The summer holidays are approaching. Maybe it’s your last summer holiday before you leave for America and you want to prepare optimally. Or maybe you have been back in the Netherlands for a while as a student-athlete because ‘Summer break’ started earlier. Whatever your situation, this article gives five tips to get through your summer vacation well!
1. Stay fit
It may sound obvious, but it is so important. If you have been in America as a student-athlete, you will probably recognize that the physical training sessions there are heavier than here, so if you don’t stay fit enough during the summer holidays, you will have an extra hard time when you return to America.
Slamstox field hockey specialist Kim knows all about it and says the following about it:
“During our summer breaks in the Netherlands, we were given a training plan to take home with us so that we could all start the new season fit again. I had to follow exercises at home, on the hockey field or in the gym, every day I had to commit myself to that. Sometimes that was difficult and I didn’t feel like it, especially when friends in the Netherlands were doing fun things. But in the end I was happy if I followed the program, otherwise I would have felt a hard time training in the USA again. And believe me… you don’t want that!”
Kim van der Meulen – Slamstox field-hockeyspecialist
Did you know that Slamstox has a specialist for almost every sport who can guide you optimally within your process? Click the button below to meet us!
2. Start a summer internship
A summer internship is the perfect way to develop yourself. Within university in the Netherlands it is normal that you start several internships at companies. As a student-athlete this is less obvious since you are simply too busy with academics and athletics in daily life. That is why some student-athletes choose to do an internship at a company in the Netherlands (or elsewhere) during summer.
Did you know that Slamstox currently also has a student-athlete summer intern? Tennis player Laura Rijkers left for the USA in January 2019 to play tennis and study at the University of Arkansas. This summer she is doing her summer internship at Slamstox. She would like to gain experience to help tennis players in their process, she says the following about that:
“I would like to do an internship at Slamstox because I think it would be great to help athletes with the process that I have already successfully completed myself. What I like about Slamstox is their mentality and the fact that they ensure that a personal connection is built with all athletes.”
Laura Rijkers – Student-athlete
3. Relax and spend time with friends and family
For many student-athletes, the summer holidays are mainly a period of rest and that is understandable! It is the moment to relax and above all to see your family and friends again.
That is why this is an important part of this list, because during the summer of 2021 more fun things can be done in the Netherlands than during the previous summer. So go to an amusement park, the cinema or maybe a concert, but also just enjoy those old-fashioned game nights at home!
4. Follow summer school
Summer school, you may not have heard of this before, but it offers a solution for all student-athletes who want to do a little more academically during the summer holidays. The great thing about this is that it can also be followed online from the Netherlands (or anywhere else in the world).
During summer school you can already take a course that actually starts in the semester after the summer holidays. As a result, you spend your summer vacation usefully and you have to do one less subject the next semester! You can also choose to take a subject outside your current curriculum, because you simply find it interesting.
5. Go travel!
Last but not least… Your student life is a time of hard work but also a time of a lot of freedom and fun. You will not soon have such long summer holidays after your student days, so the ideal time to travel is now!
Some student-athletes choose not to come home during the summer holidays, but to travel from their campus. Within America, to South America, to Asia… And from adventurous road trips to relaxing holidays with friends. Everything is possible!
Curious what such a road trip through America looks like? Check out this Instagram profile ‘Durham Roadies’ of hockey player Bloem van den Brekel and three friends. They graduated from the University of New Hampshire and are now on a road trip across America!
We hope that with these five tips you can fill in your summer holiday as best as possible and that you will find a good combination of staying fit and having fun!
Do you now also want to become a student-athlete in the USA? Or would you like more information about sports and studying in America with a scholarship? Reach out and we’ll help you!
