Paul Oberjuerge: Going Dutch at Speedskating
Long-track speedskating would be a very dull venue if not for the hundreds of Dutch fans who help fill it up day after day.
These guys love this kind of skating (Remember "Hans Brinker and the Silver Skates?"), and they treat every race as a sort of carnival, complete with oompah band.
How do we know they're Dutch?
Well, wearing bright orange clothes is your first clue. All Dutch sports teams wear orange.
The second clue is the orange hats. Nutty hats. Silly hats. Cat-in-the-Hat hats, two feet tall and bright orange. Floppy hats. My favorite hats? The ones in the shape of an orange wooden shoe. Holland being known for wooden shoes, see, because it's so wet there it rots out leather ...
The Dutch also apparently travel with a band. I don't know if these guys are officially invited, or they just managed to talk their musical instruments past the security checks. There are about seven of them, and they're tons of fun. They play almost nonstop for a half-hour before the race, just blatting and blaring away, and play again whenever action grinds to a halt as the ice is resurfaced.
Some of the tunes during the men's 1,000: The Village People song, "Go West." "Proud Mary." "Roll Out the Barrel." Almost all brass, and it really gets the crowd pepped up.
The Dutch keep it going for the races, too. They're dead quiet for the start, but they let out a roar as soon as the gun sounds, especially if a Netherlands skater is going. And no matter who is skating, they make tons of noise whenever a competitor passes in front of them.
They also appreciate ANY great effort. They will cheer for anyone who goes fast, whether he's from Holland -- or China or the U.S. They really made some noise for Shani Davis, on Saturday.
The Dutch love the sport. It's in their blood. They know its history. They know our speedskaters better than we do. And they make what might be a dreary venue into a noisy, lively, fun one.
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