Influencer Vergilly Winklar

Interview January 2024

“SPORTS IS ONE OF THE MAIN AREAS THAT GIVE THE YOUTH STRENGTH TO EXCEL. BUT TO GET THAT FAR THEY NEED LEADERS“

Vergily Winklar is pure Gold!

By Arlene Parris
All pictures provided by Vergilly Winklar

“We have to take sports to the people with the same interest we have to cultivate International Sports Talents who compete”.  Investments are needed, and so is the determination to have all the funds ready locally first, and then the large investors will come. I agree classical music gives you an edge on a hot Friday, 10 days before Christmas. Ivan and I spoke to him before X-mas and by the time you read this article, you are ready for other challenges in your life and strategies to have more generations to help share and Uplift the world: Vergilly is very open and he explains everything in detail.

According to Vergilly: ”Sports is one of the main areas that give the youth strength to Excel. But to get that far they need leaders. Strong leaders who can set the tone. I work for the SEDREKO foundation and everywhere we go to promote sports amongst our youth in the lower-class neighborhoods that don’t have the facilities nor the equipment, I get the challenge. We have to get creative, even if funds are limited”.

Could you share something about your family and were you born in Curaçao?
“I was born in Curaçao in the ‘bario’ Saliña and I was raised by my grandmother in the first 9 years of my life, as both my parents worked. When I was born, I had to overcome some physical challenges, but we have overcome them. At the age of 9, I went to live with my parents. I have a sister and a brother. But I also was very involved with my neighbors as we grew up being like brothers and sisters to one another.”

What is your educational background?
“I have a myriad of educational backgrounds, I have been to Radulphus College during my High School years, and I have studied Civil Engineering, Accounting, and Management while I was in Holland where I have worked and studied. I am a certified massagist, coach, therapist, and computer programmer and I have followed a multitude of other courses over the years. I did a high level Project Management Course at Madeco and became certified. I don’t have a recent update on my latest courses. When I came back to Curaçao in 1995, I started working at APNA in the local investment department.  In 1996 I started my own company and became the first Financial Controller (setup) of SEDREKO in 1999 and worked there for 12,5 years, spent some time on my own business till 2017 that is when I started to notice the deterioriation of sports fields. I was involved in the preparatory work to set up Sedreko way back, later on, Sedreko was transformed into Fundashon Desaroyo Deportivo Kòrsou (FDDK) and I was approached to apply for a vacant position, which I did and I got hired as I was wondering when I came in Curaçao what was happening in sports, as I noticed that sports fields were deteriorating, there was a focus towards Baseball and a focus on Top Sports, where the need for sports in a broader sense was not being paid enough attention to. There was a policy in place but there was room for improvement when I took over in 2019 and sports needed a lot of money.

My philosophy is to spread sports and more physical movement in the ‘bario’s’ and by doing just that you can attract enough players to practice Top Sport. I am also a great fan of school competitions and a broader variety of sports in the ‘bario’s’, like promoting ‘slagbal’ because it can lead to sports in general and more competitive sports. I never sat still and I have been very entrepreneurial all my life.”

Does it help that have been so entrepreneurial now that you are a director of FDDK?
“It helps but at the same time it poses a big challenge when you aim to have quick decision-making in this environment, when it is either do or die. The upside is that being entrepreneurial helps to bring about cultural organizational changes in a culture that is “laid back”. It also helps to improve the quality and growth that I want to achieve. But these changes don’t happen overnight and it progresses only slowly. But on the other side my vast network of contacts that I used to have and still have, helps me a lot.”

Are the desired changes that you wanted to achieve, is this gaining ground?
“I believe that we have increased awareness of the importance of sports and physical.  We started a project ‘Let’s start moving in sports and let’s move’, together with the government. It aimed at promoting movement just before Covid struck in 2019, we emphasized the importance of any kind of movement and explained the benefits of movement for the body, our health, mobility, and the clarity of our mind. If you compare a person who has practiced sports their whole life with one who hasn’t, you can see the differences when they are between 60 and 70 years old. One needs to practice sports and movement when we are healthy. That is why I am also a great advocate of inter-insular sports competitions as it helps in creating durable friendship relations and it helps in strengthening the community sense on the islands.

All the more reasons, to start moving. It is now official as published in the decree, the 3rd month of November, has been declared “The week for sports and movement” as of 2023. So let’s start moving.”

Does it bother you that our local talents have competed under the flag of the Netherlands since 2010?
“Yes, this is a very deep question, but what is there to do about it? We became autonomous in the Dutch Kingdom as Curaçao just at a time when the International Sports Committee decided to refuse to give out new licenses to newly formed non-independent countries and not one got their license since then, no matter what we tried. To compete you need a license authorized by the International Sports Committee, so for the moment, we have to live with this by either competing under the flag of the Netherlands or the flag of Aruba or a white flag.”

What is your BIG Why?
“I am very aware that with determination every human being can contribute to the world. I am convinced that we as human beings can develop a lot more of our potential.

I want to lead by example, especially in those areas where I am evolving, I want to enable people either on a personal or on a larger scale, to develop their potential, so that they can become better human beings even on the world level. That makes me very happy.”

Where do you want to be 5 years from now?
“Within 5 years from now, I want to put FDDK back at the level it was in 2010. I want FDDK to become a National Sports Institute.

On a personal level, I would like to live back in the USA. I have a daughter living in Sint Thomas and another daughter living in New York. She has just moved to Texas in the meantime and this inspires me a lot.

I want Curaçao to understand what “Sports in its broadest meaning”, means. Sports with more physical movement offer so many numerous benefits to be gained and this will in the end also result in better results performances at the level of Top Sports. This mindset I want to offer to the country.”

Can you share with us the soon-to-start program aimed at weight loss? It is as we have understood a collaboration between FDDK and Lab de Med and it aims at weight loss for some super-sized persons, can you elaborate on this, please?
“We have a program for the whole of 2024 that was prepared with all its details where obese people will be coached and mentored by fitness instructors, medical doctors, and dieticians to lose weight. It is a collaboration between LAB de Med and FDDK. The program will last 6 months for the participants and aims at motivating the participants to lose weight and get involved in more physical activities and movement. Unfortunately, we have a lot of women who are obese in Curaçao. We will offer the program to groups of 4 people of which 2 or more need to be women. We will measure their progress every month. The program also aims to take away the shame and we aim to achieve long-term results and hope to let their bodies get accustomed to a healthier body and hopefully release the participants of the need for emotional eating. For example, the body wants nutrition, in the case of an obese person it wants calcium, ice cream has a lot of calcium but it also has a lot of sugar. We want to reverse this habit and craving. These habits are created when we are between 12 and 17 years old and this youth creates a memory of this in its DNA. For us, it is important to start at an early age to create healthy habits and within 2 to 3 generations this will affect the whole of society.”

What is a trait that is still a work in progress?
“On a personal level, it means not to fall prey to a culture of procrastination.

On a professional level, it means that I have to push hard for certain things to happen and this means being less empathetic at times. The efforts needed to change our mentality towards physical movement, exercise, and sports are something I am very passionate about.

I have a coach who lives in South Africa and this coaching makes me aware of my tendencies to procrastinate and my triggers.”

How do you use your ‘Inner voice’?
“I was raised with this. I meditate, I practice yoga, I can let go rather easily and allow the Universe to guide me. Once I have been through this I can come out very confident out of this dilemma.”

How do you keep up with your knowledge and skills level?
“Technology is very helpful. I am constantly reading about Personal Development. I do a lot of research online.

I am always very keen to listen to people who are more advanced and experienced than me and I check if what they say and do are aligned, as everybody has one kind of skills that they are very good at.”

Who was your role model?
“To me it was, the late Lipo Elhage, I also have some role models outside of Curaçao, they are too much to mention.”

What are your hobbies?
“I love being involved in team sports; I love reading; I am a curious person, that loves to explore and discern lessons to be learned from these explorations and out of different situations. I am constantly doing this. “

How would you describe yourself if you met someone on a bus in Medellin for example?
“It depends on the situation. I was in Aruba this first weekend in December 2023 and there was a Romeo Santos concert. I went alone and I was having a good time and I introduced myself with my name in a group that was standing in the same area as me. I said: “I am Vergilly and I am a very social person, where are you from and let’s have some fun.

In a more professional situation, I would also say that I am from Curaçao and I am always open to help and learn.”

What are my strengths?
“I am a very direct straight and bold person. I lead by example, but the downside is that I tend to think that other people are the same as me, which is not always the case.
I am a very determined person who doesn’t back out of situations once I set my mind on doing a certain thing.
I love challenges and competitiveness. I firmly believe that whatever another person has created I am also able to do this. I am an open person and people know what they can expect from me.
I am good at creating awareness on passion and determination, I pioneer by example.“

What is a trait that is a work in progress?
“That is personal development on itself, as this is a never-ending process that will never end. I am always able to learn new things and I can create new things as-long-as-I-live.”

What was a defining moment in your life?
“My defining moment was in 1997. I became aware that in life I had this choice to either be a capitalist or reversely choose to help other people and be more socially oriented. I choose to become a capitalist and help lots of people, but I still have the qualities to help others! Money does not define you nor does your willingness to give.”

What would your Loved Ones, and friends say about you 20 years from now?
“That I have touched them and made a difference in the lives of people and the country, making them become better human beings.”

One of the 250 Influencers

Vergilly Winklar epitomizes dynamism, entrepreneurship, and unwavering determination. A straight shooter with a bold and curious spirit, he leads by example, dedicating his life to continuous learning and the creation of innovative endeavors. Currently, as director of Fundashon Desaroyo Deportivo Kòrsou (FDDK), he envisions a future for FDDK that extends beyond traditional sports, urging Curaçao to grasp the broader meaning of sports as a way to practice physical movement resulting in a myriad of benefits. Through this, he aims to elevate the performance of elite athletes, embodying the belief that a sports-centric mindset can foster excellence and health benefits. A perpetual learner from a diverse range of studies and life experiences, Vergilly thrives on challenges and competition, standing out for his unwavering belief that he can catalyze positive change in people’s lives and the nation, empowering them to reach their full potential even on a global scale. For this, we consider Vergilly a community Influencer representing the Sports and Educational sector. Look at the list of the Influencers we have interviewed or reported on, up to now.