March 11, 2026 – Heerenveen, NL – As the speedskating season ends and Jordan Stolz can finally take a well-deserved rest, we’ll feature a story about an interesting ceremony, at the famed oval of Thialf, as the celebration takes on a storybook quality.
Instead of simply stepping onto a podium, champions of the World Allround and sprint competitions are carried across the ice in a regal procession. Powerful black Friesian horses pull ornate sleighs more than a century old while the winning skaters ride in triumph.
The traditional ceremony blends speedskating with regional culture from the northern Dutch province of Friesland.
The rich deep-red or black wooden wagons, highlighted with gold trim, run on metal blades. The vintage wagons and their drivers are decorated in an effort to keep old traditions alive.
The craftsmanship of the wagon features vibrant colors, meticilously detailed ironwork and a gold plated gargoil-like character at the front.
The Friesian horses, native to Holland, are known for their shiny black coats and thick manes.
After a blanket is placed across the back, handlers begin adding decorative black leather harnesses with white stiching. Vintage bells jingle as silver buckles are sinched tight.
The horses wear special shoes fitted with spikes, giving them grip on the slick surface.
For the owners and drivers of the Friesian horses, participating in the ceremony is a rare privilege. “It’s the biggest honor you can get as a driver and owner of a Friesian horse. We are very excited that we can do this for Thialf and the skaters.”
As the horses glide across the ice with champions seated behind them, the ceremony transforms the modern world of elite speedskating into something older and almost royal.
The crowd remains long after the final race, watching the black horses and historic sleighs circle the rink, carrying the sport’s newest champions.
On a side note:
-It’s hard for people in the USA to fathom just how popular speedskating is in the Netherlands. To put into perspective, the races didn’t start until 1 p.m. on Sunday afternoon and by 8 a.m. that morning the Dutch were already arriving to wait outside the stadium for the event.
-Below is a photo of some of the equipment for the Friesian horse parade including wooden clogs for the driver of the sleigh.
-Behind the scenes, the skaters have to pass through an area called “the mix zone” before they can proceed to the lockerroom. Requests are made for specific skaters to be interviewed. The media stands behind a roped off section while athletes stand in front of a board with event supporters. While the media waited their conversation on Sunday afternoon, spoken in Dutch, turned to the media itself. Through a translator the question was asked, “Why is there only one reporter from America at the event, when Jordan Stolz is the best skater in the world?”
