I started playing hockey at the Hilversum Mixed Hockey Club when I was six or seven years old. My older sisters played hockey, and as a little sister you naturally want to do what your sisters do. I always went with them, although I was more playing with the blades of grass than watching their hockey. But when I was finally old enough to play hockey myself, I started right away.

Always lived in the same place?

I was born in Amstelveen but grew up in Hilversum. Unfortunately,
in the D-age many players but especially also trainers left HMHC. At that moment I came into contact with district. At one point I had contact with a trainer from district who told me that if I wanted to take hockey seriously and continue to develop myself, it would be wise to go to a “top club”. A number of my teammates also left and went to SCHC, among others. My parents thought it was perfectly fine if I changed clubs. I do remember well that my mother also indicated that I should be able to cycle to the new club, so that I would remain independent. That is why my first choice was Laren, where I had trained once. During the selection training I really hit the ball over seven times, but fortunately the trainer who selected (Roelant Oltmans) still saw something in me.

And until when did you play there?

To the seniors. So from first-year C to second-year A. As a second-year A, I was allowed to train a bit with Ladies 1, which at the time had a mega good team with Naomi van As and Kim Lammers, among others. So it was really cool to be on the field with them. But that's where the ship ran aground. I had done a few training sessions at Pinoké, but then made the switch to Almere. That happened quite by chance, and actually because of Terrance Pieters. It was already
August and I still didn't know where I would play hockey, so I had a slight panic. I spoke to Terrance about it and he told me that Almeerse Dames 1 had just been promoted to the transition class and that it was a nice, young and close team. The coach at the time, Jigal Agsteribbe, was my coach in the B1. So the circle was complete. When I had trained with them, I was immediately convinced; I had always been a big fan of Almere's fighting mentality. In the meantime, I have been playing there for 8 years.

If you look at your career a little bit, you really built it up in an upward line. How did you develop yourself to be where you are now as a player?

Phew, good question. I think that for me 4 things were and still are very important. The first moment was when I chose to go to Laren, and therefore went a step further than just playing hockey for fun. This step also shows that I am always fanatical and want to improve. That is not only the case with hockey, I also always wanted to win at home during games. The second point I think is my perseverance and that I do not give up easily. For example, district, that could be quite tough for young children and quite a few children stopped after a while. I always continued, despite the fact that it was not always fun. It was really a very good learning experience for both hockey and my personality. I still get slight shivers when I come to Huizen now, because those trainings were always there. I also seized every opportunity to play hockey. When a team needed a substitute in the youth, I was at the front of the line to step in.
So I was at the club almost every week the whole weekend, to play with my own team on Saturday and play with Jong Dames 1 on Sunday and then watch Dames and Heren 1. Finally, I think it has helped a lot that I always ask for feedback from my trainers, coaches, but also fellow players. Both positive and constructive feedback is super important to have. This way you can easily find out what your weaker points are and what you can work on, but also what your strength is. And knowing what your strength is, is also very important! Oh yes - I am also convinced that you are really better when you enjoy it. That is why I am always looking for the fun in the game.

It's good to start off by saying that I'm half French. My mother is Dutch and
my father is French. That's why I have dual nationality. But it was actually through district that I came into contact with the French team. My sisters and I were previously registered with the KNHB by friends of my parents with a very long surname, which was a combination of my grandmother's surname and my own surname. Why did that happen? I have no idea, my surname is just Clot. But that surname caught the attention of someone at district, since it was clearly not a Dutch surname. She then went to my mother, and explained that the French association is also interested in players from abroad. The level of hockey in the Netherlands is of course super high, so players from the Netherlands who are allowed to play for France can be attractive to
they are. I then contacted the coach at the time and it turned out that I had to be 16 years old to be able to start. I can't remember the reason for that, perhaps it had something to do with the traveling. When I turned 16, we immediately contacted the coach again and I started a few
days later I travelled back and forth to Lille with my father to train with them. Then I joined the youth selection, where I played for 3 years. I played two European Championships under 18 and one European Championship under 21, and I was also allowed to train with the women's team. Unfortunately, I lost my enjoyment of the sport around the age of 19. That could have had to do with a lot of things, and I don't know exactly what it was. More and more was asked of us and I found that a bit intense at the time. At that time I couldn't muster my winning mentality and perseverance. I had many conversations at the time, including with coaches and teammates at Almere, and ultimately decided to take a step back with the French team. I didn't want to completely lose my enjoyment of the sport
so I thought it would be wise to take it easy and find my fun again. In January 2022 I got back in touch with the French coach, and after doing all kinds of tough physical tests and sending in video footage, I was allowed to come back at the end of May 2022 to be selected
to do.

What does your role look like now in the French team?

I play there, just like with Almeerse, in the back. I alternate the positions in the center back and right back a bit. In the beginning I had to get used to the right back position, I had never really been on the outside before. But it is also very nice to learn something new. It surprises
me also that it is really a different position than central defense. In addition, I have played almost my entire hockey career as a free man. So I had to get used to man-to-man coverage, but fortunately that is also getting better.

Was the rest of the French team already preparing?

Sure, they've been at it for a long time. When I got in touch with the coach of France again, they had just officially qualified for the Olympics. So they were already in the preparation phase, which the coach had also clearly indicated to me. When I was allowed to come, I really had to prove myself.

It is very important that I make a good plan, but that is not always easy. Fortunately, I get a lot of support and understanding from the people around me. My family, my boyfriend and my friends support me through thick and thin. It also helps that most of them have known me for a long time, for example I have had many friends since high school. Back then I also had to cancel parties sometimes because of hockey. It is also an advantage that my boyfriend is in the same boat and is also a fanatic hockey player himself. He is therefore often away for the sport, and also fully understands my ambition. Our Saturday evening together is really
sacred, where we watch all the games on viaplay together like hockey nerds on the couch. It's really nice that I never have to justify myself in my small circle if I can't join in one time, but it's really not always easy. For example, my friends often make spontaneous arrangements, and that's not possible for me. My schedule is quite tight, so if I change something, everything changes immediately and I'm stuck for the rest of the week. In addition to planning, it is therefore also very important to communicate openly with everyone. Not only privately, but also professionally. I am really lucky that my employer, Improven, is very willing to think along with me. That makes a big difference. In addition, it is important that you remain honest with yourself. A busy schedule can quickly cause you to ask too much of yourself and your body. Fortunately, my friends, my boyfriend and my family also keep a close eye on that part, and they regularly whistle me back when I take on too much. So it can be combined, but you do need discipline. And it has to remain fun. If you don't enjoy it anymore, a busy schedule quickly becomes too much. When it sometimes becomes too much for me, I also think about why I do it all. And that answer is simple; to be the best version of myself and therefore reach the Olympic Games. I think the Olympic Games are the crown for every top athlete, the most beautiful goal you can achieve as an athlete. The idea that I might go to the Olympic Games is still not entirely comprehensible, it is almost too good to be true. That goal is so beautiful, that I don't need much more to motivate myself.

Do you have other girls on your team who have the same thing, who also do so much at the same time?

Yes, there are several girls who work but also girls who study full time. That of course also takes a lot of time. Everyone has a busy schedule in any case. Most girls play hockey in Belgium, but some also in France, Germany and with me a few from the Netherlands. Because we train weekly in Brussels, most girls travel a lot, which also makes the schedules fuller

Before Paris we have another important stopover, namely the EC II in Prague. My focus is actually completely on that now, but in the back of my mind are the Olympic Games
always. And everything you do now, you take with you to that. It is nice to have an intermediate goal. The European Championship is a nice measuring moment, and we also have exactly one year afterwards to fine-tune everything. Furthermore, we have to be as fit as possible, for which we go to the gym two or three times a week and also run sprints or intervals. That is also what I give my full attention to; this summer, but also next summer, I want to be the fittest version of myself. Partly for that reason, I am also looking at work to see if I can work a few fewer hours. This means that I can sometimes exercise on Wednesday mornings at SMC, where I have been very well supervised by Mitch for a long time now.

In addition, I pay attention to my nutrition, so that I eat enough and therefore recover better. As a team, we have trained together in Belgium almost every Tuesday since this hockey year, and from June we have a nice and intensive summer program. From September we will train together every Monday and Tuesday, and in this way we gradually build up the intensity. This way you get to know each other better, also off the field. I like it when we also have time for each other off the field, so that we can chat or play games. That also ensures that you have more fun together on the field!

Welcome to the league moment

Losing 10-0 to the Netherlands during the European Under-18 Championship. That was tough. Hearing the crowd chant “ten, ten, ten” at a European Championship is quite a shock. Fortunately, the Netherlands is a very strong team, so that makes it a little better. However, I was already reading hockey.nl daily, and the title said “The Netherlands makes mincemeat of France” in bold. Ouch. Still, it was a really cool experience to play against
Playing the Netherlands, because you play against the best in the world.