Former Olympic swimmer Sebastiaan Verschuren studies the Master in Sport Management at Johan Cruyff Institute and wrote this column for Telesport*
Enthusiastic and creative, with lots of energy and a little impatient at times. That’s how I would describe my character. As a top athlete, I was forced to know myself well. After my retirement from competitive swimming, I have started the Master in Sport Management at the Johan Cruyff Institute, thanks to a scholarship from Telesport. There, I have learned that I actually knew much better where I wanted to go than I admitted to myself before; I want to stay active in sport as an entrepreneur. I actually already started with this during my swimming career, because entrepreneurship flows through my veins.
In 2011, I founded Swimclinics with my former training partner. Our goal is to inspire and motivate young swimmers, and to offer swimming clubs our knowledge from top swimming. Since 2017, I have also been a coach for Personal Swimming, but I am now working in the background to develop the organization. With my own company SVERSCHUREN, I keep myself busy with online videos, photos, social media and marketing content.
So, plenty to do. Therefore, I have never ended up in the so-called ‘black hole’. Top sport and swimming are part of my life and it will always remain that way, but I don’t miss the routine of top sport. What I didn’t like in the beginning was that I missed having a ‘higher goal’. As a top athlete, you are always working on that one goal, such as the Olympic Games, the World Cup, swimming a personal record or the National Championships. If you suddenly don’t have to do that anymore, you have to start thinking in a different way.
The best part of top sport might be being part of a team; constantly improving and challenging yourself and each other. The most interesting thing about this year is that I’ve learned from my fellow students to work together in a different way. In top sport, you are all working on the same goal, in the same way and with the same people. In my class, everyone is different and everyone has different goals. That’s why I’ve learned to see everything in two perspectives.
* For information about the Telesport Scholarship Campaign, please click here
STUDY WITH US, OUR PROGRAMS IN ENGLISH IN AMSTERDAM
Johan Cruyff Institute Amsterdam uses a rich learning environment that fosters educational tools based on a student interaction model. We aim for a mix of students from sports and business sectors, which also enables students to share their unique experiences and learn from each other. Through ‘Cruyffian’ teaching methods the students will engage actively in creative challenges that require effort, commitment and intuitive thinking. Visit the web pages to find out more about these programs, which we deliver in English:
- Master in Coaching (Start: February 2019, Amsterdam & Arnhem)
- Master in Sport Management (Start: September 2018, Amsterdam)
