After graduation, Schuurmans continued with the discus throw on a professional basis. He achieved a personal record mark of in Chula Vista, California in April 2011. He failed to get near that mark at the 2012 United States Olympic Trials, coming 16th with a throw of . The experience was an encouraging one for him, as he believed he could get close to the top of the sport with better preparation. He joined the National Athletic Institute's United States Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista in 2013 and began training with former Olympic discus champion Mac Wilkins – who had been a childhood idol of Schuurmans'. He was much improved that year, throwing beyond 200 feet on 24 occasions and ending the year with a new personal record of . This mark raised him to seventh place in the American seasonal rankings by "Track and Field News". He was 51st on the world lists for 2013. Schuurmans' comparatively slim build for an American discus thrower led journalist Martin Bingisser to identify a trend towards smaller, more technique-led throwers in the country, with that year's American champion Lance Brooks being another example. Schuurmans also stated that throw practice was by far the most important part of his training for the sport, rather than weight training.