How to combine sports with studies

Tuuve Häkkinen is one of the most famous cheerleading athletes in the Nordics. She has been doing cheerleading since she was 13 years old. Tuuve is in her 9th year in HAC Elite and she has been part of Team Finland all-girl since 2016. She is also the captain of both teams.

"Cheerleading had a hold on me right from the first practice, from which I returned home with a big smile and red cheeks telling to my parents how much fun I had. This same feeling is what keeps me going even after so many years and achieving all the biggest goals. The sense of community in the sport is amazingly unique, like also its physical versatility. The more I have given to the sport and the team, the more I have received back. The difficult moments then doesn't seem so bad and the wonderful moments are even more joyful. In this sport and as part of a goal-oriented team, I get to experience a sense of meaning every day. "

Medical school

Tuuve started her medical studies at the University of Helsinki in 2019 after taking two gap years after graduating from high school. The idea of becoming a doctor first came as a child. At first Tuuve tried to avoid following the footsteps of her doctor parents, but the interest in the subject took over. During the gap years, Tuuve focused fully on sports and worked alongside training.

However, one month before leaving for the 2019 World Championships, Tuuve broke her arm during practice, which temporarily stopped the sport. Despite the great sadness, Tuuve decided that something good would come of this too. She studied even harder for the approaching entrance exams, and so did the doors of medical school open up on the third attempt.

Now Tuuve has been 4 years in school and she is currently taking a year off from studies. Many people have asked how to do two demanding things at the same time. Tuuve admits that the combination is very challenging.

"I believe that my own saving was the stops caused by the corona pandemic. The transfer of studies to distance learning enabled a more flexible everyday life and more time to rest at home. The practice breaks were mentally heavy, but on the other hand, they lightened the physical load. Instead of team practice, we started investing in strength and endurance training, which has since also remained as a significant role in training. It even felt that I got a couple of extra years in my cheer career thanks to the pandemic. For a while, after the restrictions were lifted, I had full-time tutoring and long days at the hospital, while going to the practices both with Elite and the national team. However, I knew that I could not endure such a stressful everyday life forever and I decided to take a gap year to get some extra time for my sports career."

In the gap year, sports and rest come first. Tuuve does medical appointments and backlogged studies, but sports and recovery are the priorities. Although she is already starting to long to get back to her studies, Tuuve knows that the studies and working life are still waiting without disappearing, while the reality is that at some point age and other life will catch up with professional level sports.

Tips from Tuuve

- Be kind to yourself both in terms of studies and sports. You can't invest 100% in everything at the same time.

- Don't compare yourself to others. Remember that most of your fellow students do not have as demanding daily life as an international level athlete.

- Plan less studies for the competitive season, if possible. However, it is not worth trying to compensate for slower progressed studies outside the competition season, otherwise you will never have time to recover.

- Talk to your coaches about the situation and preferably in advance. You can always find understanding, as long as you speak openly.

- Talk to the study coordinator etc. and if possible, make a personal study plan together.

- Apply for all possible grants and scholarships to help finance sports.

- Prioritize sleep, and aim to get at least 8 hours sleep every night.

- Be proactive about scheduling and planning your studies. I look at calendars and plan both month, week and day at a time.

- Don't be in a hurry to graduate if the sport still gives you pleasure. Working life will wait. You can't have everything in life and top sports give unique things to life. Cherish them - even after your carrier!

In her spree time, Tuuve spends time with her loved ones and her cats. She also likes to do crafts and draw or paint. On her days off, she tries to maintain her social relationships and attend student events, but tries not to take pressure from them.

"When I notice that I start to stress about missing student life, I remind myself of everything I get from sports. The most important things are the close community and the sense of meaning that goal-oriented sport brings. Although I sometimes doubt whether the decision to "skip" the student life phase was the right one, I trust that the future me will be endlessly grateful for the lessons that sport brings and how wide a range of emotions I've been able to experience through it. In the end, very few people experience such strong emotions at work or studies. Moreover, very few people are world champions. I also don't laugh anywhere as much as in the practice and with my teammates. I laugh at least every week with my eyes watering. If you would see me at practice I might seem crazy so that you might not immediately believe me to be a doctor to be taken seriously"