Slamstox is proud to announce the addition of volleyball legend Ron Zwerver to our team! Ron has won a golden medal at the Olympics of Atlanta in 1996, coached the Dutch national squad for many years and has been a 4-year coach for the women’s volleyball team at Oregon State University in NCAA Division 1. Ron is back in the Netherlands and wants to give talented and ambitious girls the opportunity to play college volleyball in the United States.
Want to know more about Ron, his impressive career and our collaboration? Read on!
Atlanta
After Ron won a silver medal with the Dutch national squad at the Olympics of Barcelona in 1992, he knew he wasn’t done yet. Ron kept on winning prizes internationally with clubs from the Netherlands and Italy, but Olympic gold was his biggest goal. After four years of hard training and giving it all every day, Ron realizes his volleyball dream: a golden medal at the Olympics of Atlanta in 1996. Through winning a bizarre and thrilling final 15-12, 9-15, 16-14, 9-15, 17-15 against Italy, Ron wrote history with the Dutch national squad.
From player to coach to Oregon State
Right after winning his golden medal in Atlanta, Ron finished his international volleyball career with the Dutch national squad. He quickly became a manager. Ron managed the first men’s squad at Omniworld Almere, VC Nesselande and later on he became the assistant-national coach of the Dutch squad.
In 2016, Ron made a big move to the US. He started a new adventure as the women’s volleyball coach at Oregon State University. A high-level college volleyball teams competing in the Pac-12 conference, one of the strongest conferences in NCAA Division 1. During his time in the US, Ron trained with and competed against the very best teams and players within the US college competition. He traveled through the whole country with the ‘’Oregon State Beavers’’ and built an enormous network with coaches and universities in the US.
Oh and by the way, in the meantime, Ron entered the international volleyball hall of fame. Not bad, right?!
Passing down to new generations with Slamstox
‘’College volleyball in the US is an amazing experience on an athletic level, but also a huge opportunity for academic and personal growth in so many ways” says Ron. ‘’The facilities in the Netherlands cannot be compared to what most universities can offer in the US. That’s why it’s very interesting for girls to start looking for a college volleyball scholarship in the US. There are nearly 2000 universities that are offering scholarships to players who want to get the most out of their career.
Ron’s knowledge and network in volleyball combined with the experience, process knowledge and the resources of Slamstox form a perfect platform to guide a new generation to college volleyball in the US. Ron sees a lot of opportunities for volleyball players:
‘’I am looking forward to advice a new generation of volleyball players and their parents about their opportunities in volleyball and academics, and to help them realize their ambitions. After four years of college volleyball in the US, I know exactly which teams and universities are good to go to, and which might not be a good fit. Whether you want to obtain a highly accredited academic degree, play volleyball at the highest level, gain international experience or even become a professional player; anything is possible in the US. As long as YOU end up in the right place!”
Do you want to know more about Ron? Feel free to watch our interview with the gold medalist!
Are you interested in meeting Ron to learn more about your chances to play college volleyball in the United States? Send him an email at ron@slamstox.com or sign up for a free meeting through our volleyball page. See you soon!
