Proteus-Eretes: ‘The Olympics are really upping the enthusiasm for competition rowing’

If you cycle along the Schie, you will quickly come across the Beuk, Proteus-Eretes’ club building. Mees Rapp, the External Affairs Board member, says that here you can both put 100% effort into rowing and 100% effort into drinking beer. The Chair, Eline Haak, adds “Or 100% into committee work!” And they know all about it. After years of working in various committees, along with eight others, they are working full-time for their beloved rowing association this year.

Where was your Board photo taken?

“We are on the club building roof, next to our weathervane which is shaped like a paal (a pole, student jargon for an oar, Eds.). It is connected to a rowing boat oar hanging in the bar so that the rowers can see the wind direction,” says Eline.

The group in the photo is big. How do you take decisions with 10 people?

“That can be tricky sometimes,” says Eline, “but what I like about a board made up of 10 people is that you hear a lot of different perspectives from across the association. The discussions may take a long time sometimes, but in the end we take well considered decisions as all the votes count.”

Why are there so many of you?

Mees explains that “Up to four years ago, the Board consisted of eight members. The Vice Chair position was then divided into two: internal and external. The internal position concentrates on issues such as the association itself, the food and the bar. The external position – which is me – arranges everything outside the association. Last year we created the position of Building Committee Member to make sure that the building project runs smoothly.”

‘The discussions may take a long time with 10 people, but in the end it means that we take well considered decisions’

Talking about building, you are planning to renovate the club building. What will be done?

“Our building dates from 1997 and was built for 500 members. We now have more than 800 members. The committee rooms are full and the changing rooms too small,” says Mees.

Eline adds that “We are bursting at the seams. So we are renovating the old building and there will be an extension with bigger changing rooms, a power training area and a new kitchen. The architect – a former Proteus-Eretes member – is working on it with our building committee. We hope to lay the first stone next year in September.”

A Proteus-Eretes member, Roos de Jong, won silver in the double four last summer at the Paris Olympics. Have you seen her since then?

“She is coaching our first year ladies this year,” says Mees. “After all the effort she put into the Olympic Games, she is enjoying doing something else.”

Eline adds “And we are very happy about it.”

Did you have more registrations this year because of the Netherlands’ success at the Games?

“The membership numbers have not really risen that much, but the selection and pre-selection are much bigger than in previous years. There is a lot of interest in competition rowing.”