Erica Terpstra

Personal

Vocation

Traits

Dutch Olympic swimmer, politician for the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD), television journalist and travel reporter, theosofist and spiritual seeker. She was born as an incubator baby, thin and slender. After the war, the family moved to Indonesia. Her father was teacher at a police academy. At age 8, the family returned to the Netherlands. A doctor gave her parents the advice: "Let the child go swimming, this could make her perhaps a bit stronger!" So she ended up in the Hague Swim & Polo Club HZ & PC And that proved to be a golden opportunity. During the early 1960s Terpstra was a freestyle swimmer in the Netherlands, specializing in the 100 meters. She participated in the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome where she came sixth in the 100m Freestyle, and fourth in the 4x100 Medley Relay. She also went to the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo and became third in the 4x100 metres Freestyle Relay and second in the 4x100 metres Medley Relay. Terpstra also won medals in the 1962 European championships and was champion of the Netherlands several times. After her swimming career, that she combined with a study of Japanese and Chinese in Leiden, she became teacher Dutch for Chinese. Thereafter she was sport journalist. From 8 June 1977 till 15 December 2003, she was member of Dutch Parliament for the liberal People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD). Only between 22 August 1994 until 3 August 1998, she left Parliament for a function as Undersecretary for Health, Welfare and Sport in the Cabinet Kok. On 21 October 2003 Terpstra was elected chairperson of the Dutch Olympic Committee*Dutch Sports Federation (NOC*NSF), beating Ruud Vreeman the official candidate in the election. As chair in 2005, she was the first to present the new Fanny Blankers-Koen Trophy to Anton Geesink, Sjoukje Dijkstra, Nico Rienks and Ard Schenk on 9 December in the new skating rink in Turin, a few months before the start of the 2006 Winter Olympics. She was supposed to award an FBK Trophy to Johan Cruijff as well, but he couldn't make it due to obligations at the pool drawing for the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Leipzig. During her tenure with NOC*NSF she was always well known for being present at every major sporting event in which Dutch athletes competed and for being exuberantly enthusiastic at every success. Terpstra retired from NOC*NSF in May 2010. Since early 2011, Terpstra presented a travelling program Erica op Reis. Personal Terpstra was married and two children. Link to Wikipedia