Humans of beach handball: Linnet Popping

"I remember seeing it and thinking: this is for me; I need to play this sport. It was completely different to what I knew before; I knew I had things to learn, even though it would be easier as I had played handball. But I knew this thing was for me,” smiles Linnet now.

Along the way came national competitions with her club of Volendam. But there always is a turning point that makes you dream bigger. Popping found out she wanted to be on the national team and play at the international level when, in 2021, she was voted “best defender” of an international tournament with her club. “And even though beach handball is a team effort, I felt very proud. And it made me realise that I was ready to work hard for my dreams,” she recalls.

However, one of Linnet Popping’s main achievements in beach handball has nothing to do with dreams. Along with American player Christine Mansour, she set up a mixed Dutch-American beach handball team. “We met at a beach handball court, and it felt like this was meant to be. The team is half-American, half-Dutch, and we learn about each other a lot, on and off the court,” explains Popping.

A team enriching life off the court

The team sums up what beach handball is for Linnet Popping. “It is all about the adventure, getting to know new people, new cultures. Every year, I discover new things travelling around the world and meeting new faces. I’m very aware that if it weren’t for beach handball, I wouldn’t have seen a lot of things that I’ve seen in my life,” says the 29-year-old.

Those things include playing, for example, a Champions Cup finals with the Danish team of HEI Dame Blanche last October. They lost the final, but the event opened up a whole lot of different perspectives for the Dutch player in her sport.

“The stands were full, everybody was cheering and enthusiastic, and it was an incredible experience. I want to go back to this level,” she says before telling us another one of her goals in beach handball: “I want to play in an international competition with the Netherlands. A EURO, a world championship, maybe…I have not had the opportunity to play in such a competition yet, but if you ask me now what my dream is, that might be it.”

The value of shared experience  

Not only a beach handball player, but the Volendam player also has a degree in psychology and randomly uses what she has learnt at university on the sand, playing handball. “I know how your mind can affect your performance. So if I see a teammate being down after missing a couple of plays, I try to go to her; I generally try to be there for my teammates as much as possible,” she explains. 

Because, at the end of the day, beach handball and sports, in general, are about trying as hard as possible to fulfil your dreams. But as Linnet Popping concludes: “It’s way better to do it together than to do it on your own.”

Photos: Uros Hocevar / kolektiff