Eva & Jilles
Eva and Jilles are students, members of Radboud Sport & Culture and active in the Nijmegen student lacrosse association Keizerstad Kannibalz. In this edition of 'Get moving!' Eva and Jilles explain what a team sport and an association can bring you.
“Your student years are the best time for new things. New study, new city, new friends, new life…. A new sport or club fits in perfectly with that!”
Team sport
Eva: “When I moved to Nijmegen for my studies, I wanted to play a team sport. I had never done that before and lived under the assumption that I had no feeling for the ball, so I didn't think starting a team sport like hockey was an option. The students who play that have generally been doing so for years and I didn't want to look like a loser on the field. That's how I got into lacrosse. Lacrosse is a sport that is not played much outside of universities. Most students who start playing have no experience with it yet.” “But you learn it relatively quickly,” Jilles adds. “In the beginning, hardly anyone can do it and you are happy when you catch your first ball. After that, development goes very quickly. Everyone who plays with us has actually learned the basics of lacrosse quickly. Then of course you get that one person becomes better than the other, but that is inherent to sport. The nice thing about a student team is that despite that, you can still play well together.”
Friendship
Jilles: “I think sports are essential alongside your studies. First of all, because it gives you a break and allows you to clear your mind. You can lose your frustration and get new energy. In addition, the social aspect of sports is very important. If you join an association, you get to know a lot of people and make great friendships.” “That's what I like about the Kannibalz,” says Eva. “Because we are a relatively small association, everyone knows each other. We only have 2 women's and 1 men's team and see each other twice a week during training and on the weekends when we play matches. At those moments, everyone checks in with each other: how are you, how was your weekend, how did your exam go? Knowing each other and being part of a group is very nice. And then of course there are the drinks and parties! As an association, we have an activity about twice a month where we do fun things together outside of sports. That also makes friendships closer.”
New things
Lacrosse is a team sport played with a small, hard ball and a stick with a kind of net at the end in which you can catch and hold the ball. As a striker, you can score points by throwing the ball into the opponent's goal with your stick. “Other than that, lacrosse for men and women do differ from each other,” Jilles explains. “Women play a less physical non-contact variant and for men lacrosse is a kind of hockey in the air combined with rugby. We can take a lot of pounding and wear protection." “Both variants are super fun,” Eva adds. “You can give it a try and if it's not for you, there are a lot of other student sports and cultural associations you can join. I advise everyone to find a fun activity besides your studies. Your student years are the best time for new things. New study, new city, new friends, new life…. A new sport or club fits in perfectly with that! And don't be put off by the thought that you can't do something. I also thought I had no feeling for the ball, but when I started playing lacrosse, that turned out not to be true.”
Student sport and culture associations
As a student of Radboud University or HAN you can purchase an annual subscription to Radboud Sport & Culture for €169.50. With this annual subscription you can make unlimited use of the available RSC offer from 1 September 2024 to 31 August 2025. In addition, with this subscription you can become a member of 37 student sports associations. You then also pay contributions to the association. At most clubs you can play both recreationally and competitively. Do your interests lie elsewhere? Then there are 17 student cultural associations you can join. See your possibilities in the overview of student associations.