Van Lint sports week

During the Van Lint sports week student teams compete for a week at the TU/e Student Sports Center in well-known and lesser-known sports. The week is called ‘Van Lint Sportweek’, because professor Jack van Lint (Rector Magnificus of TU/e from 1991-1996) always committed himself to student sports.

One of the less well-known sports is underwater hockey. It involves a 25-centimeter-long hockey stick and a heavy puck that will not float. Under water you pass the puck to each other and try to score. To take another breath you need to surface again. “The Netherlands has been the world champion in this sport for several years”, Jeroen Schutter informs us. Schutter is chairman of the Van Lint committee and studies Industrial Engineering at Fontys
Hogescholen.

Apart from underwater hockey there are other ‘unusual sports’ such as wheelchair basketball, canoe polo and ‘knotsbal’. While playing wheelchair basketball you can experience what it is like to play basketball in a wheelchair, canoe polo is water polo played from canoes and ‘knotsbal’ (club ball) involves a stick with a foam rubber head and a little ball. By means of the club you need to try and hit the ball into the goal. How they have come up with these peculiar sports? “Well, we really don’t make them up, they actually do exist. We see something on TV or hear somewhere about an odd sport. Then we find out whether we can do something with it during this sports week. During a brainstorming night we always manage to come up with some nice ideas.” In addition to the odd sports, there will also be competition in much more
familiar types of sport such as indoor football, table tennis and basketball.

And like many other activities the Van Lint sports week will this year have Serious Request as its theme. Schutter: “We have the activity ‘build your own glass house’ in which you can build the biggest possible house with plastic cups. Also, there are various fund-raising drives.”

Registration for the sports week will close on December 8, but you can always go there to encourage the players and to party: every night there will be a feast in the canteen. (HB)

Underwater hockey can also be practiced during the Van Lint Sportweek. Archive photo | Bart van Overbeeke

Eindhoven winter city

Various wintry activities in Eindhoven’s city center, such as a Christmas market in Wilhelminaplein and a torchlight procession.
December 12 thru 31, various locations in the city center, admission free. www.eindhovenwinterstad.nl

Van Lint sports week

A week-long competition in different sports categories, such as football, basketball, ‘knotsbal’ and underwater hockey. And a feast every night at the Sports Center.
December 13 thru 17, Student Sports Center TU/e, admission free www.essf.nl

Christmas party

Christmas party for students. Two euro gains you admission and Santa will have a present for you as well. Everybody is asked to bring along snacks that are eaten in their home country at Christmas.
December 14, 19.30 to 23.30 hours, de Bunker opposite the TU/e campus, two euro entrance fee.
For more information see Facebook page ‘common room’.