De studenten zwem- en waterpolovereniging van Leiden
In recognition of exceptional services to the association, Aquamania has appointed four individuals as honorary members of the association.
The man who first built the pool for Aquamania is Jeroen van Bergen: our first Praeses. In the early 1990s, he came up with the idea of founding a student association that focuses entirely on practicing water polo. Together with his housemate, he went looking for like-minded people and found a group of about twenty people who gathered in outdoor pool the De Vliet at 7 am in the summer to train.
After this cautious run-up in 1991, the Eerste Leidse Student Water Polo Association [first student water polo association of Leiden] was founded on 17 June 1992 under his leadership.
Like every major organization, Aquamania has a Great Leader, nicknamed "Aquatollah." This man, with a little help, kept our great association alive for three years and with his plans like 'More' and 'Even more and better' took it to hitherto unknown heights. Before, in and after his three board years as Abactis and twice Praeses, Ingmar has always been one of the driving forces within the association. There is almost no committee he has not been part of. He set up participation in the NSZKs and can still be found there. He almost always participates in activities, to eventually do 'one more cassis'. If people needed to be encouraged to participate in activities, committees or competitions, Ingmar would have started recruiting before others even thought of it. He still gives training, and does so with gusto. This GA [General Assembly] tiger is also still an advisory body for the board and committees, even though, or perhaps precisely because, he has been around for more than 10 years. As Yvette once said on the nomination: 'Sometimes Ingmar was Aquamania'. Due to extraordinary commitment to the welfare of the association, with possible neglect of everything that had nothing to do with it, Ingmar 'Aquatollah' Kooman has deserved to be made an honorary member of E.L.S.Z.W.V. Aquamania.
Robert became a member of Aquamania in 2003 and soon he took over part of Wietse's practices. He took care of the association for six years. In addition, he held the position of water polo commissioner for two years on the boards of '04-'05 and '05-'06, culminating in the creation of the daughter association Aqualliance on August 25, 2005. The foundation is still celebrated anually together with Wietse, with a coke light, if possible in Oegstgeest at the notary nearby.
As a member, trainer, board member and father of Aqualliance, this versatile Aquamaniac has made an incredibly important contribution to the growth and prosperity of Aquamania's water polo branch and daughter association Aqualliance. That is why he deserved to be named an honorary member of E.L.S.Z.W.V. Aquamania and Aqualliance.
De 'oude garde'
The fact that Wietse is not mentioned in any almanac and has never held a board position, perhaps makes it a bit strange that he has become an honorary member. However, since 2001 Wietse has been the driving, inexhaustible & silent force of Aquamania in the background. He has taken many initiatives in the past that now shape the skeleton of Aquamania. For example, he founded two associations: the Aquafossils, the reunion association of Aquamania, and Aqualliance, the daughter association of Aquamania that was used to play in the NCS water polo competition. In addition, he has been checking treasurers in the KasCo for more than 10 years, has been on the technical committee for several years and has provided many practices together with Robert, he is still strongly present at GA’s and he is still committed to Aquamania at tournaments and water polo. He is someone the association can still count on, even after he has been an Aquafossiel member for years.
With support of: Robert Pijpers and Yvette Roozen