I couldn’t live without snowboarding. It’s a huge part of my life. I got my first snowboard when I was eight, and I loved it immediately. I’ve been freestyle riding since I was ten – doing tricks in the air, jumping, sliding rails. When I’m on my board, I forget everything else and feel free. There’s also the thrill of doing tricks. You’re always trying new things, and getting them right feels amazing. You just keep wanting more. I go snowboarding about three times per week at the indoor ski centre SnowWorld in Landgraaf. I also coach two teams – one from Landgraaf, one from Amsterdam – and I’m taking a course to become a certified snowboard instructor.
I’m doing everything I can to be the best. I’m in the top five in the Netherlands, I was indoor champion of Belgium and the Netherlands last year, and I’ll be competing in the World University Games in Turin in January 2025. Competitions aren’t really my thing, though. I find competition days boring – there’s a lot of waiting around, doing the same tricks over and over – and I’ll never become a world-class snowboarder anyway. I prefer snowboarding with friends, doing tricks and making videos. And my studies are very important to me, as is my social life. I want to be able to go out and have fun, too – not that I go out every week, but still. I also want to have time for surfing. It’s more zen, more relaxing. Snowboarding is all about adrenaline.
Who doesn’t like you? [Thinks] There must be people who don’t like me, but I couldn’t say who. I generally get on well in groups, adapt pretty easily and treat people with respect. I’m usually self-assured, although sometimes I come across as confident when I’m not. Around new people, for example. Showing insecurity doesn’t help me; I’d rather convey through my body language – chest out, shoulders back – that I’m looking forward to meeting them. That kind of positive attitude creates a good mood, benefiting both you and the other person. It can come across as arrogant, but that’s not my intention. That’s not who I am.
I tell my mother everything. No. I can talk to her about anything, but I don’t tell her everything. For example, I’ll mention that I went out, but not that we were hungover the next morning. I have to live my own life; I don’t live at home anymore. She understands that, but sometimes it’s hard to let go. My little sister has moved out too, so the nest is empty.
When we were younger, my sister and I were always at each other’s throats. We actually get on well and share a flat in Maastricht. We argue every now and then, but we always make up quickly – something we learnt from our parents. We’re quite different; I’m very open and find it easy to connect with people, whereas my sister is more introverted. She’s a second-year Medicine student. It’s great to see her making friends here and studying with her classmates.
If you could be a fly on the wall anywhere, where would it be? At a CEO meeting of a large company like BMW or Tesla. I’d like to see what strategies they use. Do they listen to the quieter voices in the room? Who’s really in charge? After graduating, I’d like to work in the transport or automotive industry. After that, I want to open my own hotel. It’s something I’ve wanted to do for a long time. I’ve been going to a hotel in Austria since I was young, and they make you feel so at home there. I worked there for two summers, waiting tables. That’s not exactly what I want to do in the future, but it’s great to be able to give people a wonderful and relaxing week. Hotel school seemed a bit too practical for me, and maybe too easy. I wanted to explore more broadly first, which is why I decided to go to university.
What’s the best trip you’ve ever been on? When I was ten, we went to South Africa as a family. I vividly remember the atmosphere on safari, that sense of being so close to nature. But Lapland was incredible too. The landscape was white with snow. It felt so peaceful. And it’s bizarre that you can still feel cold wearing five layers of clothing, walking across a frozen lake – it’s like being on a different planet.
What’s the first thing you do when you get home? Eat. I eat all day long – lots of proteins and carbs, vegetables, fruit. I work out every day. Besides snowboarding two or three times per week, I go to the gym for strength training and on Fridays I go kickboxing.
What’s on your bedside table? [Chuckles] I don’t have one. But on my bed, there’s my phone, which I use as an alarm, and a novel, The Rosie Result. It’s the third book in a series where the main character is autistic. It’s super funny and interesting. In the first book, he wants a girlfriend, and makes a list of criteria she has to meet. He ends up falling for someone who doesn’t meet his criteria. He learns that you can’t control your feelings with a checklist.