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Haarlem/ Zandvoort | September 22, 2022
Triple Threat: 'A role model can make all the difference'
Club of the Year, winner of the Grote Appeltje van Oranje award, Coach of the Year. Haarlem-based club Triple ThreaT has received widespread recognition in recent years. Twin brothers Philip and Dominique Schemmekes are incredibly proud. "This feels like recognition for everyone who has poured their heart and soul into this club for years.". It is also much more than an association. It is a positive lifestyle community, for and by young people. Sports and all sorts of other initiatives are used here to help them develop. Nearly 700 young people from the disadvantaged neighborhood discover their passion and strength here. And all this in a warm, positive environment. Guess what? It works!
The brothers grew up in the Schalkwijk neighborhood of Haarlem. Philip Schemmekes: “My mother was Ghanaian, my father was Dutch, and I had a younger sister. My parents were divorced, and we didn't have much money at home. We weren't well off and spent a lot of time outdoors.” Dominique adds: “We became independent early on. We did our own thing to put less pressure on the home front. The street was our playground, and we drew inspiration from other, older guys. To be honest, they weren't the best role models. I made bad choices, got a name, and started acting accordingly. Success comes from things other than what I was doing at the time.” Philip also looks back on that period with mixed feelings. “Choosing the easiest path isn't always the smartest, I know now. But you're stuck in a cycle, and it's not easy to break out of it. We had some bad friends, social services were involved, the police… Luckily, we came into contact with sports then, in our case basketball, and that changed our lives.” Dominique says it very emphatically: “Basketball was my savior!”
Success doesn't come easy
Role models are essential. Just like people who believe in you and give you confidence. Others who show you that you have a choice. That you can also take a different path. Philip is convinced that a good example can inspire others. “For example, I benefited immensely from a coach who taught me that if you want to achieve something, you have to work for it. Success doesn't just happen. For example, I really wanted to become a professional basketball player in the NBA, in America. That was my dream. But that requires three things: having your school in order, otherwise you won't be accepted into a college. You have to be good because you need references. So that required a change in behavior. I had to become a good person. And finally, I had to work harder than the rest because why else would American clubs hire me from the Netherlands? That dream was a great motivation to turn my life around.”
I got perspective
Dominique also took up basketball and proved to be equally talented. "That sport has been so good for me. I was so engrossed in it that I no longer had time to get into trouble. Being on the court, training, playing, and learning gave me a different perspective on life. I gained perspective. Sports offer structure. It was good to function in a team, to be given and take responsibility, to work together. But it was also good for me to live a disciplined life. Basketball is very urbanA sport of the city. Music, rap, hip-hop—it's all part of it. At the same time, the discipline is intense and it's physically and mentally demanding. Your entire body is used, and you can't perform without being fit and healthy. And, very importantly, you can't do it alone. You need each other to achieve something as a team. You have to move almost as one body.
Tapping into passion
"Basketball was also a defining moment for me," says Philip. "Precisely because we know how easily you can drift in a different direction, we started Triple ThreaT in 2009 with childhood friend Okrah Donkor. On a Sunday afternoon, we'd play basketball and listen to music on a court with local kids. We weren't even 20 yet, but we'd already experienced how role models can inspire. Now we wanted to show younger kids a different path. Tap into their passion, and to do that, we needed to create more connections." From occasional afternoons, it became increasingly serious. The Triple ThreaT association now consists of three pillars: the Foundation, which reaches almost 700 young people from the neighborhood every week; the Basketball Association with 25 teams, several of which play at the highest level; and Indoor Soccer. An Academy has also been established within the Basketball Association. Dominique: "We want to help young people excel both athletically and socially. We use elite sports as a means to empower participants in the broadest sense of the word. You should also see it as an extension of the classroom. We support student-athletes by fostering an elite sports mentality, with a strong focus on personal development."
One big building
The association now has a Lifestyle Centre. Philip: "We dance here, cook, cut hair, play sports, and make music—basically anything the space allows and the young people themselves come up with. Internships and homework support are also part of the program." United by dreams "That's our slogan, and that's how we truly see it. Dream! Do it together. Think about what you want to discover, try out, and we'll see what's possible. We're currently running out of space, and many activities are spread across the city. My own dream is to have one large building where we can connect and bring all the activities together. We've really outgrown our current space."
Warm social safety net
Self-reliance is central to Triple ThreaT's mission. Dominique: "We use sports, culture, and lifestyle as a means to help young people on their path to adulthood. We want to create a positive environment where they have the opportunity to reach their full potential. A place with a warm social support network, opportunities, and role models, and where the sense of family is highly valued." Philip: "You could call us a positive lifestyle community can call it. Young people are given trust, recognition, and responsibility. Because everyone has potential and talent. Some just need a little push. And that's where we come in. But, it must be said, we can't reach everyone. Sometimes young people drop out. That's still painful, but the door is always open. The warm welcome is there. We'll always be there for them. Behavioral change requires three things: the need, the necessity of the change, the desire, and the ability. If one of these three is missing, it won't work. And we deal with young people who have a lot to overcome. They often experience setbacks. They haven't always had the opportunities or the role models. They haven't been given confidence. We've experienced that ourselves. So we know what it's like in the neighborhood."
We understand each other
Dominique adds: “I think that's why we're so successful. We speak the language of the street. We were once the same ourselves. The young people can identify with us. We understand them, and they understand us. And we believe in them. We see them and, above all, see the possibilities and opportunities. The talent and the passion. Young people from the neighborhood are involved in the organization and trained as role models. They become pillars of support, and that's how they can make a difference in their own communities. This gives these young people perspective and opportunities again. It's truly wonderful to see.” Philip: “I'm proud of everything we achieve together. When you see young people grow and make different choices… That's what you do it for. That's when everything comes together, and magical things happen.”
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