THE HAGUE - Glenn Hoffman, the 24-year old billiard player from The Hague, has met the love of his life almost at the billiard table. ,,We're very much in love,'' says the Dutch player when he talks about his relationship with his Colombian girlfriend Andrea.
,,We've planned she'll come to the Netherlands later, but first I'm going to Colombia this summer for two and a half months.''
A new period and a new challenge are coming up in Glenn Hofman's life, not only in private, also with his move as a player, from the Dallinga top team to The Hague. He performed in the Dutch league with the Dallinga team for seven years, the last years with Frédéric Caudron, Eddy Leppens, Jean Paul de Bruijn and Peter De Backer.
Kozoom called on Glenn Hofman, one of the most talented three cushion players in the world, after the victory in the Dutch Cup final for an interview. He took third place at the European championships last year and was third at the World Games. ,,The most important thing for me is that I continue my development in the upcoming years.''
Kozoom/Frits Bakker: Your great love, Andrea, who's 24, like you, is in the Netherlands now and will soon return to Colombia. Tell us: how and where did you meet her?
Glenn Hoffman: ,,We met each other for the first time during the World Games in Cali, half an hour by plane from where she lives in the capital city Bogota. She is a fanatic billiard player herself, who's playing in the tournaments in her country. When we first met, we only saw each other, nothing else. But we spoke on facebook a few months later and then fell awfully in love. So, we made plans that she would come to the Netherlands.''
Kozoom/FB: She lives in Bogota, is one of the lady players there... what can you tell more about her?
GH: ,,She's still living with her parents: they have a fairly large company in the suburbs, but close to the city. Andrea graduated as a graphic designer. Her parents' company produces family cards, business cards and shows up at major fairs in Colombia and other countries as Peru. Andrea works in her parents' business. She plays three cushion with an average around 0.500.''
Kozoom/FB: You close the billiard season with a farewell to the Dallinga/Frans Bevers team, which won the cup final last weekend. And in a few weeks you are the main contender for the championship. How will it be, say goodbye to the team you've played several seasons?
GH: ,,I must say that it has touched me deeply, to hear that the team in this line-up would stop suddenly. I really did not expect that to happen. They always have treated me perfectly in the seven years I was there. I had a wonderful time. There was no fight at all, believe me. The new (top) team and the new sponsor changed all the plans. We all know, it can happen in billiards, you have to accept it.''
,,I have to say, the good thing is that I get some new opportunities. I'm the leading player in my Belgian team already and now, next season, I take the number one position in the Jorissen team in the Netherlands. Ten minutes from my house. I can also practice at Jorissen's billiards café in The Hague. They are all people I know there, that's a big difference. There will be some pressure to perform for my own people.''
,,But as I said, I had a super nice time in Sluiskil and learned a lot, playing together with all those top guns in the team. For now it might be good to go my own way. To play a leading role was not possible in Sluiskil with all the great players.''
Kozoom/FB: How do you see your own development after the successful years as a junior player?
GH: ,,I am satisfied with what I have achieved on the international stage so far. Third at the European championships, where I showed up for the first time, third at the World Games. My World Cup results are disappointing in a way, but it's very difficult, the level is very high. I manage to reach the main tournament, sometimes, but then your next opponent is Caudron, Merckx or another world class player. It's really very tough to survive.''
,,My averages in the leagues are still growing every year. This year I'm around 1.500 both in the Netherlands and in Belgium. I'm happy with that, but still I want to continue of course, to improve in all tournaments and leagues.''
Kozoom/FB: You finish the season now with Dallinga in the playoffs; what're you doing further this year?
GH: ,,I would like to play the World championship in South Korea and at the same time the World Cup. The World championship is normally reserved for the top 22 in the world. So for the Netherlands, two players, Dick Jaspers and Jean Paul de Bruijn, should play there. It seems that they want to change the rules and that only the top sixteen will be seeded for the World championship. It would be very disappointing, if the UMB, the world federation, would do that. They should not change the rules in the midst of a season. The Dutch federation will make a complaint for sure, when they change it. It happened to me before with the Junior World championship in Guatemala, where they changed the rules of age.''
Kozoom/FB: So, next month, off to Colombia for more than two months. Which plans did you made? Will you miss important tournaments due to your holidays?
GH: ,,Maybe I'll miss one, the Dutch Grand Prix in Rosmalen, that's all. I would like to give some lessons in Colombia, practice a lot and of course I want to be with Andrea. As I said before, we are very much in love and want to enjoy our time there.''
Note: UMB president Jean Claude Dupont reacted to the interview:
,,I've read the interview with Glen Hofman and unfortunately I have to contradict him concerning the World championship rules. The reason why we have changed the rules, I already explained in the Kozoom interview in Luxor (wider representation of more players and more federations responding to the standards of the IOC). The reduction from 21 to 16 seeded players is in favor of the confederations (and the federations) and so, perhaps we can allow any federation to participate, which otherwise would be outside the list.
The decision on the matter has been taken during the month of October 2013 during a plenary UMB Board meeting. The regulation will be soon amended and published.
The sports season starts on September 1 of the current year (in terms of national and confederal world championships).''