Latest news with #DeGroot
Kuwait Times
09-07-2025
- Sport
- Kuwait Times
Canal-leaping pole vaulters aim for the sky
LOPIK: Smiling and relaxed, Dutch farmer Jacob de Groot grips a pole and walks to the water's edge — chasing a thrill he first felt aged 10, vaulting across a canal. Every summer, Dutch provinces from Friesland to Utrecht leap into 'fierljeppen' season — a uniquely Dutch sport combining pole-vaulting, long jump and, when misjudged, unplanned swimming. '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. 'I'm one of the oldest now ... But that's good, you're setting an example as well,' said the 31-year-old software developer. — AFP
France 24
08-07-2025
- Sport
- France 24
Dutch canal-leaping pole vaulters aim for the sky
Every summer, Dutch provinces from Friesland to Utrecht leap into "fierljeppen" season -- a uniquely Dutch sport combining pole-vaulting, long jump and, when misjudged, unplanned swimming. "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.
Yahoo
12-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Fairmont State University helps make the community ‘shine' with volunteer clean up event
FAIRMONT, (WBOY) — Out of love for its community, peers at Fairmont State University volunteered their time on Friday to help make the community shine. Students, faculty and staff at Fairmont State University (FSU) participated in the school's annual 'Falcons Make it Shine' event, which is a sector of the statewide 'West Virginia Make it Shine' event, where volunteers pick up trash and litter in the community. FSU's focus for the event was Locust Avenue, specifically between WVU Medicine Fairmont Medical Center, all the way to the West Side Market. WV Navigator offering help with insurance enrollment amid recent layoffs 12 News spoke with Stephanie DeGroot, FSU's director of planning and environmental stewardship and MS4 coordinator, on the importance of getting students involved with the community. 'I think it's extremely important to have the students out in the community, show that we care, that we're part of the community. Cleaning up the environment, cleaning up our local streamways. We even have some community members beep, honk, yell thank you as they go by so it's just a really good event,' said DeGroot. FSU hosts this event annually, as well as another community cleanup event in the fall for its homecoming. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
CBC
08-04-2025
- General
- CBC
Plane makes emergency landing in Yellowknife after landing gear stops working
A plane made an emergency landing in Yellowknife Monday night after it experienced an issue with its landing gear. In an email to CBC News, Keewatin Air president Ryan DeGroot said a Beechcraft King Air 200 "experienced a landing gear malfunction on arrival at Yellowknife airport." The plane, which is used for medevacs, landed around 7:45 p.m., after circling outside of Yellowknife. No passengers were on board and crew were able to exit safely, DeGroot said. No injuries were reported. In an email to CBC News, the Transportation Safety Board of Canada said it's aware of the incident and is gathering information but could not comment further. A similar incident happened in Rankin Inlet in February involving the same type of plane. That Beechcraft King Air 200, operated by Air Nunavut, made an emergency landing after its landing gear also stopped working. The plane landed in Rankin Inlet with its nose touching the runway.
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Plane makes emergency landing in Yellowknife after landing gear stops working
A plane made an emergency landing in Yellowknife Monday night after it experienced an issue with its landing gear. In an email to CBC News, Keewatin Air president Ryan DeGroot said a Beechcraft King Air 200 "experienced a landing gear malfunction on arrival at Yellowknife airport." The plane, which is used for medevacs, landed around 7:45 p.m., after circling outside of Yellowknife. No passengers were on board and crew were able to exit safely, DeGroot said. No injuries were reported. In an email to CBC News, the Transportation Safety Board of Canada said it's aware of the incident and is gathering information but could not comment further. A similar incident happened in Rankin Inlet in February involving the same type of plane. That Beechcraft King Air 200, operated by Air Nunavut, made an emergency landing after its landing gear also stopped working. The plane landed in Rankin Inlet with its nose touching the runway. A charter plane made an emergency landing in Rankin Inlet in February, after its front landing gear stopped working. (Submitted by Pasha Kaludjak)
