2008 - Coen van Rosmalen
Dear Coen,
The Flying Hoppers would like to congratulate you upon reaching the milestone birthday of 40 years old. As you have been playing hockey from the tender age of 10, we certainly expect you to play at the very least for another 30!
We would herewith like to honour you with the 'Flying Hoppers Player of the Year 2008' award, which you so richly deserve. You truly have made quite outstanding contributions to the cause of the Flying Hoppers on and off the pitch.
You have been among the most active and loyal FLYING HOPPERS TOURS participants in recent years, in particular during 2008 when you took part in all three tours, i.e. in New York, on that China/Singapore/Malacca trip and last but not least yet again in Bangkok. On all these occasions you played superb hockey as a most valuable mid-field player with a natural flair for attacking.
Off the pitch, your contributions to the cause are equally outstanding. The cause is simple: The Flying Hoppers are a travel team with focus on HAVING FUN when on tour. On several occasions you were voted 'BEST SOCIALISER' on these tours. You also kept a keen eye on the expenditure by fulfilling the task of CFO in absolutely supreme fashion. Given your impeccable character and great negotiating skills, you managed to help Hoppers mates on tour on many occasion, too many to list. Let's just mention two typical examples, namely your remarkably cool interaction with the Chinese police in Shanghai and your great door-opening skills at that Heineken venue in Beijing!
Your really pleasant and charming personality makes you a huge hit with all the Flying Hoppers. You excel in organizing dinners as well as after dinner outings, and you always make it look so easy. But we fully appreciate how much hard work goes into anything complex that ends up looking easy, and we also greatly admire your ability to drum up local support.
May you continue to be a great attacking midfielder for the FLYING HOPPERS for many, many years to come, and may you also remain at the heart and soul of our social life.
