“Did you have a lot of bruises? Mine are already starting to change color.” In recent weeks, we haven’t been surprised by conversations with similar implications. The reason? The track and field competition of May 22. Among the approximately 100 teams was also a team from the office garden where I work. Sports unite, and so do complaints about muscle pain, abrasions and bruises. We were quite satisfied with that neat 87th place, because we laughed so much. Although of course there is always room for improvement.

The physical evidence of participation has almost faded again. Fortunately, we still have the photos. They made it painfully clear to me that what felt very sporty on the inside, does not necessarily look that way on the outside. On the contrary: the photo of my dive of the mechanical deer is doing very well in the family app.

The Flux lawn could not even accommodate the more than 1000 participants in the track and field competition: the organization had to move to adjacent grass fields on campus. That made me think: on April 23, the turnout for the protest action against the government cuts in higher education on that same Flux lawn was not nearly as impressive. While such an action creates the same feeling of solidarity.

How great would it be if we all also participated in the new national strike on June 10? Not on the Flux lawn this time, but in Amsterdam. We can easily fit in there. Put on your sports shirt again, training is not necessary. Fighting together for the good cause, and also much less prone to injuries!

Annemarie van Malsen is a communications officer at TU/e’s Department of Industrial Design. The views expressed in this column are her own.