Mayor Stemerdink Presents a Royal Honor to Ms. Schrama-van Leeuwen
On Saturday, July 4, Mayor Nadine Stemerdink presented a royal decoration to Ms. A.M.E. Schrama-van Leeuwen. She received the decoration for her long-standing and multifaceted dedication to swimming and swimming instruction in Leiden. The presentation took place during the 140th anniversary celebration of ZVL-1886 at Buitenbad De Vliet.
Ms. Schrama-van Leeuwen joined the water polo committee at the Leiden swimming club LZ1886 in 1994. Until 2007, she was closely involved in organizing competitions and coaching youth teams in particular.
In 2008, she became the general coordinator of swimming lessons at the Stichting Stimulering Zwemonderricht Leiden e.o. (Stizol). Until 2018, this foundation provided weekly swimming lessons for approximately 400 to 500 children at the Vijf Meibad. In this role, she guided parents and children as they began swimming lessons and ensured the smooth organization of the swimming instruction program. Following the 2018 merger of LZ1886, Stizol, and De Zijl Zwemsport to form ZVL-1886, she continued her work as general coordinator. As membership grew, her workload increased further, and her responsibilities expanded to include, among other things, assisting with reimbursement requests and tracking student progress.
In addition, Ms. Schrama-van Leeuwen is certified to teach swimming lessons and regularly fills in when a swimming instructor is unavailable.
In 2024, she was named an Honorary Member of ZVL-1886 for her many years of service as a volunteer.
Ms. Schrama-van Leeuwen is being appointed a Member of the Order of Orange-Nassau for her contributions to the sport of swimming.