Werskey saw videos of Alida van Daalen on social media. She was tall, robust, and a promising young talent well-versed in major competitions, having won gold in the discus at the European Athletics U20 Championships in 2019.
Werskey reached out online to see if van Daalen was interested in coming to the U.S. for college. He tried again. And again. So did others schools.
“She is significantly taller than her competition and peers [in those videos]. She has this length and ability,” Werskey said Saturday following the Florida Relays. “All across the NCAA, everyone was standing in line to get a chance to talk to her. I know that much.”
Finally, after five no-thank-you responses over several months early in 2022, Werskey reached out to Jacqueline Goormachtigh. Jacqueline is Alida’s mother. She coached Alida growing up in Rotterdam, a major European port and second-largest city in the Netherlands.
Goormachtigh represented the Netherlands in the 1996 Atlanta Summer Olympics in the discus and now operates a throwing academy for aspiring athletes. Alida developed into her star pupil as they traveled Europe to train and compete in high-level events.
“She groomed her to be very good from a young age,” Werskey said. “That [call] slowly led to Alida and I establishing a connection. They checked some of the things I said with people in Europe, and here we are. When we brought her in for her official visit, you just knew that if she were going to come, she would be very serious about why she would be here. She wanted to get a degree but also wanted to pursue a high-end athletic career in this environment.”
The deep connection between Alida and her mother made leaving home unthinkable for Alida, the teenager. But after Werskey contacted Jacqueline, mom and daughter began to talk more seriously about the opportunity. That is when Alida’s eyes and ears opened.
“I will try and listen,” she said. “I’m kind of curious. Maybe this is meant to be.”
Alida started to consider the option late last summer, and finally, she and Jacqueline made an official visit to the UF campus in October, Alida’s first trip to the United…
CLICK HERE to Read the Full Original Article at Florida Gators…