Skadi Rotterdam brings well-being and performance together

At the Rotterdam student rowing association Skadi, combining elite sports, team spirit and enjoyment is already central. Yet the association noticed something was missing: a simple way to structurally monitor the well-being of their rowers. That is why Skadi started a pilot with SportMeter.

The pilot focuses on weekly check-ins around mental health, training experience and RPE scores for specific performance groups. By doing this in both an accessible and consistent way, a valuable data source is created that helps coaches identify issues faster, provide better guidance and intervene in a timely manner when needed.

Why a SportMeter pilot

According to Gitta (commissioner of competitive rowing), the need for a tool arose because coaches had many conversations with their rowers, but the information from those conversations often turned out to be fleeting.

"We noticed that we were missing a simple platform where we could do weekly check-ins with the rowers. Coaches talk to them regularly about how things are going, but often they can't recall much further back than one week. A program to look back on matched our needs well."

With SportMeter, the competitive section gets exactly that: an overview of trends in training experience, stress, enjoyment, mental load and energy levels.

Enjoyment and performance hand in hand

At a student rowing association, it's not just about training hard; the social aspect remains at least as important.

Gitta emphasizes that balance is key:

"Combining elite sports and social life is important. With activities for first-year crews and intermediate groups, we provide variety between training and relaxation. We also pay a lot of attention to strong team bonding. With SportMeter, we want to check weekly whether rowers are still experiencing enjoyment and whether they feel stress from their studies or other commitments."

The pilot therefore helps to make both physical load and mental well-being measurable — and in a way that contributes to the culture Skadi has been striving for over the years.