will bring a lifetime of memories. She is “Feeling very excited but also very humble” for the honour of her appointment and the fulfillment of
one of her life dreams.
“Sometimes it still feels unreal that within a couple of months I am an Olympian and umpiring at the Olympic Games becomes a reality!” she told me. The feelings of excitement for the Olympic experience are just as real to the officials as they are to the athletes participating in the games. It is an opportunity of a lifetime that doesn’t come around very often.
This is “where passion, hard work, dedication and fun can lead to” is what Fanneke has to say to the umpires who are working so hard to make their Olympic dreams come true. It is only a few short weeks before Fanneke’s Olympic own dreams will be played out in Rio de Janeiro and she will have a lifetime of stories to share with those new umpires she is helping.
Thanks for reading!
Jim
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Fanneke Alkemade – Umpire Career Highlights
Bondsscheidsrechter KNHB
September 2006 – Present (9 years 11 months)
Neutral field hockey umpire. Started in the district Zuid-Holland. Since 2009 umpiring in the women national league (dames hoofdklasse). Since 2013 also umpiring in the men national league (heren hoofdklasse). This combined with the international tournaments mentioned [below].
International umpire indoor – currently Promising List
International Hockey Federation (FIH) January 2012 – Present (4 years 7 months)
International indoor hockey umpire since January 2012.
Experience so far, but not limited to:
– European Championships @ Leipzig
– European Championships @ Prague
– European Club tournaments
International field hockey umpire since January 2012.
Experience so far, but not limited to:
Upcoming:
August 2016: Olympic Games @ Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
2016 Hawke’s Bay Cup @ Hastings
New Zealand 2015 European Championships @ London
UK 2014 Champions Trophy @ Mendoza
Argentina 2014 Champions Challenge @ Glasgow
UK 2013 World League Finals @ Tucuman
Argentina 2013 Junior World Cup @ Monchengladbach
Germany 2012 Champions Challenge @ Dublin
Ireland 2012 European Championships U21 @ Den Bosch
NL Several European club tournaments
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Links to other articles used as background reading:
https://eurohockey.altiusrt.com/people/1798
EuroHockey Olympic Umpire announcement
FIH Olympic Umpire announcement
Photo Credits
Fanneke Alkemade
FHUmpires
KNHB
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