Teacher Talks About Helping Dutch Athletes

Greetings, my name is Glen Loveland. I am a 53 year old school teacher, father of five and husband for the last 30+ years. I live in the small community of Kaysville, approximatly 20 miles north of Salt Lake City.

My first experience with the Dutch people was between 1967 and 1970 when I volunteered as a missionary in your great nation. I returned to Holland in 1995 as part of a European vacation with my family.

I appreciate the history, culture and food of your unique land. I am looking forward to assisting the Netherland's deligation by helping you enjoy your Paralympic experience at the 2002 Winter Games. See you in March!

World Traveller Stops to Assist in Paralympics

My name is Jona Kap. At this moment, I work as a technical writer for Novell, a software company in Provo Utah. I am 26 years old and I have graduated from Brigham Young University with a bachlors degree in English.

I lived in the Netherlands from the summer of 1996 until December of 1997. That's how I learned Dutch. While there, I lived in Groningen, Amsterdam, and Den Haag. I have also lived in North Belgium and learned also a little Flemmish.

My hobbies are scuba diving and traveling. Actually, this year, I have been to Bonaire, London, the Netherlands, and Fiji. All of these places were amazing! I am actually met quite a few people from the Netherlands while I was in Bonaire. It seems to be a popular spot for Nederlanders to take a vacation.

I look forward to meeting you and working directly with you. I wish you the best of success in your individual sports and contests.

Former Dutch Cow Milker to Lend a Hand

My name is Ralph Crook. I was born in Heber City, Utah on a dairy farm milking Dutch cows. We left the farm when I was nine years old but farming never left me. I returned to Heber to live with my aunt and uncle who's farm is right next to Soldiers Hollow, the cross country venue.

I was a missionary for my church to the Netherlands starting in March 1971, and that shaped my whole life. After my return I attended The University of Utah school of business and met a beautiful girl named Diane. That was in November of 1973. We were married in June of 1974. We have four great kids. Jeremy, 26, at school at Utah State, horticulture. Roger, 23, In the Air Force as jet engine mechanic, He's married to Carole and we have no grandchildren yet. Jennifer,20, ticket dest manager for Sky West Airlines and Melissa, 17, a senior and cheerleader at Woods Cross High School.

We still carry on many Dutch traditions at our home. All of our animals have Dutch names and we love the Dutch people.

Dutch Student in America:
Finds Strength with Dutch Paralympians

My name is Kimberly Jackson. I was born in Alblasserdam South-Holland, Netherlands. For about a year and a half, I have lived and worked in Provo, Utah—an inviting town, filled with students, that is roughly forty-five minutes south from Salt Lake City. I work and study at Brigham Young University and sometimes I have time to do something fun during the weekend. Many of my friends here are also international students and thus, we have much in common.

A few of my friends and family members from the Netherlands have been here on vacation. They have enjoyed the Utah's beautiful landscape—the son and the snow. It is difficult to get used to the dryness and living in the desert after all the rain in the Netherlands, but if you take the time to discover what the landscape and the climate together bring, then you are sold.

I must admit that I miss the Netherlands, especially the friendliness of the people. I even get homesick from time to time for a sandwich with cheese and hagelslag.

I look forward to the Paralympic games and working with the Dutch team. I hope that they bring with them their pride of the Netherlands and a competitive performance. Good luck!

American Has License to Speak Dutch

Hi! My name is Garrett Winn. I grew up in California, but I currently live in Utah, where I am a technical writer and usability engineer at a company called NextPage. Although we are a small company, we have clients like ABN-Amro who use our software.

I am 30 years old and I have a degree in English from Brigham Young University. I lived in the Netherlands from 1991 to 1993 and learned to speak Dutch fairly well during that time. Unfortunately, I have not had many chances to practice, so I am not as good at speaking Dutch anymore. I am looking forward to working with you so I can get some good practicing in!

When I was in the Netherlands, I lived in Eindhoven, Assen, Rotterdam (north), Maastricht, and Den Helder. As you can see, I got to see lots of different parts of the country.

I love to read (I brought back several Dutch books with me), play computer games, and be with my family. I have been married for almost 8 years, and we have 3 children: 2 girls and then a baby boy.