When Ted-Jan Bloemen was a young speedskater, he struggled to find his place in Holland’s fabled star system. He was a good skater, in a place that creates the absolute best . Ted-Jan never found that mix of coaching, practice and competition that great performances demand. It’s hard to overstate how much strength of mind it took for him to leave the Dutch team behind and come to Canada, in pursuit of better results. It’s also hard to overstate how incredibly well that decision worked out for him. Ted did not just thrive in Canada, he became one of the top two or three endurance Speedskaters in the world. Smashed the 10,000 m record. Olympic Gold. World Champion. And this is an area that Canada had never ever done particularly well in. Ted-Jan Bloemen made the world look at Canada’s speedskating system in amazement. His success here has also opened doors for the next generation of Canadian Speedskating greats. Young athletes have an example to follow now, and a program that has proven to work. As he tells fellow speedskater Anastasia Bucsis in this episode of Player’s Own Voice podcast, The Dutch system has so much talent, it can afford to let a prospect get away. For someone like Ted, who needed a little more time to find his wheels, Canada’s openness to developing a promising talent was just the ticket.