Student athletes: balancing term papers and Olympia“My Friends and Family Are All Going to Paris.”

23 July 2024, by Anna Priebe

Photo: Worldsportpics

Defender Viktoria Huse scored 38 times in the 133 games she played for the senior national team.

From 26 July to 11 August, the Olympic Games 2024 will take place in Paris, France. The German Olympic team also includes University of Hamburg students who are set to race for medals. Altogether 30 elite athletes are enrolled at the University. Three of them talk about juggling studies, training, and competitions. This time, field hockey player Victoria Huse

Age: 28 years
Sports type: field hockey
Degree program: Teacher training in secondary education I+II (sport/geography)
Previous successes, among others: Women’s Indoor Hockey World Cup champion, 2018; Women’s EuroHockey Indoor champion, 2022

Ten weeks ago, I chipped my tibial plateau during a game. I was really worried that I would not recover in time. Over the past years, I have played all games as part of the core team, but in the end, the Olympia qualification is based on performance. Shortly before the nomination training course I was back on my feet, so I am all the more relieved that I can be part of the team going to Paris.

I am very much looking forward to the Games, which will be totally different from the ones in Tokyo. My family and practically my whole circle of friends want to come by. I think there will be a lot more going on in the Olympic Village. But I will probably bring along my University stuff. There are no more lectures, but I still have to write 2 papers and my master’s thesis. My teammates are poking fun of me, for these projects have been due for some time. If I can find the time during preparation, I will get cracking. But honestly, there is hardly any time for this.

I got admitted to University within the elite athlete scheme, which reserves several quota spots for top-level athletes. That’s why I take this chance very seriously. My bachelor’s and master’s studies were both shaped by good collaboration with the teachers. In field hockey, there are always phases with few games when you spent time at home. That’s when I took care of matters that required attendance or did internships. I could partly register for courses early, to ensure I would actually be able to attend. Due to tournaments during the semester, I sometimes missed class 5 or 6 times during the semester. We talked about this early on and I could make up for this with different or additional task.

“As a teacher, I use my passion for sport to inspire my students.”

I learned a lot about competitive sports from my sport studies. For instance, I can directly use my training management skills. It was also great to get a chance to try so many different types of sport, such as skiing or canoeing. Classroom and sport team dynamics are quite similar. Thus, seminars on classroom management or on dealing with disruptions have helped me evolve as a leader.

At the same time, my studies and work in the classrooms benefit greatly from my experience in elite sport. Thanks to my sport I am used to stress and very resilient. This helps me in school. Of course, teaching sport differs greatly from competitive sport, but I use my passion for sport to inspire my students. I love what I am teaching them and that passion is contagious.

I’m very much looking forward to being a teacher, but can’t tell when I’ll be ready to start. I can hardly prepare a class for their Abitur graduation when I am in Argentina for a 6-week tournament. Therefore, I don’t want to do my teaching practice period, while I am still an elite athlete. So, after my master’s graduation, I would have to either take a break from sport or postpone the teaching practice period. I haven’t come to a decision yet.

For now, I focus entirely on the Olympics, which is a good thing. In mid-July, we will travel to France for some training games. We will enter the tournament on 28 July. I am definitely going to Paris to return with a medal. This didn’t work out in Tokyo, so I want to make the most of it now.