{"id":120618,"date":"2020-12-03T14:50:47","date_gmt":"2020-12-03T13:50:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/?p=120618"},"modified":"2025-12-19T11:25:17","modified_gmt":"2025-12-19T10:25:17","slug":"student-gymnastics-club-euroturn-celebrates-30-year-anniversary","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2020\/12\/03\/student-gymnastics-club-euroturn-celebrates-30-year-anniversary\/","title":{"rendered":"Student gymnastics club Euroturn celebrates 30-year anniversary"},"content":{"rendered":"

Music sounds from the speakers. Erasmus Sport\u2019s gym is full of apparatuses, and people are jumping, swinging and hanging all over the place. The Euroturn student gymnastics club\u2019s training nights are parties. Particularly this week, because the club is celebrating its 30-year anniversary.<\/p>\n

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The board of student gymnastics association Euroturn (2020\/2021) <\/span><\/p>

\n\t\n\n<\/svg>\n<\/span>\n\tImage by:<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSanne van der Most<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>

Euroturn knows how to throw a party. Although the club is sadly unable to throw the huge anniversary party they\u2019d have liked to organise, the anniversary party is still going to be a pretty big event. There will be music, nice snacks and drinks, and those who feel like dressing up will be allowed to do so. In other words, it will be a dressing-up gymnastics party for adults. \u201cBut obviously, we\u2019ll be training, as well,\u201d says the club\u2019s treasurer, Niek Vloedgraven, with a smile.<\/p>\n

He is glad that the anniversary can be celebrated at all, despite the coronavirus restrictions. \u201cIt\u2019s great that we are actually allowed to keep training in the first place, because not all sportspeople are allowed to do so. So we\u2019re happy to put up with the fact that our group has been divided into two, with half the group training early in the evening and the other half training later in the evening.\u201d They are also happy to put up with the temporary ban on new members. \u201cWe currently have 71 members, which is definitely the maximum number we can handle,\u201d says Vloedgraven. \u201cOnce the coronavirus crisis is over and we can start training regular hours again, we will start recruiting again.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Gymnasts celebrate each other\u2019s success<\/h2>

\u201cHopefully we\u2019ll be able to have really cool parties again then,\u201d club secretary Marith Francke goes on to say. \u201cOur competitions against other clubs, in particular, are always a huge hit. We\u2019ll all go to the club organising the competition together. We\u2019ll all sleep on our mats together in a large gym, side by side, with some people waking up the next morning in a completely different place than the one where they\u2019d fallen asleep just a few hours earlier. But that\u2019s all part of the experience, right?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\t

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\n\t\t\u2018If someone shows a good routine, everyone else will applaud.\u2019\n\t<\/blockquote>\n\n\t<\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n

Thankfully, the parties and the annual skiing trip are not the only fun group experiences to be had at Euroturn. \u201cThe vibe is chill, and everyone helps each other,\u201d says Francke. \u201cWhether you\u2019re a beginner or a former elite gymnast, we\u2019re always here to help you. Gymnastics is traditionally a very individual sport and highly achievement-focused, but student gymnastics is a completely different story. And not just in Rotterdam, either. It\u2019s true for all student gymnastics clubs. We see that in our competitions, as well. Everyone can take part, regardless of their level, and we all celebrate each other\u2019s successes. If someone shows a good routine, everyone else will applaud. That\u2019s really encouraging.\u201d<\/p>\n

Easy access<\/h2>

Everyone is welcome to join Euroturn, regardless of whether they are former elite gymnasts or completely new to the sport. \u201cAnd we also welcome all levels in between,\u201d says club president Erik Gal, himself a former high-level gymnast. \u201cWhen I was a student in Delft, I wanted to pick up gymnastics again, but at a less competitive level. So I joined Euroturn. Fortunately, I was allowed to do so \u2013 people from outside Rotterdam are allowed to join. In fact, I\u2019m no longer a student, and I\u2019m still a member. Euroturn is an easy-access kind of place, and I can train on top of my job, so that\u2019s just perfect.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\t

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\n\t\t\u2018We even have international students on our board. That doesn\u2019t happen very often in Dutch student societies. And we\u2019re quite proud of that.\u2019\n\t<\/blockquote>\n\n\t<\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n

What is notable is the number of international club members. Zsofia Anna Kovi is the club\u2019s competition officer, as well as the board\u2019s only non-Dutch member. \u201cI\u2019m from Hungary and as a child, I used to do gymnastics there. Well, a type of gymnastics, anyway, involving a lot of jumping and acrobatics.\u201d She felt completely in her element at Euroturn the moment she joined. \u201cAs far as that\u2019s concerned, we really are a perfect club for international students,\u201d says Gijs van Vlaardingen, the club\u2019s communications and media officer. \u201cYou\u2019re not forced to join in a fun situation. Rather you\u2019re doing your own thing physically, in a sport you happen to share with others. It\u2019s a great and very quick way to create a bond with others, to the point where it no longer matters where you\u2019re from or what language you speak. Moreover, everyone is super willing to speak English here. We even have international students on our board. That doesn\u2019t happen very often in Dutch student societies. And we\u2019re quite proud of that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Carola (IBCoM) and Alicia (Medicine) \u2018Whatever your level, people are happy for each other here\u2019<\/h2>
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Carola: \u201cI also work out at a regular gym, but the nice thing about gymnastics is that it\u2019s different every time. There\u2019s always some kind of skill you can perform. And we really have gymnasts of all levels at Euroturn. Everyone helps each other and encourages each other, and the vibe is really chill. Competitions are chill, too. They\u2019re basically a really good time. Particularly the parties in the evening. I think my strongest event is bars, but I like floor best.\u201d<\/p>\n

Alicia: \u201cThe gymnastics community is quite competitive, and the emphasis tends to be on competitions. That\u2019s why many gymnasts drop out. Euroturn gymnasts are quite committed, as well, but everyone is happy when another gymnast does well, whatever that gymnast\u2019s level. And I also really like the freedom we\u2019re given here. We can do whatever we want. We can train whichever apparatus we want, and if we don\u2019t show up for training one week, no one will get on our case.\u201d<\/p>\n

Michael (20, Law) \u2018Sore in parts of my body I didn\u2019t even know existed\u2019<\/h2>
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\u201cDue to the coronavirus crisis, I was no longer able to work out at my regular gym, which sucked, as I really wanted to keep training. So initially I did some stuff on my own \u2013 handstands, that sort of thing. And then I read something at uni about gymnastics at Euroturn. Thankfully, gymnastics classes were still allowed to go on, which was a great opportunity for me to supplement my own training and make it more complete. It was a huge hit right from the start. After my first time, I was sore in parts of my body I didn\u2019t even know existed. The vibe is great and the people are a lot of fun. Gymnastics itself is a very technical sport \u2013 this is not to be underestimated. My favourite apparatus is rings. I\u2019m good at it because I have strong arms. I will continue to work out at the regular gym, but I\u2019m definitely going to keep doing gymnastics, as well. I\u2019m really glad I made this discovery.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gijs (English literature) \u2018You basically train alongside your best friends here\u2019<\/h2>
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\u201cOne day I was allowed to join a Euroturn training session, and I noticed at once that it was a cheerful place. The atmosphere is relaxed, the people are fun and everyone is happy whenever another person does something well. That was quite a relief for me. I felt welcomed at once, so I joined the club. The activities are a lot of fun, as well \u2013 drinks sessions, parties and skiing trips. They make it easier for people to get to know each other outside the gym. I did gymnastics before at clubs where we wouldn\u2019t see each other in regular clothes for a year. It\u2019s very different here. The club has definitely become a part of my life. You basically train alongside your best friends here. That\u2019s definitely true for me. I got to know all my friends in Rotterdam at Euroturn. My favourite apparatus is the trampoline. It seems elegant and easy, as does everything in gymnastics. But it\u2019s kind of hard, really. If you do it well, it feels like you\u2019re flying.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\t

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De redactie<\/h2>\n\t\t\n\t\t
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