Unwilling routine - Book summary

[Amber]

• Gerrit is angry with Simone and drags her to an empty room where there is no one cursing loudly. He pushes her with her back against the wall. He is standing right in front of her, against her, with his fists clenched to the left and right of her ears against the wall. He is bent over her, screaming loudly in her ear. She is stuck and has nowhere to go, there is no end to his screams. Inside she is panicking, outside she is shocked. She doesn't care what he says, she just wants him to be done. Nothing comes to her anymore, she doesn't react to anything and stands like a statue, but one from which thick tears drip. She barely dares to breath. Not reacting, makes Gerrit even angrier, but she just cannot respond anymore, she can only shut down to protect herself. Her brain has a short circuited, her body is blocked. "Goddammit," he screams loudly in her ear. She hears the sound of his fist pounding hard against the wall beside her ear. Gerrit sinks to his knees until he is squatting on the ground in front of her. He grabs the other hand with one of his hands, makes a soft moaning sound, and then continues shouting insults at Simone. Then he gets up and storms out of the classroom, cursing loudly. Simone stands frozen against the wall. She hears someone coming toward her and panics. Crying, hyperventilating, and completely confused, she runs to the restroom and locks the door behind her. Marja is banging on the door from the other side. "Open up!" she shouts angrily. "For god's sake, open that door! Gerrit needs to go to the hospital and it's your fucking fault!" Simone is too afraid to open the door, but Marja keeps banging and cursing. The longer she keeps the door locked, the angrier Marja becomes. Eventually, she opens the door anyway. "How the hell could you let it come to this! Gerrit has to go to the hospital, and you get your way." Simone is very confused by these words. Why did she get her way? How can Marja think of her like that? Marja is the only human factor in her life. She has such a huge need for an adult to put an arm around her and tell her that everything will be okay. Something cracks in Simone.

 

[phoenix7]

I have been wondering what on earth the financial arrangements were. I wonder if Simone's parents really weren't paying or if that was just to make her uncomfortable?

 

[Amber]

Knowing Gerrit it was just to intimidate her but TBH I am not sure about that. gerrit was being paid by the club that hired him in Germany, earlier in the Netherlands he was first paid by Wilskracht, that Simone and Vanessa were members of. later he was being paid by the Dutch gymnastics federation as the junior team coach. when this played I was too young to be interested in the financial stuff. i don’t even know if Stasja paid for her membership of Turning Spirit, I know my parents sure did, and they were not cheap

 

[Amber]

• Simone is focusing on the upcoming important competition, an international one: The Delta Sport Cup in Zierikzee, which is also a qualifier for the Junior European Championships, the next goal. The competition goes smoothly, and although she makes a major mistake on the uneven bars, she easily comes in first and even beats the Russians. The next day, articles about Simone appear in all the national newspapers with headlines like "Heitinga Masterful" and "Simone Heitinga, a Class Apart." Simone reads one of the articles, it says: Gerrit Beltman has never seen Heitinga perform such a strong competition. "She has achieved her first goal: qualification for the Junior European Championships. We train 36 hours a week; now people in the Netherlands will probably claim this is child abuse again, but does she look bad or does she not enjoy gymnastics? Simone finds it strange to read this. Her first goal? Simone doesn't think in goals; she just does what Gerrit orders her to do. And 'enjoying gymnastics?' Simone wonders if really nobody notices that she is utterly unhappy and absolutely does not enjoy gymnastics? She feels so powerless, another piece of her crumbles away again. She still prays every evening for a serious injury.
• The Youth European Championship is approaching. Gerrit makes strict schedules with 41 hours of training per week. On some days, Simone trains three times. She has one day off per week, and a travel day during which she spends eight to ten hours in the car on the way to the Netherlands, a competition, or to a training camp, unfortunately counts as a day off. Meanwhile, she is increasingly experiencing back pain, and the pain is becoming more intense. After having trained intensively for several weeks, she can barely walk normally anymore, so she has to tell Gerrit. She tells him while they are in Romania for an international competition. Gerrit decides to withdraw her as a precaution, as more important competitions are coming up. Once back in Germany, she just has to continue training, as the Youth European Championships are soon approaching.
• Before the Youth European Championship, they are going to a training camp in Kienbaum. It feels like she’s going to a penal camp; for the next eight days, she will not leave this area. Because this is a training camp, her usual free Saturday is canceled. So she doesn’t have a single day off in two weeks. Her whole body is overloaded, everything hurts, and she is extremely tired. Her mind isn’t fully in it, but she has to keep going. When she has to do a handstand press on two parallel bars, she collapses down, landing on the tips of her toes, which bend on the concrete floor. Crack! Simone and Gerrit hear it. He is angry and takes Simone to a separate room so the physiotherapist can examine her. He says her toes are bruised. He gives her a bag of ice to put on her painful toes. "Do you realize that you are putting your participation in the Youth European Championship at risk?" Gerrit says angrily. "Stay sharp!"
• The problems with her back are getting worse. The jumps she has to make are hardly possible for her because of the pain. At every take-off and landing, she feels sharp pains. It is not a dull pain that she could potentially push through. These are strong stabbing pains, and sometimes she collapses through her left leg. Gerrit therefore decides to remove her double screw on floor exercise from her routine. The pain persists; every training session is a path of suffering. A day before they leave for the Junior European Championships in Geneva, Gerrit takes her to a doctor. She has to partially undress and lie on her stomach on the treatment table. "Just point to where it hurts," Gerrit says. She rubs her hand over her entire back and left hip. "Around here," she says. She doesn’t know exactly where the pain comes from; everything hurts. Suddenly, she feels something sharp in her back, the doctor injects something! She is terrified; she doesn’t even know what he is injecting, he could have at least told her that! What was that? She asks Gerrit when they are outside again. "An anesthetic."
• During the podium training in Geneva, it becomes clear that the anesthetic hasn't helped at all. It is torture for her to do her floor exercise. Vaulting also hurts tremendously. She can barely walk down the little stairs from the podium without pain. With every step with her left leg, she feels a sharp pain. However, she tries to keep her face composed. She knows Gerrit gets angry if she shows how much pain she is in. One more step, she steps with her left leg and feels an intense jolt of pain and collapses through her leg, yet she tries to keep her face composed. "Do you have to walk down the stairs again with such a stiff face?" Gerrit thunders. "Do you have to, for god's sake, show everyone how pathetic you are? You are negatively affecting your position with the judges! What could they possibly think of you?" Gerrit is also extremely angry at her because he thought her floor exercise didn't look good. But despite the enormous pain, Simone tried her very best. On the morning of the competition, the physiotherapist comes to her room to treat her. She can hardly get out of bed because of the pain, but she will have to. She just hopes that the physiotherapist has miracle hands. He massages her for over half an hour, but there’s nothing else he can do for her.

 

[Amber]

The Youth European Championship

• The competition begins, Gerrit has set his sights on a final spot on the uneven bars. Simone is very nervous, and to conserve her energy, she asks Gerrit to prepare the top bar for her. The light turns green, and Simone presents herself to the judges and begins her routine. During the routine, she notices that the high bar is very slippery; she has to do her utmost to avoid slipping off. She should have prepared the bar herself—this is really her own fault. Because the bar is so slippery, Simone cannot gain enough momentum for her dismount, a double straight somersault. On landing, she falls forward, goodbye final spot. She does make the final on the floor exercise, even now that they have removed several elements due to her injury. Simone is frustrated because this means she will have to perform her routine again the next day, in a lot of pain.
• After the European Championship, Gerrit finally takes her to a doctor. The X-rays reveal that she has a slipped vertebra, and it is uncertain whether she can continue with gymnastics. Simone is advised to rest for a month and then return to discuss how things are going. Silently, Gerrit and Simone drive to Ter Aar. Once there, Simone gets out. "I'll see you in a month," says Gerrit and drives off immediately. Suddenly, Simone has time to sleep in, eat chips, play outside, and just be at home with her family. Wonderful!
• The month flies by, and before Simone knows it, Gerrit comes to pick her up again, off to Germany. They step into the gym. The smell of magnesium and sweat makes Simone think of stress and anxiety, and she starts trembling immediately. Meanwhile, Gerrit also trains younger German girls who spend their days in tears and with blisters. Simone feels sorry for the young girls; they are not used to this method of training. Even during the first session, it becomes clear that her back has not improved. In all the exercises she has to do, the pain is just as intense as a month ago. After about 10 days, they go back to the doctor. "You have to stop" is the doctor's conclusion. A shock runs through her body; she has waited a long time for these words, and it almost feels unreal. A great weight is lifted from her shoulders. However, Simone feels sorry for Gerrit; after all, he has invested eight years in her. She doesn't dare to show how happy she is. Simone is confused and suddenly notices that tears are streaming down her cheeks; she can't stop crying. It feels like a release, now she wants to get away as quickly as possible, go home, before the doctor changes his mind. Gerrit and Simone are back in the car on their way to Ter Aar. They don't say anything to each other. The entire way, Simone just looks out the window. When they arrive, Gerrit says nothing and drives off immediately. With trembling legs, Simone walks inside, tears streaming down her cheeks again. Her father looks at her in shock. "What's going on?" She can't answer, gasping for breath, crying with relief: a release of years of stress, high tension, fear, and panic.

 

[Amber]

Stasja (1993-1994)

• The feeling that Stasja wanted to quickly work on her comeback is completely gone; she doesn't want anything to do with gymnastics anymore. Otto assured her that she is very welcome to train at Turning Spirit, and he even offers to help find a high school, but she isn't interested. The only thing she wants is to lie in bed in her room, alone. Four weeks later, Otto calls again. 'If you want to continue with gymnastics, you'll have to start now, otherwise it won't happen. You do want to work on your comeback, right?' When Stasja hangs up, she is sure: she wants to do gymnastics again, improve, and go back to school; she needs to get her life back on track. Immediately, she dives into her closet looking for a nice leotard. Stasja goes back to the gymnastics hall, and she’s still looking forward to it. On her crutches, she walks to the tram stop, off to Osdorp, off to Turning Spirit. When she arrives, Otto jumps around her neck, "I’m so glad to see you, welcome girl." It feels good to Stasja that he reacts so enthusiastically. She can’t do much during the first training sessions yet, but she is working hard on her strength program given to her by the physiotherapist to regain strength in her legs. Her right leg has become very thin, there is little strength in it. At the next check-up, the physiotherapist is very pleased; he says that Stasja will soon be able to walk without crutches if the doctor agrees as well.
• Otto knows a good school in Amsterdam-Zuid where the dancers of the national ballet also go to school. They know how to deal with top athletes. Even though she is not very eager to go back to school, she knows it is mandatory. Otto offers to go to the school together to enroll her and meet the principal.

One month later

• Stasja's life is getting a bit more structured again. She goes to school and trains every evening. After training, she jumps into the swimming pool next to the gymnastics hall and then swims another 50 laps to rebuild her stamina. Four times a week, Stasja goes to physiotherapy, and she no longer needs her crutches. Her legs are getting stronger, and in consultation with the doctor, she is allowed to put more strain on her legs. Stasja finds everything is going far too slowly. "Patience is a virtue," Otto always laughs whenever Stasja gets angry again because she is not allowed to do more. "Your time will come." Sometimes I find him really too nice, because elite sports are tough. Can she reach the top again with Otto and Claudia? Gerrit often said that they don't know what elite sports entail. Fortunately, the recovery is progressing quickly. All the elements that Stasja mastered before her injury are coming back quickly. "Maybe you'll even be able to participate in the national championships," Otto laughs; these are in four months.
• Stasja is on her way to the OLVG hospital for a check-up of her hip. She has to go there every four weeks. Stasja is always a little afraid that the doctor will say she has to stop gymnastics immediately. However, he is satisfied. "How are you doing?" he asks. Stasja says it couldn't be better. She indeed no longer has cramps in her hips. The pain in her groin is still there, but she says nothing about it. The doctor takes her right leg and carefully rotates it to the left and right. It hurts quite a bit, but Stasja doesn't flinch. Stasja asks if she can participate in the national championship in four months. The doctor laughs, "You are such a go-getter, but I can't decide that yet." Stasja wants to know from him when he will be able to make that decision. They agree that she will make videos of everything she does during practice and bring them to the appointment in four weeks.
• At Turning Spirit, Stasja says that the doctor is very pleased with her recovery. "How wonderful to hear," says Claudia. Stasja wants to increase the load a bit and wants to start jumping again. She is immediately told that this is not going to happen. She stands with her arms crossed and looks angry, just like a princess who doesn't get her way. Otto says he wants to discuss this with the physiotherapist first. Stasja becomes very angry about this and walks out of the gym, grabs her things, and leaves. "If you still have such a bad mood tomorrow, please stay home," Claudia calls after her. The next day, after school, she goes straight to the gym. Otto and Claudia are happy to see her. "This week, we will all meet with the physiotherapist to make an action plan. We will gradually increase everything in training in consultation with the physiotherapist. We will film everything and take it to the appointment with the doctor. Claudia and I will go with you, is that a good plan?" asks Otto. Stasja agrees.

Positive decisions

• Stasja is on her way to the hospital again. Four weeks ago, during her appointment, she showed all the videos to the doctor. He was very surprised at what she could already do with her leg. This time, she also needs to bring videos. The doctor will probably decide today whether she is allowed to participate in the National Championships in a month. From the excitement, she vomited that morning. Mama, Otto, and Claudia are going to the hospital with her, everyone is in a good mood. Stasja doesn’t understand that good mood, so much is at stake! After half an hour of waiting, Stasja is called in. The doctor looks at her X-rays and the videos. "Now you probably want to know if I give permission to participate? I think it is safe for you to take part; I can see how well your hip is recovering despite the intense training, so I believe there is no reason why you shouldn’t participate in a month." Stasja jumps up with joy and gives the doctor a kiss on the cheek. "Thank you!" she shouts. After the appointment, they go for lunch. After lunch, Otto asks if she wants an ice cream. Stasja finds it quite strange, a trainer asking if she wants an ice cream? She shakes her head. Not because she thinks this is expected of her, but because she doesn't want an ice cream; she now snacks much less than when she was still training with Gerrit. At Turning Spirit, Otto tells everyone that Stasja is allowed to participate in the Dutch Championships. All the gymnasts clap their hands and congratulate her. Stasja is overwhelmed by all the nice reactions. She is sure that Gerrit would find this completely nonsense, this joy from everyone, but secretly Stasja feels really good about it.
• "I called the federation and indicated that the doctor has given you permission to participate in the Dutch Championships," says Otto just before training. "However, there is a problem: you didn't qualify because you didn't compete in the preliminaries. They will discuss whether they can and want to grant you an exemption, so we have to wait a little longer." Stasja cannot imagine that she would not be allowed to participate; she feels as if the ground is being pulled out from under her feet and she is falling into a deep hole. The federation keeps her in suspense for over two weeks, and only two days before the competition do they give the green light. So Stasja only has two days to mentally prepare, but that doesn't matter to her—she's going all out! She is not yet back to her old level, but she is good enough to participate and show that she is on the way back. The thought of seeing Gerrit again horrifies her; she does not know how to react to him. After the training, Claudia walks over to her. "Where was your head today?" she asks kindly, running her hand over her back. Stasja tells her that she is dreading seeing Gerrit again. "You don't need to worry about that, you have nothing to do with him anymore. By the way, I wanted to tell you that Simone isn't competing in the National Championships, I just heard that. She has seriously injured her back and I think she's even going to quit." Claudia says that she feels very sorry for Simone, but Stasja reassures her, she is actually very happy for Simone; finally, she has a reason to quit, and she probably won't mind at all.

 

[Amber]

The competition

• When she gets up, she can think of only one thing: today she can become the best in the country. Since she turned 14 on March 27, she is now allowed to compete with the seniors. As she walks into the competition hall, many little girls run up to her—she is still popular. The first event is vault. When Stasja walks forward to perform her vault, all the television cameras are focused on her. She is not nervous; Claudia and Otto have told her that she has already won just by being able to stand here. They are right, and she also feels strong, so there is no reason to be nervous. To her great delight, her handspring somersault with a half turn goes perfectly. Otto and Claudia clap as hard as they can. Her uneven bars routine also goes perfectly, while her competitor Wyke Karten makes a big mistake on this apparatus. Stasja continues to pull ahead but doesn’t want to celebrate too early; her balance beam routine is still far from stable. You have to train the most on this apparatus; this is also where she suffered the biggest setback due to her injury. On the balance beam, she then makes a big mistake by falling on her forward summersault. She is not satisfied and also does not receive a high score. She watches Wyke with anticipation. She also falls off the beam. Stasja is really looking forward to her floor exercise, her last and favorite event. She does not expect to make any major mistakes, although she does have a moment of nervousness when she sees Marja on the jury. Everything goes perfectly, and as her routine is nearly finished, a feeling of happiness washes over her. Everything comes back: her father's funeral, the injury, the rehabilitation. And now she is performing her floor exercise at the Dutch Championships, who could have thought that! When the routine is finished, the audience goes wild; some people even stand up! The championship is won, she is the Dutch Champion!
• The next day, Stasja also has to compete in the apparatus finals. As she walks into the arena, her heart skips a beat; Gerrit is there. Stasja wins the gold on floor and vault, and she is satisfied with it. When she shows her medals to her mother, she hears someone whistling. It is a familiar sound, very familiar indeed, it is Gerrit's whistle. She turns around and Gerrit extends his hand. "Well done, Kohler, congratulations." The compliment means a lot to Stasja; somehow, she still has a soft spot for him.

 

[Amber]

Oklahoma City

• "Stasja, if you want, you can still make your dream come true and go to America," says Otto at the beginning of the training. "I spoke with Steve Nunno, and he said that you are more than welcome to come train with him in Oklahoma City in preparation for the 1996 Olympic Games." Steve Nunno is the coach of Shannon Miller, who recently won gold at the World Championships. Steve and Shannon were also at the American gymnastics gala. "Steve remembers you well and sees a lot of potential in you," Otto adds. To Otto, she says that she would love to go to Nunno; she feels she won't get further here. They only train here once a day, which is really not enough to reach the world top. Otto further says that sponsors will need to be sought to cover her stay. "Let's start with that right away then," Stasja says enthusiastically.
• Not even a month later, a sponsor comes forward. Henk Oudt, director of Steenkorrel B.V., had seen Stasja on television and was immensely impressed by her story. He wants to sponsor Stasja for her stay in America. Two days later, Stasja receives an official invitation to have dinner with Mr. and Mrs. Oudt to discuss further details. Fortunately, the dinner goes smoothly. Henk and Tiny Oudt are very kind and emphasize that they are happy to help make her dream come true. They don't expect anything in return, only that the name of Steenkorrel is mentioned in the media occasionally, and only if there is an opportunity. "We don't need to be in the spotlight," Henk adds. "Of course, when you go to America, you need to look absolutely perfect. Shall we go shopping together with your mother next week?" Tiny asks. Of course, Stasja is happy to agree to that.
• In October 1994, Stasja flies to America. She still can't believe it. Otto picks up Stasja, her mother, and brother to go to the airport. Otto, Claudia, and two gymnasts from Turning Spirit (Mirian Hamawandi and Babette de Bont) accompany her to America for the first two weeks. At Schiphol, the whole family is there to see Stasja off, and there is also a camera crew present; they are also going to America to make a documentary. After a 12-hour flight, Stasja sets foot on American soil, and it feels unreal. At the Dynamo gymnastics club, before going inside, she first looks through the large windows; from the outside, you get a good view of the gym. She sees that around 100 girls are training and that the gym is incredibly large. On the big windows, it says "Dynamo Gymnastics, where Olympic dreams come true." Stasja is moved by this phrase; she hopes that her Olympic dream will surely come true here!
• Stasja, Claudia, Otto, Miriam, and Babette walk inside, followed by the camera crew. Steve Nunno immediately approaches them. "Hey Stasja, I remember you, how are you?" Steve asks as he shakes her hand. In her best English, she replies that she’s doing great and is very excited to train with him. "Jenny! Come over here and meet your new roommate," Steve shouts. A tiny blonde girl with blue eyes and braces rushes over to them. "This is Jenny," Steve says. "She just became the junior champion, and you’re going to live with her and her mother; they live close to the gym." Jenny shakes Stasja’s hand and smiles kindly. "Nice to meet you," Stasja says. World champion Shannon Miller is quietly training in a corner; she is injured. Stasja realizes that starting tomorrow, they will be teammates—she goes to the same gymnastics school as the world champion, incredible! On her first night in the land of unlimited possibilities, Stasja cannot fall asleep. Many thoughts race through her mind, will she enjoy it here? Will she succeed? Will she make any friends? For hours she listens to music on her discman. The next morning she unpacks her suitcases. She looks for a nice spot for all her personal belongings.

Alone in Amerika

• After two weeks, Claudia, Miriam, Babette, and Otto leave for the Netherlands again. Stasja finds it terrible that they are leaving. The past two weeks have not gone very well. The training sessions are not going as she wants, mostly because her hip hurts. She is also very apprehensive about going to school soon, a school where she doesn't know anyone. Stasja starts to cry hard as they are about to leave. Deep down, she really wants to go back to the Netherlands with them, but that is not an option. She decides to stay in America and do her absolute best to make the most of it. Twice a week, her mother sends a letter via fax. Peggy or Steven enthusiastically deliver the letters she receives from her mother. At first, Stasja was embarrassed because her mother wrote so often; she still thought that gymnasts were supposed to have little contact with their parents. That is definitely not the case in America. Fathers and mothers are even welcome during the training sessions. So knowing that, if her mother sends her a letter, it makes her feel good! She loves reading about how things are going at home. With the letter in her hand, she runs to the blue couch next to the little office and plops down, reading the letter with a big smile on her face.
• The pain in her hip is getting worse. School is also going badly. A week ago she had a test and she is sure she messed it up; it's not easy to receive lessons in English. Often she doesn't understand what is being said. Still, she has a lot of fun on the weekends. Stasja has become friends with Megan, a gymnast from Dynamo. On weekends, Stasja often stays over at her place, and after Saturday training they go eat Chinese food at one of the large shopping centers that Oklahoma City has. All gymnasts wear a blue jacket with the club's name on the back. Almost everyone in Oklahoma City knows that if you wear such a jacket, you are a top gymnast; at the Chinese restaurant, they are always so happy that we eat there that we often don't have to pay. After shopping, she usually calls her mother. This time she has some good news: Stasja has been nominated for Amsterdam Sportswoman of the Year. The awards ceremony is just before Christmas. That means that Stasja can attend the ceremony as she is flying back to the Netherlands for the holidays.

 

[eanda]

@Amber, thank you so much for doing all of this. It's just heartbreaking to read the details of the physical and emotional pain Simone and Stasja were under at such a young age. In some ways it seems almost like an addiction, with them wanting to find a way to quit but not being able to. Several of these books have these difficult elements, but something in this one is just hitting me at a different level.

 

[Hatsumomo]

Here, the abuse is in your face and not sugarcoated: a coach picking a child up by her neck, deliberately spitting in her face, slapping and kicking her, and actively isolating her by taking her to another country to live and train. It's also directly coming from Simone and Stasja years after the fact so they have a greater understanding of how fucked up it all was, and they give insight into their thoughts and feelings. Whereas Kerri Strug's book was written soon after Atlanta without the benefit of years of introspection and adult understanding. Shannon Miller's book was written by her mother, also shortly after Atlanta, and you know there was a bias baked in so as not to make her (Claudia) look bad (to her).

 

[phoenix7]

Here, the abuse is in your face and not sugarcoated: a coach picking a child up by her neck, deliberately spitting in her face, slapping and kicking her, and actively isolating her by taking her to another country to live and train. It's also directly coming from Simone and Stasja years after the fact so they have a greater understanding of how fucked up it all was, and they give insight into their thoughts and feelings. Whereas Kerri Strug's book was written soon after Atlanta without the benefit of years of introspection and adult understanding. Shannon Miller's book was written by her mother, also shortly after Atlanta, and you know there was a bias baked in so as not to make her (Claudia) look bad (to her).

Yes, and while it's tough to see the American children's parents complicit in the abuse, overtraining and carelessness with injuries, Simone and Stasja seemed so alone and isolated from their families, so young. Terrifying.