You often see it in American films: university sports teams competing against each other at a high level. Since August of this year, Law student Catíe Joosten has been part of such an academic team herself. The premier league basketball star is studying and playing sports for a year at Western University in Ontario, Canada. ‘Basketball is played more individually here.’

The first time Catíe Joosten (23) checked out a tub of cottage cheese at the supermarket, she was shocked: 13 dollar, or nearly 7 euro. ‘Life is a lot more expensive here than in the Netherlands’, she tells us via the telephone. But she is getting a lot in return.

Fifteen hours of training

Catíe is playing basketball for a year in Canada, for Western University in Ontario. That means 15 hours of training a week, joining fitness sessions, and playing matches against other university teams on weekends. ‘Last week, we had a match in Toronto, so that means three hours on the road.’

‘We had a match in Toronto, so that means three hours on the road’

At Radboud University, she is pursuing a Master’s degree in Human Rights and Migration. She had always wanted to go abroad at some point, but it didn’t seem to be happening. Plus, she was attached to basketball; in the Netherlands, she plays in the premier league for GET United, a team from Bemmel, and she did not want to give up her sport.

Plane to Canada

When the 1.86-metre tall student heard about a possible exchange with Ontario, she immediately contacted the head coach of Western University’s basketball team. ‘I got a response within a day. He had watched videos of my matches and invited me for a Zoom call.’

A few months later, after a lot of hassle involving a visa that was delayed, she got on a plane to Canada at the end of August. Since then, she has been living in a dorm with two teammates and her life has revolved around sports.

‘Basketball is so much bigger here than in the Netherlands’, she says. ‘And like in the United States, a lot of sport is tied to school. It is quite normal in high school to play three or four different sports at the same time and work out for two hours after your classes.’

Much more individual

The status of ‘student athlete’ gets a lot of recognition at university, she has noticed. And the level of her team is not inferior to that of her premier league club in the Netherlands. There is a difference in how the sport is played, though.

‘At home I was used to quietly going to my position as a center’

‘At home I was used to quietly going to my position as a center (the player who plays closest to the basket, eds.) when the game was set up; here play is more individual. Someone tries to attack and when that fails, someone else tries. You react to what someone else is doing, rather than follow a preconceived plan.’

Her university team is not a sure champion, but they do always make it to the playoffs in the regional OUA (Ontario University Athletics), Catíe explains.

Niagara Falls

Among the Canadian girls, she is the only international, which doesn’t mean she feels like an outsider. ‘I have been taken in very enthusiastically and hospitably.’ At university, she is taking courses that deepen her knowledge of her temporary homeland. In the course on ‘Foodlaw’, for example, she learns about fishing legislation – there is a lot of fishing in Canada – and how migrants are treated in the food industry. On weekends, she takes trips with her housemates. She definitely wants to see the Niagara Falls and Toronto seems to be worth a visit too.

Her only regret is that coffee culture is so different in Canada. Baristas throw sweet syrup on everything. ‘In a thousand different flavours’, says Joosten. She has yet to find a regular cappuccino with oat milk, much to her dissatisfaction.