{"id":197981,"date":"2026-05-21T14:08:26","date_gmt":"2026-05-21T12:08:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/?p=197981"},"modified":"2026-05-21T14:20:34","modified_gmt":"2026-05-21T12:20:34","slug":"rsc-rvsv-leden-wagen-zich-in-de-ring-tijdens-kickboksgala-iedereen-heeft-een-plan-tot-je-goed-op-je-neus-wordt-geraakt","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2026\/05\/21\/rsc-rvsv-leden-wagen-zich-in-de-ring-tijdens-kickboksgala-iedereen-heeft-een-plan-tot-je-goed-op-je-neus-wordt-geraakt\/","title":{"rendered":"RSC\/RVSV members step into the ring during kickboxing gala: \u2018Everyone has a plan until you get hit properly on the nose\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Not a dance floor, but a boxing ring in the Maassilo on Wednesday evening, 13 May. Under the watchful eye of more than a thousand spectators, sixteen students from RSC\/RVSV fought eight kickboxing matches after months of intensive preparation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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To loud cheers, Sam Keijzer confidently makes her way to the ring.<\/p>

\n\t\n\n<\/svg>\n<\/span>\n\tImage by:<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tPien D\u00fcthmann<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

At last, business administration student Sam Keijzer is standing in the ring herself, after five rounds of nerve-racking waiting. While she still had to suppress a smile during the staredown, that expression has now made way for complete concentration. It briefly falls silent in the corner where her family and friends are sitting when she takes a hard punch to the face in the very first round. As the bruise begins to appear, her expression changes into even greater determination. Sam immediately regains control and responds with a well-placed kick. Her supporters can breathe again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sam is one of the sixteen RSC\/RVSV members who entered the ring on Wednesday evening for the association\u2019s kickboxing gala. These galas are a relatively new phenomenon within student associations. After the first student gala in Amsterdam in 2017, the concept quickly grew into a tradition that has become inseparable from the culture of Dutch student associations. \u201cLast year we organised more than 25 galas for student associations across the country\u201d, says Wout Janssen, managing director of THENEXT-GEN, the organisation behind the programmes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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During the fight, Sam has to absorb a few solid hits.<\/p>

\n\t\n\n<\/svg>\n<\/span>\n\tImage by:<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tPien D\u00fcthmann<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Better image<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Janssen himself studied in Groningen, where he noticed that many fellow students struggled with mental health issues. \u201cFor me, boxing helped clear my mind and made me feel stronger both mentally and physically\u201d, he says. That experience inspired the idea of offering boxing programs to student associations. Over the course of three months, students with no prior experience learn the basics of the sport, with the ultimate goal of stepping into the ring. \u201cThe image of the sport has improved significantly in recent years, which has also contributed to the growing popularity of boxing galas.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n\t

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\n\t\t'For me, boxing helped clear my mind and made me feel stronger both mentally and physically'\n\t<\/blockquote>\n\n\t<\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\n\n\n

The programme is intense. Participants train four times a week and even five times a week during the final weeks. Many participants drop out during the process. There were 83 registrations, from which the sixteen most suitable boxers were ultimately selected based on skill level and weight. For safety reasons, opponents may differ by no more than three kilos.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Training every day<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The 21-year-old Sam first got the idea to sign up last year. \u201cMy housemate took part last year. When I saw her standing there, I immediately thought: I want to do that too.\u201d Three months ago she signed up, without knowing whether she would actually make it into the ring in the end: first she still had to get through the selection process. \u201cAt weekends I often trained extra as well\u201d, she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\t

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Een lijst van afbeeldingen<\/h2>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t
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