Sports unite people of many different backgrounds and countries on the playing fields and courts of TU Delft. But while the rules of the games may remain the same, the ‘sporting ‘mentality’ .
the way the players approach the game . can vary greatly from country to country. Some foreign students share their thoughts on playing sports with the Dutch in Delft.
As the American journalist George F. Will once said, “Sports serve society by providing vivid examples of excellence.” Excellence aside, sports certainly serve the society of foreign students at TU Delft, providing them with a much-needed, much-appreciated outlet on a campus still lacking in other social outlets, like foreign student societies or an international meeting house.
By hosting nearly 50 different sports and sports teams, ranging from aerobics to Chinese martial arts, football to water polo, TU Delft’s newly renovated Sports Center offers students and staff not only many different sports, but also an environment in which people of different cultural backgrounds can compete against each other or play together on the same teams.
All you must do is to walk into the Sports Center, get a yearly sports card (70 euros for MSc-ers, 140 euros for PhDs students) and you can start playing right away. “The favorite sports in our center are soccer, volleyball, hockey, Thai boxing, spinning, pilates, the gym and yoga,” says Minke Eringa, Sports Center spokeswoman, adding that most foreign students do get sports cards.
Holland’s renowned for its social individualism, but does this individualism also extend to the Dutch way of playing sports? Many foreign students in Delft start playing sports after they arrive here, either to continue the sports they played at home or as a means of getting connected to their new Dutch world through sports. In many cases, however, foreigners playing sports here immediately notice that the Dutch sports mentality is much different from their home countries.
Emrah Nikerel, from Turkey, and player on the university water polo team Wave, explains the differences he’s encountered: “When I arrived in Delft, I was happy to hear there was a water polo team I could join. I looked forward to the possibility of having the same team atmosphere here as I had in Turkey. But I soon realized that things were different here.”
Nikerel stresses that it’s not a question of better or worse, just different. “The coach as absolute ruler, hierarchical setup I was used to in Turkey collapsed quickly in teams in Holland. Here, sports are practiced more democratically. Everyone wants to do what he wants, and that’s probably why there’s less team spirit.”
Nikerel supposes this may be one reason why Dutch people seemingly prefer individual sports, like biking, skating, and swimming, to team sports. He does however think there should be a balance between hierarchical structure and the too democratic team structure: “Sportsmen should enjoy what they’re doing, but we do need a coach’s firm hand on our backs sometimes, to push us when we’re weakening and help us get the most out of ourselves.”
Must-win
Similar arguments are also made by Alberto Ruiz Luca, a Spaniard and rugby player who played for TU Delft’s student rugby club DSC-R: “Although rugby’s a game that has conserved its spirit and structure in many countries, I still feel differences from one country to another,” he says. Ruiz Luca played rugby for four years in Spain, two years in Scotland and England, and for one year in Delft.
“In Holland for example coaches usually only talk about tactics before the match. This is important of course, but before matches in Spain the coach also talks about the motivations we must have to compete,” he explains. “Spanish coaches also often relate rugby to life, like if you succeed in sports, you’ll succeed in life. The sport is more than just entertainment for us.”
Ruiz Luca believes that sports in Holland are usually just recreational pursuits that people pursue in their free time. “Another thing I noticed here,” Ruiz Luca says, “is that in Holland nobody much cares if you don’t go to trainings.”
Wouter van Winden, who competes in athletics, represents the Dutch side of the story. “In Holland, practicing sports isn’t an obligation; it’s more a recreational social activity. People therefore don’t need a hand to push them. There may indeed be more individualism here, but the bottom line is that I want to get pleasure from the sports I’m playing. That’s my goal. I’m an athlete, on my own on the track.”
Van Winden notes that people being of the same nationality and hence sporting mentality can affect athletic performance: “In my club, we have Moroccan athletes as well, and they have the tendency to work better with a Moroccan trainer.”
Sergei Kozloyevski, from Russia, says he work better with trainers who push him. “In Russia, trainers give technical advice and provide the motivation we need, and I like that. Athletics is an individual sport, but you still have contact between team members and a team concept, because you not only learn from the trainer but also from your teammates.”
Kozloyevski says the inter-team relations in Holland are weaker than in Russia. “The Dutch mentality and approach is much different than what I’m used to as a Russian. I had the chance to work with a Romanian trainer here and this was better for me. I felt more comfortable with his Eastern European competitive approach to sports.”
Whichever approach is better or worse, only each individual sportsman or woman can say. But whether it’s the American ‘must-win’, the German ‘team first’ or the Dutch ‘individualistic’ approach, one thing’s certain: sports play a very important social role in the lives of many TU Delft foreign students.
(Photo: Sam Rentmeester/FMAX)
As the American journalist George F. Will once said, “Sports serve society by providing vivid examples of excellence.” Excellence aside, sports certainly serve the society of foreign students at TU Delft, providing them with a much-needed, much-appreciated outlet on a campus still lacking in other social outlets, like foreign student societies or an international meeting house.
By hosting nearly 50 different sports and sports teams, ranging from aerobics to Chinese martial arts, football to water polo, TU Delft’s newly renovated Sports Center offers students and staff not only many different sports, but also an environment in which people of different cultural backgrounds can compete against each other or play together on the same teams.
All you must do is to walk into the Sports Center, get a yearly sports card (70 euros for MSc-ers, 140 euros for PhDs students) and you can start playing right away. “The favorite sports in our center are soccer, volleyball, hockey, Thai boxing, spinning, pilates, the gym and yoga,” says Minke Eringa, Sports Center spokeswoman, adding that most foreign students do get sports cards.
Holland’s renowned for its social individualism, but does this individualism also extend to the Dutch way of playing sports? Many foreign students in Delft start playing sports after they arrive here, either to continue the sports they played at home or as a means of getting connected to their new Dutch world through sports. In many cases, however, foreigners playing sports here immediately notice that the Dutch sports mentality is much different from their home countries.
Emrah Nikerel, from Turkey, and player on the university water polo team Wave, explains the differences he’s encountered: “When I arrived in Delft, I was happy to hear there was a water polo team I could join. I looked forward to the possibility of having the same team atmosphere here as I had in Turkey. But I soon realized that things were different here.”
Nikerel stresses that it’s not a question of better or worse, just different. “The coach as absolute ruler, hierarchical setup I was used to in Turkey collapsed quickly in teams in Holland. Here, sports are practiced more democratically. Everyone wants to do what he wants, and that’s probably why there’s less team spirit.”
Nikerel supposes this may be one reason why Dutch people seemingly prefer individual sports, like biking, skating, and swimming, to team sports. He does however think there should be a balance between hierarchical structure and the too democratic team structure: “Sportsmen should enjoy what they’re doing, but we do need a coach’s firm hand on our backs sometimes, to push us when we’re weakening and help us get the most out of ourselves.”
Must-win
Similar arguments are also made by Alberto Ruiz Luca, a Spaniard and rugby player who played for TU Delft’s student rugby club DSC-R: “Although rugby’s a game that has conserved its spirit and structure in many countries, I still feel differences from one country to another,” he says. Ruiz Luca played rugby for four years in Spain, two years in Scotland and England, and for one year in Delft.
“In Holland for example coaches usually only talk about tactics before the match. This is important of course, but before matches in Spain the coach also talks about the motivations we must have to compete,” he explains. “Spanish coaches also often relate rugby to life, like if you succeed in sports, you’ll succeed in life. The sport is more than just entertainment for us.”
Ruiz Luca believes that sports in Holland are usually just recreational pursuits that people pursue in their free time. “Another thing I noticed here,” Ruiz Luca says, “is that in Holland nobody much cares if you don’t go to trainings.”
Wouter van Winden, who competes in athletics, represents the Dutch side of the story. “In Holland, practicing sports isn’t an obligation; it’s more a recreational social activity. People therefore don’t need a hand to push them. There may indeed be more individualism here, but the bottom line is that I want to get pleasure from the sports I’m playing. That’s my goal. I’m an athlete, on my own on the track.”
Van Winden notes that people being of the same nationality and hence sporting mentality can affect athletic performance: “In my club, we have Moroccan athletes as well, and they have the tendency to work better with a Moroccan trainer.”
Sergei Kozloyevski, from Russia, says he work better with trainers who push him. “In Russia, trainers give technical advice and provide the motivation we need, and I like that. Athletics is an individual sport, but you still have contact between team members and a team concept, because you not only learn from the trainer but also from your teammates.”
Kozloyevski says the inter-team relations in Holland are weaker than in Russia. “The Dutch mentality and approach is much different than what I’m used to as a Russian. I had the chance to work with a Romanian trainer here and this was better for me. I felt more comfortable with his Eastern European competitive approach to sports.”
Whichever approach is better or worse, only each individual sportsman or woman can say. But whether it’s the American ‘must-win’, the German ‘team first’ or the Dutch ‘individualistic’ approach, one thing’s certain: sports play a very important social role in the lives of many TU Delft foreign students.
(Photo: Sam Rentmeester/FMAX)
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