Reggeborgh Foundation new partner of foundation for ice skating classics on natural ice
Stichting Natuurijs Klassiekers (Natural Ice Classics Foundation) and Reggeborgh Foundation join forces. For the next few years, Reggeborgh Foundation will be a partner of the traditional ice skating races organised when it gets so cold in the Netherlands that rivers, canals and lakes freeze over. At the Jaap Eden ice rink in Amsterdam, the new leader's suit was unveiled during the first Marathon Cup of the season.
Good news for many skating enthusiasts
Natural Ice Classics Foundation president David Pos on the partnership: ‘Our foundation depends entirely on sponsors for its income. This partnership with Reggeborgh Foundation will enable us and our affiliates to continue hosting these wonderful races in the years to come. This is very good news for the many ice skating fans in the Netherlands. Natural ice and races on natural ice are the foundation of our sport.’
A sport we care about
Inge Wessels of Reggeborgh Foundation on the partnership: ‘The classics on natural ice are an important part of Dutch ice skating history; a sport we hold dear. This partnership also shows our appreciation for the many volunteers who are always ready to organise the races. Noaberschap (neighbourly support), looking out for each other, in addition to our enthusiasm for sport, is an important driver of our partnership. And, of course, we hope for a winter with severe frost so that ice skating enthusiasts can once again enjoy the most unique races on natural ice.’
Unox was already a sponsor and recently renewed its sponsorship contract
Jan van den Berg of Unox on Reggeborgh Foundation joining the partnership: ‘We are delighted to welcome Reggeborgh Foundation as a partner of the races we have been sponsoring since 1991. Together, we will ensure that these races, which have been run since 'skating memory' began, also have a future.
Stichting Natuurijs Klassiekers unites - since 1991 - the marathon ice skating races under a single umbrella. The races are organised when there is sufficient natural ice, with men and women from the highest division of marathon speed skaters competing. Many of the races affiliated with Stichting Natuurijs Klassiekers, such as the Holland Venice Tour, Noorder Rondritten, Veluwemeertocht and the 100 of Eernewoude, have been organised for over a century and can, therefore, rightly be called ‘classics’.
Big names from the marathon skating peloton, such as Henk Angenent, Erik Hulzebosch, Yep Kramer, Dries van Wijhe, Evert van Benthem, Lenie van der Hoorn, and Klasina Seinstra, managed to win these races in the past. The last Leader's Suit winner was Rob Hadders in the winter of 2011/2012. Since the establishment of Stichting Natuurijs Klassiekers in 1991, races on natural ice have been united in one overall competition, with a clear calendar, with strong sponsors and plenty of media attention. The local organisers with their many volunteers are the ones who actually organise the races, purely for the love of the sport and on a non-profit basis.