Cruyff Education teachers Sybrand Pietersma and Lukas Dorda explain what the experience is like and the challenges of guiding student-athletes who participate in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games
The Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris make 2024 a very special academic year for the students of the Cruyff Education academic network (Johan Cruyff College, Johan Cruyff Academy and Johan Cruyff Institute). More than 40 students from Cruyff Education will have the opportunity to participate in the most important sporting event in the world. This event not only marks a milestone in the sporting careers of these students, but also highlights Cruyff Education’s commitment to the academic training of athletes.
Paris 2024 represents the ultimate challenge for athletes, who are preparing hard to reach the level of excellence needed to compete on the world’s most prestigious sporting stage. This preparation process is not limited to a few months of course, but encompasses several years of dedication, effort and sacrifice. Cruyff Education stands out for their flexibility and personalization, allowing students committed to the Olympic Games to perform at their best without neglecting their studies. It is a holistic approach, which considers their athletic, personal and academic development.
Handball player Rinka Duijndam is one of the alumni participating in Paris 2024 who studied at the Johan Cruyff Academy. Steffen Prößdorf, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
In this article, Sybrand Pietersma, teacher at the Johan Cruyff Academy Amsterdam, and Lukas Dorda, director of the Johan Cruyff Institute’s Online Programs, explain their experience and the challenges of training top-level athletes.
Sybrand Pietersma: the experience of academic training of Olympians
Sybrand Pietersma is a teacher at the Johan Cruyff Academy Amsterdam. Previously, he worked at the Leo van der Kar sports fund, which, in cooperation with the Dutch Olympic Committee NOC*NSF, contributed to the Netherlands’ high-level sports policy and the development of Dutch sports talent. “As teachers, we have to be understanding and supportive of students’ sporting commitments, while at the same time looking after the academic level,” he explains.
What is the experience of training Olympians academically like?
Johan Cruyff Academy Amsterdam is the best represented member of the Cruyff Education network at the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris. Student and former student athletes include Jessica Schilder (shot put), Xena Wimmenhoeve (Netherlands women’s wheelchair basketball team), Floris Wortelboer (Netherlands men’s field field hockey team), Maria Verschoor (Netherlands women’s field field hockey team), Rinka Duijndam, Dionne Housheer and Bo van Wetering (Netherlands women’s handball team), Noortje and Bregje de Brouwer (synchronized swimming), Roos Zwetsloot (skateboarding), Martina Wegman (kayaking) and Alyson Annan (coach of the Chinese women’s field field hockey team).
What strikes me most about these elite athletes is their incredible dedication and concentration. They have an extraordinary ability to stay focused not only on their sport, but also on their studies. It is fantastic to see how motivated they are, how well they plan and organize everything in an Olympic year, when the pressure and expectations are higher. And this inspires us, as teachers, to show the same dedication and to organize teaching in a flexible and personalized way. We understand the challenges they face and adapt, as far as possible, to their schedules.
How does Johan Cruyff Academy excel in the academic training of Olympians?
At Johan Cruyff Academy we see the mentoring of Olympians as a joint success of good coordination between teachers and the students themselves. Our flexibility and personalized curriculum are essential to their success. We ensure that our students can achieve their academic goals without compromising their athletic ambitions. Students are responsible for planning their studies, in consultation with our advisor Joyce van Kooten.
How do you celebrate the successes of student athletes?
The Olympic year brings with it a unique atmosphere in the team of teachers at Johan Cruyff Academy. We are all involved and proud of the achievements of our athletes. We publish all sporting successes on the app used by the team, and they are a very important and lively topic in internal meetings. This shared pride and sense of community is what unites us and motivates us to bring out the best in ourselves and our students.
A young Maria Verschoor during her study period at Johan Cruyff Academy. Maria is participating as a top hockey player in Paris 2024.
Lukas Dorda: the online approach to Olympic athlete training
Lukas Dorda is director of the Johan Cruyff Institute’s Online Programs. “I think one of the keys is to understand the athlete, to know the process they go through during the Olympic Games,” explains Lukas. “It’s important to keep an open dialogue, listen to them and try to help the athletes in any way we can.”
How would you describe the Johan Cruyff Institute‘s approach to training Olympic athletes?
I think one of our strengths is knowing what it means to work with athletes. We are aware that any athlete, in this case Olympic athletes, goes through different cycles. The cycles of preparation, qualification, competition. So, we are attentive to the athletes’ cycle, we listen to them and try to help them as much as we can. At the time of the qualification rounds, for example, we know that they are totally focused on performance. In those cases, we listen to them and are open to readjusting the itinerary, rescheduling some courses, talking to teachers and offering flexibility.
What aspects of the educational program do you consider to be most effective for the development of high-performance athletes?
One approach that is repeated in all the programs we offer is the idea of ‘Learning by doing’. Athletes are more involved in the practical than the theoretical part. Generally, athletes are pragmatic, practical people. Therefore, for us it is always important to teach content in the most practical way possible, so that students have a concrete idea of what they are doing and see the usefulness. By understanding the purpose of the content, it is easier to understand it.
How do you approach the integral education of the athlete, considering his or her sporting as well as personal and academic development?
One of the fundamental points is the experience we have working with athletes. This means that we know the situation of Olympic athletes very well and we can understand their needs, respect them and help them. Organizing and offering a personalized study program that takes into account the process they go through during the Olympic Games is part of our proposal.
How is Johan Cruyff’s philosophy integrated into the training of Olympic athletes?
I think Johan Cruyff’s philosophy is present in what I mentioned about learning by doing. We also try to promote common sense, what Johan advocated so much, in the practical part. This idea of listening and facilitating studies so that Olympians can have a dual career is something that is in the DNA of Cruyff Education. Johan used to say that people who are passionate about sport are the ones who should lead sports organizations. That is why we are proud to train these Olympians, so that tomorrow they will be leaders in the sports industry.
