Bûter, brea en griene tsiis

Sports

Ice skating has been part of Frisian culture and sports for a long time and remains a popular winter sport to this day. The Thialf ice skating ring in Heerenveen has often been the stage for the World Championships and many professional riders practice in there. The ultimate race for Frisians is the Alvestêdetocht, or the tour of the Eleven Cities of Fryslân. In 1890 Pim Mulier skated nearly 200 kilometers through the 11 cities, after which he organized the first race in 1909. The race has been held only 15 times since, as it requires a thick layer of ice all across the province. Due to climate change, the chances of another alvestêdetocht seems to be diminishing, with the last tour having taken place on January 4th, 1997. Nevertheless, many Frisians still hope for a few really cold days and nights each winter.

During the summer there are also water races on old carrier ships known as skûtsjes. In the 19th century farmers used the races to make some extra money when they were out of work. Nowadays the races are usually organized by either the SKS or the IFKS. The SKS is the older organization and their races have contained the same 14 ships for years, although the captain and the crew may change. The IFKS is an open championship and has been quite popular, with over 60 skûtsjes competing in recent years.

The game 'keatsen' has been around since the 17th century and from 1854 onwards the Permanent Commission of the Keatsgroup Franeker has organized the most important matches for this sport. This event is held in Franker every year and upholds many old traditions. The sport itself is rather complicated and many Frisians don't understand the rules.

Another typical Frisian sport consists of an athlete, a canal and a long stick. The objective is to get as far as possible from one side of the body of water to the ohter. Fierljeppen literally means 'far leaping' and has been around for more than a thousand years.