WESTER Tess

General
GOAL CELEBRATIONS
She is known for her enthusiastic celebrations when the Netherlands score and says it can help raise the morale of the rest of the team. "For me, it's something that happens automatically. It's not a show or an assignment that I'm asked to do. I can't stop it either. It comes from inside me. It's not that it helps me very much. It's more that I hear from the team that they like it. There are also girls who say they think it's funny if they see me do it. I'd rather be important by keeping well and stopping shots than by providing good vibes, but of course it's fun if you can do both." (sportniuews.nl, 07 Dec 2019)

POST-RIO BLUES
She says she struggled with motivation going into the 2016/17 handball season, immediately following the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. "The Olympics do not fit well in the handball calendar. Two days after Rio, my season in Germany started again, while the athletes from the rest of the world could enjoy a nice vacation. Mentally, I found that really difficult. I immediately went with my team to a training camp to Lanzarote. I told my coach that I only did it for him, because I didn't feel like it at all. I was completely demolished and I felt grumpy. It wasn't until October that the feeling gradually disappeared." (metronieuws.nl, 04 Nov 2016)