Former FC Groningen talent Ids Hannema (24) from Norg now belongs to the Padel summit in the Netherlands. ‘It calms me down’

This past weekend Hanema won the P250 Championship at Valkenswaard, his first championship win. With his partner Bart van Kampen, with whom he played doubles for the first time, he defeated the twin brothers Mats and Kai Groene from Zoetermeer after an exciting final match: 7-6, 4-6, 6-4.

Best north after Lhotsma

That victory in Brabant brought him into the top twenty in the Netherlands, making him the second northerner after Werner Lutsma of Groningen, and the fourteenth in the national ranking. And Hanaima is far from over. “It’s going well,” says De Drent, who moved back in with his parents in Norge after returning as a soccer player from America.

“Save some money,” says Hanema, who makes a living by giving padel and tennis lessons. ,, In Valkenswaard I won 350 euros, so that was great for four games. You can earn more in the higher leagues, P500 and P1000, and it’s only the national tournament here in the Netherlands. But this is where I want to go.”

“I was in the worst group in Groningen”

As a soccer player, there seemed to be a bright future for him. The son of tennis and now also paddle board teacher Wynnand Hanema – of course – started out at Jomos and ended up at the youth academy in Groningen when he was 10 years old. There he played in a team that included goalkeeper Jan Hoekstra and Ozan Kuksu, whose younger brother Orkon moved from national champions Feyenoord to Benfica last week.

Ozan himself became a professional football player and now plays for PSV Eindhoven. He and Jan are the only ones from our former team who have turned pros,” says Hanema. I think I was in the worst class ever. If they have just succeeded, how can I become a professional soccer player? I had to leave FC Groningen when I was 14 and not for nothing. ”

Following Achilles to Dayton, Ohio

Nevertheless, Hanaima became a talented amateur football player, and was already a regular starter at the age of eighteen in the 1894 Achilles, which at the time played in major league Sundays with Paul Werman as coach. Hanaima was coveted by other top-level clubs, but he plotted his own plan. He left for Dayton, Ohio, United States in 2019 when he was 20 years old. Hanima studied there organizational leadership at Wright University and played football for two seasons with the Wright State Raiders. And he made an impressive shootout in which he killed nine people.

The young Drent was on the radar of several professional clubs in the United States, but his stubbornness played tricks on him again: after some clashes with coaches at the Raiders, he put football on hold altogether. It is hierarchically organized in America college football . Coaches are responsible and as a player you are expected not to interfere. But I did it because I felt that what some coaches said about football wasn’t true. It didn’t make it any more fun and it made me lose interest in football. I may not be a typical footballer either, I prefer to draw my own line and that is not always readily accepted. Certainly not if football is not going well too. ”Hanima has become a vegetarian in the United States. “It didn’t make it any easier, let’s put it that way.”

“I can’t even pass more than ten meters now.”

In short: After earning his bachelor’s degree, he didn’t know how quickly he’d leave. Actually, as far as football is concerned, I was there for one year, Hanaima says now. It just isn’t fun anymore. Would returning to a club in the Netherlands be one possibility? Maybe with the second division ACV team, the champion team from Assen, near Norg? “I can’t even pass more than 10 meters anymore,” Hanaima says, laughing. I recently played at a farewell party for a few ex-Achilleans, including Morten Otto and Water van der Meulen. I couldn’t play football at all. No, that won’t be the case at the moment. Nice paddle.”

Hanaima had already come into contact with padel when he was still playing in Achilles 1894. After his soccer adventure in the United States, he went to Spain, the birthplace of the sport of padel, to learn the intricacies there. Where is the top? Definitely in the top 10. But this is not his main goal. I notice that I learned a lot from Padel. For example, I am learning to control myself better. I used to get angry quickly when things didn’t work out for a while, but also in everyday life. I have learned to stay calm. This ball really comes to you in Padel, it’s just a matter of waiting for that moment and staying relaxed. I also try to apply these lessons in everyday life. Keep calm, relax, he will come to you.”

Padel as a treat

Maybe it looks like a new revenue model: a combination of paddle and mind training? Yes, maybe I want to go in that direction,” says de Drent, who currently offers padel training around 20 hours a week in Essen and Westerbork. “Padel is more than a sport where you have to hit the ball as hard as you can. It is about constantly observing what is happening in a 360-degree circle around you and anticipating it as best you can. And in the meantime, keep your peace. I really like that.”