Diederik Hol
Encyclopedia
Diederik Hol is a Dutch
Design Engineer, designer of the patented Dual Box
inline skate frame and the Narrow Shape Cross-Section (NSX) ice blade
, and founder/director of skate company CadoMotus Skating BV.
After obtaining his engineer's degree
in Design Engineering from Delft University of Technology
in the Netherlands, Hol became involved in a graduate project with Interraps - a Dutch producer of inline and ice skates - working on a planned improvement of the first (Viking) clapskate design with the aim of turning a 100-year-old patent into a product that could break ice speed skating world records. He graduated having worked on the Rotrax skate, a complex clap skate conceived as a multiple-hinge
frame aimed at controlling deformation and allowing for a more powerful push-off.
After spending time as a designer working on a wide variety of other projects, he was able to return to the niche skate design industry full-time in 1999 when approached by Sportsinline International BV to design an entire product line of inline skates for its Mogema
brand. With previous employer Interraps possessing the patent that basically covered all existing inline frames at the time, Hol was driven to come up with something completely new. After a year working on the project, Hol completed the Dual Box inline frame. Results on the product were to come 2 years later in 2001 with the worldwide inline racing
success of elite skaters of the period such as Jorge Botero (Colombia), Arnaud Gicquel (France) and Kalon Dobbin (New Zealand) using Dual Box frames in World Inline Cup
and World Inline Speed Skating Championship events.
Subsequently, Hol returned his design focus to ice speedskating and, based on technologies being utilised in the development of hockey and figure skates, designed the Narrow Shape Cross-Section (NSX
) ice blade. The NSX was the first ice skate produced under the Mogema name and was a departure from the traditional rigid, pre-bent racing blades used in longtrack speed skating, providing a straight blade that featured an adaptive radius. The NSX product line was expanded by Mogema in response to growing market interest at the time, however in a traditionally change-resistant ice speedskating market the product never achieved a significant market share.
Following the decommissioning of Sportsinline International by its parent company in 2006, Hol started work on his own company. In February 2007, new skate company CadoMotus (CadoMotus Skating BV) appeared online and through a global network of distributors in the niche speed skating market with ice and inline speed skates.
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
Design Engineer, designer of the patented Dual Box
Dual Box
Dual Box or DualBox is the trademark name for the patented tubular sidewall inline skating frame, which employs the mechanical properties of the tubular to optimize the performance of a frame or chassis that secures the wheels on an inline skate .Designed in 1999 by Dutch Design Engineer Diederik...
inline skate frame and the Narrow Shape Cross-Section (NSX) ice blade
Ice skate
Ice skates are boots with blades attached to the bottom, used to propel the bearer across a sheet of ice. They are worn as footwear in many sports, including ice hockey, bandy and figure skating. The first ice skates were made from leg bones of horse, ox or deer, and were attached to feet with...
, and founder/director of skate company CadoMotus Skating BV.
After obtaining his engineer's degree
Engineer's degree
An engineer's degree is an advanced academic degree in engineering that is conferred in Europe, some countries of Latin America, and a few institutions in the United States....
in Design Engineering from Delft University of Technology
Delft University of Technology
Delft University of Technology , also known as TU Delft, is the largest and oldest Dutch public technical university, located in Delft, Netherlands...
in the Netherlands, Hol became involved in a graduate project with Interraps - a Dutch producer of inline and ice skates - working on a planned improvement of the first (Viking) clapskate design with the aim of turning a 100-year-old patent into a product that could break ice speed skating world records. He graduated having worked on the Rotrax skate, a complex clap skate conceived as a multiple-hinge
Hinge
A hinge is a type of bearing that connects two solid objects, typically allowing only a limited angle of rotation between them. Two objects connected by an ideal hinge rotate relative to each other about a fixed axis of rotation. Hinges may be made of flexible material or of moving components...
frame aimed at controlling deformation and allowing for a more powerful push-off.
After spending time as a designer working on a wide variety of other projects, he was able to return to the niche skate design industry full-time in 1999 when approached by Sportsinline International BV to design an entire product line of inline skates for its Mogema
Mogema
Mogema is a registered brand trademark owned by Sportsinline International BV , a Dutch company that specialized in the design and production of inline- and ice speedskating products. Sportsinline International was founded by the parent company of the Mogema group to design and produce speedskating...
brand. With previous employer Interraps possessing the patent that basically covered all existing inline frames at the time, Hol was driven to come up with something completely new. After a year working on the project, Hol completed the Dual Box inline frame. Results on the product were to come 2 years later in 2001 with the worldwide inline racing
Inline speed skating
Inline speed skating is the sport of racing on inline skates It is often called inline racing by participants. Although it primarily evolved from racing on traditional roller skates, the sport is similar enough to ice speed skating that many competitors are now known to switch between inline and...
success of elite skaters of the period such as Jorge Botero (Colombia), Arnaud Gicquel (France) and Kalon Dobbin (New Zealand) using Dual Box frames in World Inline Cup
World Inline Cup
The World Inline Cup is the leading competition in inline speed skating. It is accredited by the International Roller Sports Federation.The cup consists of a series of marathons held throughout the year. It was founded in 1998 as the European Inline Cup, and became the World Inline Cup in 2000....
and World Inline Speed Skating Championship events.
Subsequently, Hol returned his design focus to ice speedskating and, based on technologies being utilised in the development of hockey and figure skates, designed the Narrow Shape Cross-Section (NSX
NSX
NSX may refer to:* Namibian Stock Exchange , a stock exchange based in Namibia, Africa* Narrow Shape Cross-Section Blade , a design of ice-skating blade from Diederik Hol...
) ice blade. The NSX was the first ice skate produced under the Mogema name and was a departure from the traditional rigid, pre-bent racing blades used in longtrack speed skating, providing a straight blade that featured an adaptive radius. The NSX product line was expanded by Mogema in response to growing market interest at the time, however in a traditionally change-resistant ice speedskating market the product never achieved a significant market share.
Following the decommissioning of Sportsinline International by its parent company in 2006, Hol started work on his own company. In February 2007, new skate company CadoMotus (CadoMotus Skating BV) appeared online and through a global network of distributors in the niche speed skating market with ice and inline speed skates.