The buntings
go up at the PDO Club swimming pool at 4.15 p.m. for five days.
Then the little
children who are not so confident in the water swim with one of their parents.
It is an
event that is essentially Dutch. The volunteers wear orange and the event is
called Zwem4Daagse – Swim 4 Days.
At 5 pm, the
older children line up at the ‘Start’ lane. To and fro they swim in the lanes
which measure 25 metres from end to end. One round is completed when they swim
25x10 metres. They can do as many rounds as they want.
As the music
played and the cheerleading mothers danced, the children kept on swimming. Some
of them did one or two rounds whereas others did as many as ten or twelve! It is,
however, not a competition with your peers. If there are any records to break,
they are your own.
In the first
year of participation in this event, the child gets a bronze medal, in the
second year it is a silver medal, and in the third year it is a gold medal. The
only condition is that the child has to do at least one round for four out of five days.
It is
amazing to see how some children just go on and on swimming for more than ten
rounds without a break. Some say it is because of the spirit of the event and
some say it is because of the determination of the child.
All the
children who swim get hot chocolate and a Speculaas cookie in the end.
It is a special treat loved by all.
Dank ye wel – Thank you, Holland Committee.
Goed zo,
kinderen! – Well done,
children!
