“I am of value for the future”

high-performance sport and education

“It is wonderful to be together with people who have the same goals as I do”

Doing what you want. Making your own choices. Being free. Athlete Raphael Bouju considers this important. Now and in a while, upon completion of his high-performance career. Perhaps as an entrepreneur. Not surprisingly, he pursues the educational program of International Business at the HAN University of Applied Sciences in Arnhem. His study goes well. He is committed and he enjoys to be active in something else in addition to his sport. Nevertheless, his high-performance career is his number one priority. He aims at the 100 meter and 4*100 meter relay in Paris 2024.

Without a doubt, it has been good for my sports career to go to The Netherlands. We have the best facilities at Papendal, a wonderful athletics track and great coaches. My training is more intense and specific here. I have my own schedule. In addition, it is great to be together with people who have the same ambitions as I do: to become the best performer in athletics. I started to train fulltime at Papendal in 2020. I am also part of TeamNL. I am very happy about that. This means that they see my potential and that I am of value for the future. In Paris 2024, I want to start the 100 meter and the 4*100 meter relay. I put in many hours of training to this end.

I am studying in addition to practicing my sport. I pursue the educational program of International Business at HAN University of Applied Sciences. It is a comprehensive study program with the advantage that you can develop yourself in all kinds of directions: sports, food. I would like to become an entrepreneur after my athletic career. I am not sure yet what exactly I want to do, but it is obvious for me that it will include sports somehow. Sport shoes, sport clothing, sport equipment: you have the freedom as entrepreneur. I consider that important.

HAN University is located in Arnhem, close to Papendal, which is nice and convenient. The atmosphere is very chill. Everything is relaxed. When I have to go to the restroom during a lecture, then I can just go and use the restroom. You cannot do that in England. Then you are in big trouble. Here, the rules are less strict. I feel comfortable with that. They are flexible as well when it comes to attending the lectures. I train fulltime, so I cannot attend all lectures. They understand that. Compared to my classmates, I am given more time to conclude an academic year because of my sports career. That has been arranged quite nicely. Everything goes well up till now and I pass all my exams.

The fact that you receive guidance from NOC*NSF as regards the combination of high-performance sports and study is an asset. Study intermediary Tijn Colen is always there for me. When I came here, I had a meeting with him. He asked me about my interests, what I wanted to do in the future. We had a look at several schools and programs and concluded that International Business at HAN University would be the best choice for me. I do not regret this. In the beginning, I had difficulties with my schedules for sport and studying. So I went and sat down with Tijn and we made a plan. This really helped me. It is just arranged very nicely here in The Netherlands.”

“You receive great assistance from NOC*NSF”

Raphael Bouju

“I was born in The Netherlands and I moved to England with my mother and sister after the divorce of my parents. That was back in 2006. It was the first time that I discovered athletics. I liked it and I was good at it. In 2018, I wanted to participate in the European Championships under 18. However, I did not have a British passport. At that time, my father contacted the Dutch Athletics federation in The Netherlands. I could join the team and I saw opportunities. Let’s do it! I participated in the European Championships and I won the gold medal in the 100 meter race. Of course, I have to get used to being alone in The Netherlands. I miss my mother and my friends. I call my mother every day and I make new friends here as well. So I am coping well. Now, I will have to learn proper Dutch.

“If I could head to the Moon or Mars with a rocket, I would board straight away”

Gijs Broeksma

TeamNL archer Gijs Broeksma had two dreams: to perform in the Olympic Games and to become a pilot, just as his father. His first dream came true sooner than expected. Shortly before the Tokyo Olympic Games, he received the news that he had been selected for the national archery team. They came in fourth. The result hit them hard and at the same time, it was a memorable experience. His second dream is work in progress. TeamNL@work assists to this end. They coach him during his studies and offer support where possible.

“Tokyo was fantastic. What a crazy experience. I cannot find the right words to describe it. It was the first time that I participated in the Olympic Games. All in a sudden, you are amidst the high-class performers, the stars from The Netherlands. Unbelievable. Gijs Broeksma from Ruinen, Drenthe. What I loved was how TeamNL interacts and helps each other. Everyone is there for you. I am truly grateful to Pieter van den Hoogenband, our chef de mission. He helped me with all kinds of things. Me, the third player of the archery team. I will never forget that. I was sitting outside on a bench for a couple of hours on the final evening to let it all sink in: What just happened? Usually, I am quite down to earth. Now, I had to shed a tear. All of it had such an impact on me. I have been living a dream and I just woke up, two months after the Olympic Games.

I have been with TeamNL since 2018. I received a small suitcase with several items as a welcome gift: a letter from Maurits Hendriks, Games & Performance Director of TeamNL, a TeamNL T-shirt, a small sculpture to give away to someone who means a lot to you… It was a special moment for me. Then, you realize that you truly belong to the Team. And what I really find important: as a member of TeamNL, you can make use of all opportunities TeamNL@work offers you in order to work on your societal career. For me, this means, for instance, that I receive guidance during my studies and that I receive support in the choices I have to make. Additionally, transition programs are available in every respect. We have arranged this quite well here. Athletes are not so lucky in many other countries. When you are a high-performance athlete there, then you are a high-performance athlete. Furthermore, nothing is available. So, what do you do when you have completed your high-performance career?

I completed high school at the Beekdal Lyceum in Arnhem, which is a High-Performance Talent School. The cooperation with Papendal, where I was residing at that time already, was thriving. Everything was perfectly arranged. Subsequently, I started studying Physics and Astronomy at Radboud University. It was a deliberate choice. The study intermediary at Papendal told me that you could combine studies and high-performance sports well there. That is true, as I can speak from my own experience now. Quite a lot is possible. A lecturer even composed an exam especially for me. That is truly wonderful indeed. At a certain moment, it seemed as if I would not complete my first year’s examinations in time and I talked to the study advisor at Radboud University. He engaged everyone who had to be engaged, which took away my stress. It is great that so much is possible for athletes. You just need to have a good story. And I did. I went to the Olympic Games.

The study choice for Physics and Astronomy did not appear out of thin air. It is a good entry for a master in aerospace. I cherish a natural fascination for everything which flies in the air. I was born in an aeronautical family. My father is a pilot. I have been to many places around the world. What I enjoy even more is to be in the cockpit together with my father. I truly enjoy that. The courses that are provided in the studies of Physics and Astronomy are interesting. You learn how everything works. The theory of relativity is quite hard, but marvelous indeed at the same time. It brought me so much. And yet, I quit these studies since the hardcore mathematics turned out to be too much for me. Together with the study intermediary at Papendal, we looked at other opportunities. I am going to study environmental and natural sciences, after which I plan to go to a pilot academy. To become a pilot is one of my dreams. Becoming an astronaut would be wonderful as well. If I could head to the Moon or Mars with a rocket, I would board straight away.

Before the moment is there, I want to have accomplished everything in my high-performance career. I was so disappointed when I came in fourth in Tokyo. I have not fully processed this disappointment yet. Off and on, I am thinking about it. I could have done this in another way, I could have done this in a better way. It is good to be a critical voice to yourself. It also motivates me for Paris 2024. I do not want another experience to come in fourth again. I truly want to do everything I can to give my optimal performance there. For myself, for my teammates, and for The Netherlands. It is nice if everyone can enjoy this moment as well. During the Tokyo Olympic Games, the entire village of Ruinen was exhilarated, just because I had been shooting some arrows. Crazy. But quite nice as well.”

“So much is possible. You just need to have a good story”

“The entire village was exhilarated, just because I had been shooting some arrows”

high-performance sport and education

“Combining high-performance sport and studies is manageable for me, actually”

Yorick de Groot

Six months a year, beach volleyball player Yorick de Groot is traveling around the globe. Then, he travels from one tournament to the next. Gstaad, Ostrova, Cancun, Vulcano Island – he visits the most beautiful spots in the world, but sport is his number one priority. Everything else needs to be put aside in this respect. During that period, his studies are kept alight like a pilot light. In the winter season, when he is in The Netherlands quite a lot, his studies are ignited once again. He has completed two and a half years by now. And in fact, he is doing all right in combining his studies, trainings and performances.

“I have always been interested in business and fiscal economics. I pursue both study programs and I do so at the Erasmus University in Rotterdam. I like the variety of these studies. Business economics is quite a mathematical study, with a lot of models. Fiscal economics is less abstract and addresses the questions in practice. For instance, what happens when the government increases taxes for its citizens? What will happen to our well-being? How will we respond as a society? These are interesting practical cases which we study from several points of view. From the tax inspector’s view, from the citizen’s perspective. I have to take my position as regards these matters. That fascinates me. The advantage of two studies is that I further my knowledge with the broadest perspective possible. When I have completed my high-performance career, I will have better chances in the labor market.

What I want to be in the future? Well, that is a good question indeed. I find it difficult to answer. At present, I have a zero hour contract with Florys. This is a financial consultancy firm which assists entrepreneurs with their taxes, among other things. They are the sponsor of volleyball club Sliedrecht Sport, the club where I had been playing indoor for years. They asked me if I was interested. Their reasoning: ‘Come and work with us, then you can see how things work in practice. It is a win-win situation for both of us.’ I thought that was wonderful. Which company would like to work with a high-performance athlete, who is away from home a lot and who is often in other time zones? This period is relatively quiet for me and I have worked twenty hours in two weeks. I work five till ten hours a week on average.

Combining high-performance sport and studies is manageable for me, actually. I am in The Netherlands quite often during the winter season and then, it goes well. It is more difficult from March onwards. At that time, the new season starts and I am abroad on a regular basis. The exams are an obstacle sometimes. The general rule is that you do your exams at the university. However, I am not going to sacrifice a tournament for that. COVID-19 was not all too bad for that matter. Since the university was in a lock-down, I had to do my exams online. I passed my exam on special tax levies in a hotel room in Cancun, where I was playing a tournament. I did the same in Qatar and at Tenerife, with two cameras pointed at me, one in front of me and one behind me. This way, they are able to observe whether you are alone and that nobody helps you.

Remote studying works perfectly fine for me. The last time that I was present at the university was in February 2020. People ask me once in a while if I don’t miss student life. Not really. I have close friends in Sliedrecht whom I often meet. I have very few friends at the university. Actually, none. I am not present at the university. It is all right for me this way. It does not affect my study results either. And it does not matter if I take some extra years for my studies, since I am not going to work straight away when I have completed my studies. My high-performance career is my number one priority now. Nevertheless, I do take up the challenge indeed to pass exams for which I did not study much. To see how far I can get. Most of the time, it is far enough.

I receive a lot of support from Judith Rouwenhorst. She is a high-performance counselor of TeamNL, Metropool Center. We are in contact a couple of times a year. She helps me if I meet obstacles on my way. In my first year, she arranged that I did not have to attend the lectures for the working programs which I had to follow during each course. That took off some of the workload. And she indicated the Financial Support Fund to Students (Profileringsfonds) of the Erasmus University to me. I did not know anything about that. This arrangement from the university provides for the reimbursement of part of your tuition fees when you have a study delay for a valid reason. They deem high-performance sport a valid reason. And so do I!”

“I passed my exam on special tax levies in a hotel room in Cancun”

“I receive a lot of support from the high-performance counselor of TeamNL”

high-performance sport and education

“I am not only a swimmer. I am also Maarten, who happens to swim well”

Maarten Brzoskowski

Maarten Brzoskowski went through quite a rough time. For a long time, it was his goal to qualify for the Tokyo Olympic Games, to deliver his best performance there and then. In the fall of 2020, to complete his studies in physical therapy at the University of Applied Sciences Fontys in Eindhoven. However, everything had a different turn. The Olympics were postponed and Brzoskowski, Dutch record holder for the 400 meter freestyle, did not succeed in qualifying for Tokyo. Subsequently, he decided to spend ample time for his final internship, so that he could graduate after all in the summer of 2021. At this moment, he is working hard to find a position as a physical therapist. Swimming still forms an important part of his life and his high-performance sport is not any less prominent in his life at all. “However, it is more balanced, swimming is no longer my one and only priority. That feels good. I think that it will only improve my performances.”

“I thought physical therapy was an interesting study and I had already considered for a longer period of time that I wanted to devote time to this. At a certain moment, I visited an open day at the university of applied sciences and I sure liked what I saw. It confirmed my thoughts about the physical therapist. All the things you learn about the human body, but I also liked the professional activities in general, such as the contacts with the patients and the coaching role which is part of the profession. I could picture myself doing that as well. Furthermore, I knew from some other high-performance athletes that they were pursuing this educational program as well and that they could combine it well with high-performance sport. It turned out to be the same with me as well. I did find out over time that combining high-performance sport and education primarily requires good time management and a lot of patience. Think about it: I have pursued the program for eight years, of which I had even terminated the studies for two years in between. Pursuing a four-year-program in combination with swimming simply is impossible. I am practicing four to six hours a day. Additionally, it is important to get rested, and on top of that, you have your studies. I was living at my parents’ house for the major part of my educational program. That saved a lot of time.

The combination of high-performance swimming and an educational program became somewhat easier for me as well since I was part of a nice class. It was a blessing in disguise that I broke my elbow right before the start of the educational program. As a result of this, I was not allowed to practice for five weeks in a row, but I could attend all meetings at school. I got to know my classmates well during that period. I really became part of the group. At a later stage, they supported me quite a lot. For instance, they were always willing to share their notes from lectures if I could not attend these. It is a matter of give and take in those situations. When we had a group project and I could devote more hours at that time, then I took the initiative. I did not only want to be a free rider.

Fontys offered much support in order to combine my studies and high-performance sport. For instance, it was possible to reschedule an exam and I only had to be present for eighty per cent of the lectures. I could also complete my internships in a longer period of time. I had quite a nice study advisor during my studies, whom I contacted very much. She knows the program well, knows the common hurtles among other students as a result of which she could advise me well. Then, we would compare my study and sport calendar and we looked at the practical options. I also informed her about all changes in my schedule and my absence because of my swimming obligations. That is the reason why everything went well.

It was so disappointing that I did not qualify for Tokyo in the end. But let’s be fair: it was not a big surprise either at that moment. For a while, swimming had not been easy. It felt as if I was ‘climbing the never ending mountain’. Now, I am swimming most of the time because I enjoy it and things go much better. I want to start working parttime from January 2022 onwards. I am a qualified physical therapist now and I want to gain practical working experience. In addition, I will continue swimming. You don’t do this just like that. I want to perform and qualify for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. But that is not my only motivation. I truly enjoy the road I travel to each large tournament. The trainings, the tournaments in between. It gives me much joy.

I talked about the combination of swimming and work in the upcoming period with a psychologist from TeamNL@work. It was quite a practical conversation. I knew that I wanted to continue swimming, but how would I do that? We came up with a schedule of three days at work, with one training on working days and two trainings on the other days. That seems easy, but it was nice to discuss my ideas with someone, to straighten out my thoughts. The psychologist had quite some experience in assisting athletes towards a societal career. He said: ‘Just try it, experience if this works out.’ He stressed that you do not make your choices for ever and ever. If it does not work out, then you rearrange things.

During the upcoming years, I want to enjoy all the beauty of swimming. I can perform well if I am a happy swimmer. I believe in that. It is important for me that I am no longer only ‘Maarten the swimmer’. I am Maarten, who happens to swim well.”

“It is a matter of give and take”

“The drive to perform is not my only motivation”

high-performance sport and education