van der HEIJDEN Laura

General
THE QUIET ONE
She is often described as quiet and introverted by her teammates, and says that her calm demeanour helps her deal with pre-match nerves. "I'm not an extrovert. I don't cheer very much after a goal, but I think that I'm appreciated in the team for what I do. A good team must have different characters. I'm calm, I don't rush to get into the limelight, and I like the role I have. Luckily I don't have that [pre-match nerves]. I remain calm. I have some healthy tension, but I'm never really nervous. I always feel ready for it." (ad.nl, 09 Dec 2019)

OVERSEAS EXPERIENCE
She has played abroad in Germany, Denmark and Hungary during her career. She says she has improved playing in different leagues, but admits to struggling with the language barrier in Hungary. "In Germany the emphasis is still being placed on the physical side. In Denmark it is much more on the speed and the technical part, and I think I've improved myself in those two elements. I must say, I didn't know at first how difficult it [Hungarian] was to learn. So I have to watch carefully in training, and sometimes I'm helped in English. For the video preparation and the tactical discussions, I have an interpreter next to me." (handbalstartpunt.nl, 06 Dec 2014; voksrant.nl, 01 Dec 2017)

INTOLERANCE
In 2013 she was diagnosed with lactose intolerance. "I suddenly became very ill. I appeared to have lactose intolerance. After a test it became clear what was going on. I can live well with it." (voksrant.nl, 01 Dec 2017)

OTHER ACTIVITIES
She has worked as a handball coach with Handball Pro, a company that runs handball camps for children in the Netherlands. "Giving children a better life, that has always appealed to me." (nos.nl, 31 May 2019; road17.nl, 13 Jun 2018; rhv-snelwiek.nl, 08 Jun 2018; handballpro.nl, 01 Sep 2016)