But relaxing has to be earned first by hard work. Sweat drops bead along the temples of various intro kids trying to prove themselves (or make a half-hearted attempt to do so) on the ergometers of Thêta. They have to cover three hundred meters, racing against their group mates; whoever achieves that within a certain time (51 seconds for men, 1 minute 2 seconds for women) is rewarded with six weeks of free membership. "We like to pamper our (future) talents", says Johann Slabber of the association with a smile.

Cap on student numbers

No, he is not secretly trying to be the talent scout here, says the skyscraper tall rower (certainly not the only Thetan next to whom you actually want to stand on your toes). However it is true that his association aims for potential talent more than ever this year. Indeed, Thêta has this year for the first time since its existence introduced a numerus clausus: there is room for up to one hundred eighty newcomers.

Slabber: "Last year we had 270 applications, which were really too many. Even though we are doing fine in terms of capacity, you simply cannot offer all those people the proper experience you would want. Certainly not in a city like Eindhoven where the study pressure is high and most people only have time in the evening to exercise.”

The restriction on admission means that Thêta can and should be more selective than before and focus a little more on potential, commitment and ambition, "focusing on people who really want to go the extra mile. 2004 was our best year and we are now almost at that level again. We are doing well nationally and internationally, especially for such a small university."

Whether this Intro will deliver the young top talents that will help to continue this upward trend is hard to say on Wednesday morning. The workshops on Thursday, for which the interested intro kids have to register first, will hopefully provide a clearer picture.