Sports career (1994–2005)
Boy van Baarle made his first ski jump in 1994. [1] Initially, he also practiced alpine skiing. He began his professional sports career at the encouragement of one of the Dutch coaches after attending a so-called "talent day" organized annually by the Dutch Ski Association [ pl ]. [2] Along with him, a group of 10 athletes was selected, including one woman, Nathalie Rissema. Boy van Baarle was considered one of the most talented in this group and, encouraged by Jarno Bora (a former jumper and Dutch championship medalist), he soon began jumping on a ski hill with a construction point of 65 meters. [3]
He debuted in international competitions under the auspices of the International Ski and Snowboard Federation in March 2000, finishing in last place (54th) in a FIS Ski Jumping Continental Cup event in Rovaniemi. [4] He debuted in summer competitions on 15 July 2000 in Villach, where he finished 51st in a Continental Cup event. [5] His first points in the Continental Cup were earned on 11 February 2001 in Westby, USA, where after jumps of 100 and 92.5 meters, he placed 27th. [6] He scored more points in competitions held on 17 and 18 February 2001 in Iron Mountain – 11th place on the first day [7] and 29th on the second. [8] He scored his highest-ever career placement of 5th on 24 February 2001 in Ishpeming, after jumps of 85.5 and 87.5 meters. [9] Over the course of the 2000/2001 season, he earned 75 points and was ranked 109th in the overall Continental Cup standings. This season was also his best career performance. [10]
In March 2001, van Baarle was registered for the qualification round of the World Cup individual competition in Oslo but ultimately did not compete. [11] During the Continental Cup competition in Iron Mountain, Boy van Baarle set a new Dutch men's ski jump record of 123 meters, breaking the previous record of 118.5 meters held by Niels de Groot [ pl ]. In March 2001, at the Dutch Ski Jumping Championships in Ramsau am Dachstein, he won a bronze medal in the individual competition on the K-90 hill, finishing behind Ingemar Mayr [ pl ] (1st place) and Niels de Groot (2nd place). [12]
On 5 September 2001, Boy van Baarle made his debut in the main competition of the FIS Ski Jumping Grand Prix. He did not earn any points in the three main competitions of the 2001 season, with his best result being 40th place twice. In December 2001, he participated for the first time in a World Cup competition in Villach but did not qualify for the main event. In the team event, his team finished in last place, 10th. In the 2001/2002 season, he competed in the World Cup again on 27 January 2002 in Sapporo, where his team finished 11th in the team event. He participated in qualifiers for main events three more times, but never qualified. [13] Despite several starts, he did not score any points in the Continental Cup that season. However, he earned 3 points in the Summer Continental Cup with a 28th-place finish on 1 September 2001 in Park City. Since summer competitions were not then treated as a separate cycle, he was ranked 263rd in the overall Continental Cup standings. [14]
In the 2002/2003 season, Boy van Baarle primarily competed in the Continental Cup. Following the introduction of the summer Continental Cup as a separate cycle, he earned points in the inaugural edition. This occurred on 21 and 22 September 2002 in Calgary, where he placed 22nd and 25th, respectively, earning a total of 15 points. [15] During the winter Continental Cup, he scored points three times, all in Ishpeming. On 28 February 2003, he placed 22nd, followed by 19th on 1 March and 12th on 2 March. In total, across 15 events in the season, he accumulated 43 points, ranking 116th in the overall standings. [15]
In the following season, van Baarle again focused on Continental Cup competitions. He participated in eight summer Continental Cup events, scoring points only once, with a 29th place on 20 July 2003 in Calgary. This earned him two points and a 97th-place ranking in the overall summer standings. [16] On 30 November 2003, in Rukatunturi, he debuted in an individual World Cup event, finishing 69th out of 73 competitors. This was his first and only participation in an individual World Cup main competition. In the same season, he took part in 18 Continental Cup events, earning points only once with a 29th-place finish on 9 January 2004 in Sapporo. This result placed him 136th in the overall standings with two points. [17] Throughout the season, he also participated in six World Cup qualification rounds but never advanced to the main competition. [18]
The 2004/2005 season marked the end of his professional ski jumping career. He competed in five summer Continental Cup events without earning points, with his best result being 49th place on 10 July 2004 in Velenje. [19] In the winter cycle, he participated in 21 events, again without scoring points, with a best result of 32nd place on 26 February 2005 in Iron Mountain. His final international competition was the Continental Cup in Zakopane on 12 March 2005, where he placed 61st. [20]
In spring 2005, after the 2004/2005 season, van Baarle retired from professional ski jumping. [1] [21] At the time, he was the only Dutch athlete still actively competing in the sport and the last of the jumpers who had started their careers in the 1990s as part of the Dutch national team development plan. [22] His decision to retire was influenced by a lack of financial support from the Dutch Ski Association. [2]
