Maaike Verweij and Daan Gelling are both students at the University of Groningen and skate for Team Zaanlander, one of the top teams in the Netherlands. This is the first video in a series of three in which Maaike and Daan share and demonstrate how they combine their elite sports careers with their studies at the University of Groningen.

Maaike is studying the master’s in Strategic Innovation Management. 'It’s a specialization of the Business Administration program', says Maaike. 'We mainly focus on innovation—what companies need to innovate, how they should structure to be able to innovate, how to protect their innovations, how to find partners to collaborate with, and how to set up those partnerships. All the different aspects of innovation are covered.'

Daan is studying Spatial Planning and Design at the UG. 'It’s technical urban planning, mainly focused on designing cities and neighborhoods—deciding where roads and houses should go. It’s very broad, and I enjoy that.'

Combining elite sports and study is challenging. Daan: 'We train a lot and are often away for training camps. It’s all about good planning—planning tightly and knowing exactly what you need to do. That helps to check things off and stay on track.'

Maaike: 'It’s also crucial to communicate well with your professors and fellow students. Often, there’s quite a lot that can be arranged. Of course, a large part of it comes down to self-study. You need the discipline to study on your own and keep up with the material if you can’t attend lectures.'

Check the first video with Maaike and Daan: