Sjoukje Dijkstra

[olympic]

This is one olympic champ / multiple world champ I haven't seen much discussed on FSU.

She finished 2d to Carol Heiss at the '60 Olympics, then won the '64 Olympics quite convincingly [all 1st place ordinals from the 9 judges]. I believe she was a multiple world champ, too.

So, was she really strong in Figures? Good free skater? I think I read that in Squaw Valley she skated before Carol, and was really strong with the double axel which I interpreted to mean she was an athletic skater. I think I also read that she didn't score below 5.8 in the free skate at Innsbruck ['64]. This would all suggest a really dominant skater...

I was also curious to know about her post-competitive career. Any involvement in skating?

Interesting that Netherlands is radical about Speed Skating, but not figure skating.

[Squibble]

http://www.sports-reference.com/olym...ijkstra-1.html

One judge in Innsbruck gave her a 5.7 for Artistic Impression and placed her second in the Free Skate behind Petra Burka. Does anyone want to hazard a guess as to what country that judge was from?

[olympic]

I forgot that the Dutch had a 2d skater - Joan Haanappel, who was 5th at Squaw Valley.

[Dave of the North]

http://www.sports-reference.com/olym...ijkstra-1.html

One judge in Innsbruck gave her a 5.7 for Artistic Impression and placed her second in the Free Skate behind Petra Burka. Does anyone want to hazard a guess as to what country that judge was from?

Well, the same judge ranked Burka 4th in figures, where most judges had her second or third, so your unstated assumption may be wrong...

[skatesindreams]

Strong and powerful: not a "pretty princess".

Videos:

1960:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8jm8rZ9RHys

1963:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J1bbQt6iGoc

1964:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J1bbQt6iGoc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FAD1uFxBDL8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FAD1uFxBDL8

[floskate]

http://www.sports-reference.com/olym...ijkstra-1.html

One judge in Innsbruck gave her a 5.7 for Artistic Impression and placed her second in the Free Skate behind Petra Burka. Does anyone want to hazard a guess as to what country that judge was from?

It was the Czech judge and as has been said, the same judge had Burka 4th in figures for 3rd overall which is exactly where she finished. I'm not sure what your point was?

ETA: The most controversial thing I ever saw about Dijkstra was a clip of her landing a double axel at 1962 Worlds - she had an awesome double axel btw - and Jim McKay saying how amazing it was that a woman 'her size could jump so high'. Wish I could find the clip and upload it.

ETA2: Found this though - Sjoukje looking back at her 1960 Europeans victory. Seems like a fluff piece from the Netherlands version of Dancing on Ice:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hryTI3C9vJU

[briancoogaert]

Strong and powerful: not a "pretty princess".

Videos:

1960:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8jm8rZ9RHys

Where is she on this video ? I've always wondered who was on this video !

Anyway, from the other videos, I admit that she doesn't look exactly like a pretty princess, lol

[skatesindreams]

Blonde lady; black short dress, taller than others.

[olympic]

BTW, how do you pronounce her first name?

[Mafke]

BTW, how do you pronounce her first name?

Very roughly SHOW-kyeh (where the first syllable sort of rhymes with 'how')

this link isn't about here, but it should give you an idea

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gel6Jl81uSE

[Loves_Shizuka]

Her name is so cool.

[Fergus]

Her name is so cool.

As was her bouffant Olympic FS hairdo! LOVE it!

I can smell the Aqua-Net through my computer monitor.

[snoopysnake]

IIRC, in Rise (the movie) Peggy mentioned her as an example of the style of skating she herself did not want to present.

[neptune]

IIRC, in Rise (the movie) Peggy mentioned her as an example of the style of skating she herself did not want to present.

Well, in a Dutch publication recently, Dijkstra said that "Puny Peggy" shouldn't look back and try to flatter herself--that she couldn't have presented that style of skating if she'd tried!

[bardtoob]

Strong and powerful: not a "pretty princess".

Videos:

1960:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8jm8rZ9RHys

1963:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J1bbQt6iGoc

1964:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J1bbQt6iGoc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FAD1uFxBDL8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FAD1uFxBDL8

Found this though - Sjoukje looking back at her 1960 Europeans victory. Seems like a fluff piece from the Netherlands version of Dancing on Ice:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hryTI3C9vJU

Sjoukje looks shockingly athletic for a Late 50s- Early 60s skater, although her physical features are very typical native Dutch.

Clips I had scene in the past always made her skating look dated, primarily because they always featured that antiquated upright spin technique.

However, she is so fast and her jumps are rock solid. The curve and run out from her 2S is quite impressive to the extent that I might believe she was exiting a very powerful triple. I think my favorite combination of moves is the split lutz into axel.

[Squibble]

Well, in a Dutch publication recently, Dijkstra said that "Puny Peggy" shouldn't look back and try to flatter herself--that she couldn't have presented that style of skating if she'd tried!

Me-ow!

Sjoukje Dijkstra

[neptune]

Me=ow!

I guess she hadn't had her Tender Vittles yet when she said that.

Sjoukje Dijkstra

That's right--don't mess with Girlfriend Dijkstra! That same leg she used for jumping comes in pretty handy for kicking too!! I hear that even Tonya is afraid to meet her in a blind alley at night!!!

[Sasha'sSpins]

I guess she hadn't had her Tender Vittles yet when she said that.



That's right--don't mess with Girlfriend Dijkstra! That same leg she used for jumping comes in pretty handy for kicking too!! I hear that even Tonya is afraid to meet her in a blind alley at night!!!

Anyway, I don't think Peggy WANTED to try Dijkstra's style-because well it just wasn't very elegant. She was awesome but frankly I prefer Peggy's style-a combination of elegance, grace with athletic jumps which she had in her arsenal-maybe not as powerful as Sjoukje but she had them. And outside of figure skating between the two it seems it is Peggy who is more widely known-her beauty as well as her talent took her farther than Dijkstra could ever hope imo.

Had she lived-I wonder how Laurence Owen would have done versus Dijkstra leading up to the Olympics. She seemed to have the same combo as Peggy-artistry and athleticism.

If only.

Very roughly SHOW-kyeh (where the first syllable sort of rhymes with 'how')

this link isn't about here, but it should give you an idea

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gel6Jl81uSE

The pronunciation sounded something like CHOW-Key DEKStrah.

Love it

[neptune]

And outside of figure skating between the two it seems it is Peggy who is more widely known-her beauty as well as her talent took her farther than Dijkstra could ever hope imo.

Wasn't 1968 the first time the Winter Olympics were really televised big-time? I think Carol Heiss Jenkins said that, in 1960, you just got a little bit of coverage after the evening news--nothing hard-core. So, besides Peggy's looks and elegance, the expanded coverage probably played a big role as well.

Had she lived-I wonder how Laurence Owen would have done versus Dijkstra leading up to the Olympics. She seemed to have the same combo as Peggy-artistry and athleticism.

If only.

Yeah, it's a shame we'll never know.

[Mafke]

Had she lived-I wonder how Laurence Owen would have done versus Dijkstra leading up to the Olympics.

Considering the time, a _lot_ would depend on Owen's figures.

Dijkstra was sort of a forerunner of Beatrix Schuba. Her size helped her figures so she had very strong lead going into the free skating.

But unlike Schuba (who apparently was thinking: "I've already won, why knock myself out now?") Dijkstra did put a lot of effort into her free skating.
She was no fairy princess and was too smart to try to go that route (though she certainly was elegant in her own way). I think her free skating has aged remarkably well. Fast and clean and powerful.