Meet Femke Stoltenborg, volleyball player at the Dutch National Team

Femke Stoltenborg is one of the players of the Dutch Female Volleyball team. To perform at the highest level, she is always doing her best to live healthy. That's why we consider Femke a Fit Girl pur sang! She is going to share her personal fit tips and adventures with the community, and she'll give you a peek into her daily live; where top class sport meets holidays, boyfriends, parties, cheat days and relaxing. But first, we'd like you to get to know Femke a little bit better :)

Why do you like writing for #FITGIRLCODE?

I like to share what it’s like to do top class sport and what we have to do to stay fit.

How did your volleyball adventure start?

My whole family plays volleyball. During summer we often played volleyball together outside on the grass. When I was 12, I noticed that my younger sister suddenly played better volleyball than I did. I didn't handle that all that well, so I decided to start playing volleyball at a club, just like her.

Did you have to sacrifice other important things to play volleyball at this level?

There are quite a few things I had to sacrifice to play sport at this level, such as studying for example. Because I play volleyball abroad it’s not possible for me to do the study I would actually like to do (becoming a school teacher). Instead I have chosen to study psychology at the Open University. This school gives me the opportunity to combine my study with volleyball. Furthermore I don’t see my family and friends as much as I would like. I often miss out on family days because I’m somewhere else playing volleyball. But it's not like I'm only sacrifcing things, I get so much in return! Playing volleyball gives me such satisfaction, so giving up a few things here and there is really worth the while.

How does your environment respond to you sport career?

My environment is really enthusiastic about my sport career. They like to see and hear how I’m doing. Fortunately social media makes it easier for them to follow my life. My family supports me in everything I do and help me wherever they can. I can always count on them!

Do you like the fact that you have to go abroad so often to play volleyball?

I do! I like to discover other countries and their cultures. Although we often don’t see a lot of the countries itselves, it’s so cool to see how volleyball is experienced around the world. It differs a lot! Something less convenient about traveling a lot are the jetlags though ;)

What’s your most impressive sport moment until now?

Last year we went to Brazil with the Dutch national team. Here we played three practice games against the Brazilian team and it was so awesome! We played for 8000 tremendously avid fans and I was nearly deaf after the game. The atmosphere and the experience of the Brazilians was something I won’t forget.

And what sport moment would you like to forget?

The fact that I broke my thumb during practice two weeks before the European Championship.

What is your guilty pleasure?

Monchou pie (Cheese cake)   :)

What are the first three things on your buck list?

Make a trip around the world, learn how to surf and speak Italian.

Are there any things you would like to ask Femke? Leave your questions in the comments below!