Snowboard crosser Daan Stam is the new 'Groene Appel'
Daan Stam is the new Green Apple of Reggeborgh Foundation. The snowboard crosser can count on financial support for the coming year, which means a lot to the 20-year-old Stam. ‘Thanks to Reggeborgh Foundation, I can continue doing what I love most: snowboarding.’
Daan Stam from Dordrecht caught the snowboarding bug at a young age. He was only four when he ended up on a snowboard during a winter sports holiday. A few years later, his talent was spotted by a snowboard instructor. ‘My family thought: Yeah, right. I'm sure that instructor says that to lots of children.’
Once home, they went to SnowWorld, where little Daan proved to be truly talented. ‘I've done other sports, but I've always felt more passionate about snowboarding.’ Daan Stam quickly gravitated towards cross, where four to six participants race against each other.
He was still in primary school when he moved to Austria for his sport. Daan trained with the English team in Aschau im Zillertal in Tyrol. ‘I was young, but I didn't find it very difficult to be away from home. I did everything I enjoyed there. I think it was harder for my parents than it was for me.’
Now, both the Netherlands and Austria feel like home to Stam. He has joined the Swiss team and, after a great season in the European Cup, where he even won one, he will be competing in the World Cups next year. ‘The Olympic Games in Milan are just a little too early for me, because I can only join the Dutch team for the World Cups after the Winter Olympics.’
''I owe a great deal to my parents, who assist me in finding sponsors. That is how we came into contact with Reggeborgh Foundation. It means a great deal to me that they are now supporting me. It was my last resort, and thanks to them, I can now continue snowboarding.''
- Daan Stam
Stam has big sporting ambitions and has been willing to give his all since he was ten years old. But he also has to pay for everything himself. The snowboard crosser cannot rely on financial support from the Dutch Ski Association.
‘Daan is a real go-getter,’ says Inge Wessels of the Reggeborgh Foundation. "He works as a carpenter during the summer months to realise his sporting dreams in the winter. It's also fantastic to see how his family and friends are committed to supporting him in this expensive sport. The fact that he is already competing at the top level of snowboard cross at such a young age shows how much potential he has to grow even further. We are proud to be able to support him in that development. ”