Coaches

When I was 10 years old I started gymnastics. Because my 3 year older brother did gymnastics I wanted to do the same. Not yet knowing that the sports would give me so much pleasure, energy and challenge me even to this day. Back then as a gymnast, and now as a coach.

Until I was 25 I have actively practiced gymnastics, in the last years I was on national level. I didn’t just spend 5 days per week in the gym (I lived next to it), but you could also excite me for many other sports. From ice hockey to softball, handball to football.

Therefore my choice to become sportsteacher and sign up for the ‘Katholieke Academie voor Lichamelijke Opvoeding te Tilburg’ was a logical one.

Since 1991 I work at Radboud Sportscentre and I got to experience the ‘birth’ of KUNST as a coach. After many years I still really enjoy being the coach of this beautiful association and I may teach all these youngsters the beauty of gymnastics. It still gives me a huge boost to accompany the experienced gymnasts, see where they can still improve and what they can learn. But also the starting gymnasts learning them how to do gymnastics is a challenge and gives me great pleasure. For both of them the experience of success and learning all these 3 dimensional movements is the challenge. ‘Practice makes KUNST’.

When I was six years old and a member of AVGV (in my hometown Voorburg) for only a month, the club championships were held. Of the 12 boys of the club only half of them competed. I did a few somersaults, half turns in the air and an attempt to a cartwheel in the right order and completely surprised that I took the club trophy home! I haven’t come much further than this with only 1 hour, and 8 years later in a competition group 2,5 hours of practice per week. However, I still enjoyed doing gymnastics a lot, so when I moved to Nijmegen I became a member at KUNST straight away.
With practicing some more due to the RSC course it became giving more tips and a helping hand to others, and when the connecting Thursday practice of KUNST moved to the Ploegstraat (old gymnastics hall of the Hazenkamp), I still came. Meanwhile I had already seen many tricks of the trade from Marc and I started the trainers training and an internship at the Hazenkamp.
After a while as a volunteer at KUNST, I became an official employee of the RSC in 2020. Since then Marc and I are giving the gymnastics course at the RSC and the practices at KUNST. However, sometimes I still attend the practice at KUNST for an hour. I also still give practice at the Hazenkamp to different groups: the teenagers on the recreational level, adults with complete beginners and before also the 2nd division and since the summer of 2022 also the 4th division competition group.
I give practice to many different groups, but the beautiful part of giving practice is seeing the progression. And this is possible at every level. I find it very important that people are practicing for their own pleasure and can enjoy the amazing moves or steps towards a new element. And if I can help people with this (physically but also mentally), it gives me satisfaction with which I can hopefully give practice for many years in this beautiful sport.

Hellloooo, I am Carolina (26 years) and currently following a master Health psycholgy in Nijmegen. I love to be around people, squasing, playing games, making fun, listening to or making music and ofcourse gymnastics. As a little kid I was standing upside down, jumping and climbing around all the time. That’s the reason why my parents send me to the gymnastics club. I am doing gymnastics since I was five years old, and soon after started doing competitions. Gymnastics is so much fun because there is always a challenge. And if beam doesn’t work out one day, there are plenty of other things you can do! In competition you van show what skills you learnt. The most important competitions I have participated in are the Beligum and Flemish championships. All of this I did till the age of 16. Then I stopped because I could not enjoy Gymnastics enough due to injuries. After that I started as a trainer in a competitiongroup, and later also for teens and toddlers. And now also for students, which I really enjoy! I find it important to teach new skills in little steps. I find it fascinating how fast people learn new things, all the motivation everyone has and how much we enjoy it together! With al lot of encouragment and peptalks together we can always take a step forwards. Everything which you thought you could not do, you can learn. Besides being a trainer you can also find me practicing in group B. If you have any questions, tips or encourangement you know how to find me!

Hey, I’m Tessa, I’m 27 years old and I live in the beautiful Nijmegen. Since the beginning of my studies I joined KUNST. Before that I was active in acro and from the age of 16 in gymnastics. I started a little late but still managed to compete in the 4th division 🙂 Because I don’t want to leave KUNST completely, I started to assist the training sessions. I like to have a nice chat and I know the basics of gymnastics quite well. I also like to help with choreography. Besides gymnastics, I enjoy hobby-photography, having drinks with friends, playing games, camping and playing sports (bouldering and cycling). When I am not doing these fun things, I am working as an outpatient family counselor which I also really enjoy doing.
Hope to see you soon! Remembering names is not my strongest suit but know that I am trying my best 😉 !

Heyy, Larissa here!! I am 23 years old and have been addicted to gymnastics since I was 6. What started as “I want to do gymnastics with my friends (recreational)” ended up as a 1st division gymnast at De Hazenkamp with great achievements. I had found my passion; gymnastics was the only thing I did and wanted to do. I have done gymnastics at various clubs: Sparta Veenendaal, Turnclub Pit, Exalto, SGS-Lingewaard, De Hazenkamp, and of course KUNST. My best achievements/memories are my NK medals, doing gymnastics in Ahoy, and finally getting my jaeger on the uneven bars. For me, gymnastics is not an individual sport; you do it together. When you think you can’t do it anymore, your teammates make sure you keep going. Besides being physically challenging, gymnastics sometimes demands a little more mentally. I want to help others with that; you can do so much more than you think! I have been assisting with gymnastics for ages young and old since I was 12. Now that I no longer compete myself, I want to continue my passion by coaching. My favorite apparatus are the uneven bars and balance beam, so that’s where you’ll often find me in the gym. Do you need help with elements, choreography, or just want to have a chat? I’m happy to help 🙂
Gymnastics greetings <3