The first time on running blades

Without his mpk's, but with blades. On one of the first sunny Saturdays of the year, Erwin te Boekhorst (53) spent an hour or two on the athletics track of On Campus sports complex in Zwolle. He ticked another item off his wish list by participating in Beweegdag 2024. Although it also immediately made him want more ...

A great day in more ways than one, Erwin recalls his first blades adventure. After sit-skiing, this was his next sporting challenge. "I was the only one with a bilateral amputation. The other participants had a lower or upper leg amputation on one side. They were able to move on the blades earlier, but immediately pointed out that it took some getting used to".

As a bilateral amputee it is impossible to stand still on the blades, as Erwin soon discovered. "You have to keep hopping from one leg to the other. You can't rest".

No sense of time

At first, Erwin was definitely in need of help to keep his balance. 
"Walking on blades is hard, you have to get used to a different way of walking. But after a while I felt more and more confident on the blades. And by the end of the training, I no longer needed the help of the physiotherapists". At one point, Erwin was able to "walk freely", he recalls. "Or well, I was on my way. The last half hour, or maybe it was an hour - I really had no sense of time - at least I was training well on my own on the track. And even better, at no point did I crash or fall.

Energy boost

The two hours of training gave Erwin another energy boost, he says: "I got a lot of respect from the other participants and the therapists, which makes me proud. And the fact that I was able to make progress on my own gave me an enormous amount of energy that I can really draw on for some time to come.

Still, walking on blades remains on his list. "I'm not quite finished with it as there are still adjustments that can be made to make the experience even better. According to the technicians and physiotherapists, it is easiest to practise with stiff legs, i.e. without knees, for the first time. 
Also, for me, the blades could be more flexible so that you can catch more of the 'bounce' and take advantage of the springiness. Useful as I find it harder to push off. So that's for next time.