On October 8, 2025, student rowing association Thêta will officially close its fiftieth anniversary year—and what a year it has been! Chair Kevin Jansen lists the lustrum activities: “In July we had six consecutive days of celebrations in our boathouse, spent a weekend in Cologne with 150 members, broke the world record for continuous rowing on an ergometer—right in Eindhoven’s central station hall—held an opening party at Area 51, and even brewed our own lustrum beer.”

And something truly extraordinary happened this year. At the World Rowing Championships in Shanghai, Vera Sneijders (BMT student and Thêta member) and Sander de Graaf (alumnus and Thêta member) each won a gold medal in an eight-person boat—a historic double victory. “That was on Saturday morning, September 27. We were at the boathouse with around a hundred members for our own rowing competition, the Autumn Regatta. Together, we watched Vera become world champion first, and fifteen minutes later, Sander. It was incredible!”

Fours, eights, a single scull, and a potje ijf—every Thêtan knows what those mean, but for others: a four is a boat for four rowers; a 4+ includes a cox, while a 4- doesn’t. An eight (8+) has eight rowers and always a cox. A single scull(skiff) is for one person. And a potje ijf isn’t a boat at all, but a savings system. “You buy a beer and pay twenty cents extra. That money goes into the potje ijf, a fund we’re using to save up for a 2+ (two-person boat with cox, red.). We’re still a few thousand euros short,” Jansen explains.

As his favorite number, the chair chooses 13.9. “That’s the length of the Eindhovensch Kanaal in kilometers—from the Paterskerk to Helmond. Fifty Thêtans row on it daily, and about three hundred every week.”

At Thêta, members are either competitive or race rowers. Currently, six people train up to thirteen times a week—they’ belong to the second group. Competitive rowers come not just for the sport, but also for the social side: eating, drinking, and spending time together. Jansen belongs to this group. You’ll find him in a single scull up to three times a week. “That’s not much, but my board duties keep me busy. It’s a full-time position.”

The main goal of the board is to get as many people rowing as possible. “It’s very healthy, since you use all your muscles and it’s not injury-prone. Rowing is also a sport you can become good at even if you start as a student. Just look at world champion Sander de Graaf—he hadn’t competed in any races before joining Thêta.”

This article was translated using AI-assisted tools and reviewed by an editor.