Lindsay van Zundert quits at 19: ‘I couldn’t give more’

Finally, the big word can be said. For months, Van Zundert had been toying with the idea of retiring, but in June she finally made the decision. “I am quite young to stop, but there is no point in investing so much money and energy in it anymore. I have gotten the most out of it. I could not give more. On the ice, the performances were disappointing. The many hours of training were no longer paying off and that led to less fun. Am I still doing it for myself? Or do I continue for others?”, Van Zundert wondered. “I had already had my highlights.”

Those highlights started right away in her first year as a senior. As a 16-year-old debutante, she achieved a sixteenth place at the World Championships. “I thought it was great that I was allowed to go there and never expected that I would be allowed to participate in the freestyle. That World Championship was a party.” And the party got even bigger, because with her total points she qualified for the Olympic Games, the first Dutch person in 46 years. Although more and more eyes were focused on Van Zundert, she enjoyed that period. “Making it to the Games had been my big goal from a young age. When that was achieved, I wanted to work extra hard for it. From the moment I was allowed to carry the flag to the last element of my freestyle; it was a perfect experience.” Van Zundert improved her own total points, loved all the attention and lived her dream.

But the suitcases had barely been unpacked after Beijing when the next tournament was already waiting for her. “The National Championships started two days after my return. I didn’t want to give away a possible title and was back on track right away.” After that tournament, Van Zundert took her foot off the gas. The Etten-Leur woman celebrated carnival, got corona and picked up the thread again for the World Championships in Montpellier, where she finished seventeenth. “I was glad the season was over. I was really tired.”

The life of 17-year-old Van Zundert had accelerated. She was longing for peace. The first doubts bubbled up. “I had made it to the Games and had achieved great performances there, but I didn’t feel like I could perform any better. Moreover, I had to finish my pre-university education. I had a lot on my mind and could no longer perform optimally.” The sacrifices for top-level sport became greater, the rewards less. Were those 35 hours of ice training a week still worth it if she had already reached her peaks? “That World Cup would have been a great way to end my career…”

The 2022 World Cup could have been Lindsay van Zundert’s last match. | Photo: Soenar Chamid

Yet she persevered. Invitations to two Grand Prix’ gave Van Zundert renewed energy. She threw herself back into figure skating. “The fact that I was allowed to go to Canada and France gave me a lot of motivation. I had never participated in a senior Grand Prix and wanted to fight for it.” The new challenges gave her enough fuel to continue. She even added a season, but last winter she did not find enough new incentives to fully commit to the sport.

The Grand Prix in Japan in November was her last tournament. “I was always very good at dealing with stress, but for that competition it was completely out of control… I couldn’t control myself anymore. Because I knew I wasn’t optimally prepared, I was afraid of messing up the competition. It was a big drama. I rode I-don’t-know-how-bad in the short program and then I-don’t-know-how-bad in the long one. It was very disappointing.”

It was the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back. Van Zundert abruptly stopped training and didn’t feel like doing anything anymore. “I needed time to come back to life.” She shifted her attention by planning fun outings with her family and boyfriend. Then her mother advised her to find a job. She found one as a waitress at Jachthaven de Turfvaart, which was also the location of her farewell interview.

In the months after figure skating, Van Zundert started working in the catering industry. | Photo: Own photo

Van Zundert looks back on a wonderful adventure. “I can be very proud, because I have achieved my biggest goal: the Games. I have skated in four World Championships, two European Championships and have become Dutch champion six times.” In addition, with her historic performance at the Winter Games, she has fueled the enthusiasm for figure skating in the Netherlands. From the Lindsay virus at the figure skating clubs to the Lindsay tompoezen at the local bakery. She enjoyed it, but also remained down to earth about it. “For others it sounds very big, but I experience it differently. I have achieved my own performance and what came with it was a nice extra. Nevertheless, I thought it was great to see how many children wanted to figure skate afterwards.”

Van Zundert had to make the decision to quit without her friends and role models Sjoukje Dijkstra and Joan Haanappel, who passed away this year. “Joan and I were one. We were family. Not by blood, but by friendship. Her passing was a slap in the face. No more phone calls with Joan. She would have tried to persuade me to continue. Then there would have been a chance that I would have continued until the Milan Games, so that she could have seen me ride there. Unfortunately, that was no longer possible.”

Lindsay van Zundert in 2021 with her friends Sjoukje Dijkstra and Joan Haanappel. | Photo: Carl Mureau

Just like the two figure skaters from the 1950s and 1960s, Van Zundert wants to continue to dedicate herself to the sport. “I thought about what I wanted for a long time. I was done with the sport for a while and thought I would never return to the ice rink.” She considered studying nutrition, as well as training as a hairdresser. But in the end, her love for the sport won out. “I have built up a great name for myself and could mean a lot to young skaters. I also think it is very important that Joan and Sjoukje are not forgotten. I want to contribute to SKN (Stichting Kunstrijden Nederland, the organisation that both figure skaters committed themselves to, ed.) and continue their dream.” In October, Van Zundert will start a coaching course so that she can then guide young skaters. “I want to pass on my experiences. I would really like it if I could ever make it to the Games with a talent.”