Kaj van den Heuvel
20 years old Alpine skier from the Netherlands
Learning & Exploring Everyday
Kaj van den Heuvel
Who Am I?
My name is Kaj van den Heuvel, 20 years old and I am a (professional) Alpine skier from the Netherlands. I grew up in Utrecht, a nice city in the Netherlands but unfortunately without any mountains. When I was 8 years old I first experienced skiing when I was with my parents on a holiday in Austria, since then we went skiing every year. After a few years I knew for sure that I wanted to become a professional ski racer and at the age of 13 I skied my first ski races. From then on, I became fully focused on one goal: becoming a professional ski racer!
What I love about alpine skiing is how it combines speed with technic and, of course, being in the snow and mountains all day is also amazing!
In winter my focus is on competing in international races; during these months I travel all around Europe to ski international FIS-races. In the summer and pre-season my focus is on both ski-training as well as physical training.
Besides being a professional skier, I study Philosophy at the University of Utrecht. In addition to that I started my own business in sustainable sport and outdoor headbands. With Bands for Bush I want to give something back to nature and our planet and at the same time I hope to generate income to finance my ski career.
My Goals
My current focus is to achieve good FIS- points (the points that determine your place on the international ranking). If I improve my points, I can gradually work my way up to the level of European Cup and finally World Cup of course!
I am convinced that focus and perseverance are the key to success. Becoming a better ski racer is a process that goes step by step. Besides the right nutrition, daily physical training and ski technical training, rest, recovery and mental training are all equally important. That is why I train many hours a day, make sure I rest and sleep enough and have good diet!
My Vision
My vision goes beyond skiing. One of the things I really love about skiing is the constant connection with nature. The last few years I created a passion for the mountains and therefore for nature. I also learned that if we want to keep our beautiful nature, we should be careful with the earth. I not only watch on my own behavior, like trying to eat as less as possible meat and taking the train instead of flying, but I also try to work as much as possible with sustainable brands and companies.
My Team
Teamwork makes the dream work! Alone I cannot reach the absolute top, that is why I created a team around me of people who help me to create the excellent circumstances so I can reach my goals.
I train together with a group of international skiers and the Austrian coaches from the Racecenter Benni Raich, with Florian Raich – former coach of the Austrian world cup team – as my head coach.
I also have my own physio and personal trainer from the Fysiofabriek and a mental coach.
Sponsors & Partnerships
As a professional skier the costs are very high. I spend a large part of the year in Austria to train and compete. I also travel a lot back and forth for international competitions. And finally, skiing requires a lot of equipment. I need at least 8 pairs of skis every season! Without my sponsors and partnerships none of this would be possible.
I am very happy with my sponsors, with whom I discuss my goals and vision and who support me in my professional route towards the international top. In return I help my sponsor by giving them on- and off line exposure, give presentations for their customers and employees, possibilities to use my logo and pictures for their promotion and of course I help them to boost their business. Please contact me for possibilities.
