I was born in Apeldoorn, as the son of the pastor and from age five until age 19 I lived in Kornhorn, Netherlands. In , I made my debut with the Dutch National Team and now, after international matches, two World League appearances, four European Championship appearances, and an Olympic Games , I am captain of this team. My career as a professional volleyball player has not always been easy and even today, great moments and disappointments are both a reality.
My faith is the center of my life and God has always helped through the deep valleys. Through the great times, He has taught me to be thankful for all that He has given me. But, my search for God β the realization of who He really is to me β has taken some time. I have often asked myself if He really was there. But now, when I look back on my life up to this point, I know with certainty that He was there all along, carving out the path my life has taken. I was raised in a Reformed Church in a small town.
I was, as son of the pastor, a well-known face in Kornhorn β we lived like a family in a glass house. They wanted to show me how to live out my faith, which was the true meaning behind those rules.
Unfortunately, at that time, the truth was unclear to me. Volleyball has always been my passion. I started playing this fantastic sport at the age of eight and you could often find me five or six days per week in the gym. A lot changed in my life when I turned 14 and was invited to join the Youth National Team.
I was, of course, on cloud nine when I heard the news. At first, my parents were as enthusiastic with the idea as I was, but they saw a problem: the Youth National Team trained every weekend, including Sundays.
