Kortrijk, The Red Lions laid in the middle of december the Netherlands over the knee on our country’s historic world cup final hockey in the Indian Bhubaneswar. Arthur De Sloover (21) is the only West-Flemish Red Lion. “Hockey is not elitist,” says the Kortrijkzaan. “The number of players is as good as doubled in Belgium, since the qualification for the Olympic Games in Beijing in 2016.” There are, according to figures from may 2018, the Royal Belgian Hockey Association, 46.700 players in our country. In West-Flanders there are 2.675, spread across the clubs Koninklijke Hockey Club Brugge and Saint-Georges in Kortrijk, Constantia in Waregem, Roeselare, Knokke, Eclair HC Ostend, west Flanders Wildcats Ieper-Poperinge and Sporkin Veurne. Arthur, you are in the practice of hockey-born?
“The whole family plays hockey. My grandfather Xavier Gerniers was a long time ago in the national team, my peter Thierry Gerniers had to stop for his studies, my niece Alix Gerniers won the Golden Stick as the best hockeyspeelster of our country, my parents, my sister… we do it all. It’s just in the genes. I got my first hockey stick when I was 3 years old. I played at home in the garden and in the shed. The shed was even a little heartbroken. A stone plintje brokkelde there because as a child I constantly with a hockey puck against the wall of the shed played and passte. I also did other sports. Especially tennis was me, but I eventually chose hockey because I prefer a ploegsport than an individual sport do. You play with friends. The fun is the most important, while the team mates you can go up if you have a lesser day. Tennis is mentally much more difficult, because ultimately you but only if you have a tournament to play.”
Played the club Saint-Georges a big role?
Arthur proved to be a klasbak in the royal club Saint-Georges in the Doorniksewijk in Kortrijk. “I started there when I was 4. They saw my talent. I was lucky: Saint-Georges invested in the youth, I am part of a topgeneratie and came up with Vitali Kholopov a top trainer. He sticks there until the day of today above, by his technique. Thanks to him I learned two fantastic what about spot’s to perfection. You wear that for the rest of your career, because I use what about spot’s still. I can’t live without hockey. The selections for the Red Lions to give me a boost. And I feel that I am still better and better at am. My strength? The rest that I have on the field project. It rarely happens that I pressured, because I have barely any stress. My weakness is that I sometimes lack a leader on the field because I am too shy. Physically, it can also be even better. I must watch what I eat, especially in periods with less training, because I by my physique, otherwise, would soon arrive. That means no alcohol, also in order to prevent injuries and further best to avoid the French fries and hamburgers.”
