Isis therefore came up with a playful approach, with a clothes-line full of warm winter hats and hot cocoa for the Intro goers who wanted to have their fling on the skating board (wearing slippers and gliding to and fro in a skating posture). Any students interested can also try this during the workshop on Thursday, says former chairman Rutger Snoek, who in everyday life is a student of Mechanical Engineering.

Isis has really tried very hard to hold the skating workshop at the Eindhoven IJssportcentrum - there is an ice floor in the hall for the ice hockey players and figure skaters - but unfortunately their efforts have remained unsuccessful. So it will be dry training, like the skaters do every Tuesday throughout the summer. “In addition, we also practice every Thursday by cycling, together with Squadra Veloce.”

That student cycle-racing clubis located next to Isis for a good reason. There daredevils can cover a track (without wearing helmets) on cycles they borrow from the cycle-racing club. A fall, if any, would for that matter be one while almost standing still: the track has been cordoned off with crowd control barriers and is constructed like a sort of maze in which steering skill and balance are far more important than pedal force or endurance. 

A bit farther taekwondo club Ilyeo invites everybody to play a game of Twister. Ilyeo member Lucy Xiao demonstrates how appropriate the Korean art of self-defense is to acquire balance and suppleness. Moreover, there is also a very congenial atmosphere in this club, says the Chinese-Dutch student of Industrial Design. “We regularly eat together, for instance in the form of a traditional food party after a belt certification exam.”

On that occasion the taekwondoka acquires the right to wear a ‘higher’ color belt, from white via yellow, green, blue and red to black - which naturally has to be celebrated. “We usually do this in the Common Room (the room of the international student association Cosmos, red.).” Which is a logical place, Lucy thinks, considering that almost half of the Ilyeo members are ‘internationals’.

Just a few yards farther gymnastics and cheerleader association SUCA has arranged an inflatable air-tumbling track. According to prospective committee member Dagmar de Reus this is a low-threshold way to get acquainted with gymnastics. “We do tend to have the image that you need to have some experience with gymnastics before joining a gymnastics club.” She really thinks that is not necessary, though.

Speed skater Rutger, who has dropped by to say hello, more or less demonstrates the opposite by landing on his bum after his first somersault. Thanks to the inflatable track there is no physical damage, just the dent in his ego.

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