Reggeborgh Foundation supports Paralympic snowboarders Chris Vos and Lisa Bunschoten
Snowboarders Chris Vos and Lisa Bunschoten are being supported by Reggeborgh Foundation on their way to the Paralympic Games in Milan Cortina. ‘It gives us the opportunity to prepare professionally for the Games. We are very proud of the collaboration with Reggeborgh Foundation,’ says Bunschoten.
Vos (27) and Bunschoten (29) are both multiple world champions in snowboarding. They have both competed in the Paralympic Games in Sochi, Pyeongchang and Beijing. And both are going for gold at the Games in Milan Cortina, because that is the only colour still missing from their collection. ‘We are both contenders for gold, Lisa slightly more so than me,’ says Chris. ‘But anything can happen in snowboarding, especially in cross,’ adds Lisa, who, like Chris, competes in cross and banked slalom.
There is more that binds Vos and Bunschoten. They have been a couple for over ten years; now married and parents to ten-month-old daughter Jane. There are advantages to being a top sporting couple. ‘We train together, go to competitions together. And we understand each other as athletes, even when things aren't going well.’
Lisa was born with a leg deformity. ‘When I was born, I was missing my left fibula and I had an incomplete knee.’ When she was six, her leg was lengthened through major surgery, and at fifteen, her foot was amputated. As a child, Lisa was always able to participate with her friends. ‘I always looked at what I could still do.’ She was introduced to snowboarding during a winter sports holiday. ‘Skiing wasn't possible because I couldn't fit into the stiff ski boots, but snowboard boots worked. So I decided to give it a try.’ And with success. She met three-time Paralympic snowboarding champion Bibian Mentel, who eventually recruited her to the Dutch team.
‘I always looked at what I could still do.’
- Lisa Bunschoten
Chris was involved in a terrible accident at the age of five; he was run over by an excavator in his backyard. ‘As a result, my right leg and gluteal muscle were paralysed.’ His older brother made sure that Chris started snowboarding as a 7-year-old boy. ‘We started with a rope around my waist. I fell a hundred thousand times, but I wanted to learn so badly.’
Chris was also later asked by Mentel to join the Dutch team. ‘I remember well that one day Bibian received the news that snowboarding had become a Paralympic sport. That was amazing. We have been involved from the very beginning and have seen the sport become increasingly professional.’
Lisa and Chris have now joined the Swiss team, with whom they train in the winter. In the summer, they do a lot of strength training at Papendal or go mountain biking. ‘Thanks to the support of Reggeborgh Foundation, we are now able to run a professional training programme. We also really appreciate the fact that Reggeborgh Foundation is committed to various good causes. We are happy to help with that,’ says Lisa.
Inge Wessels of Reggeborgh Foundation: "Chris and Lisa are two very driven top athletes. It's fantastic to see that they know what they want and are fully committed to achieving it. Lisa and Chris also believe it is important to inspire other people. They are committed to the Disabled Sports Fund, and Chris is an ambassador for the Cruyff Foundation. These are wonderful funds that, like Reggeborgh Foundation, are committed to making sports accessible to everyone."
