2016年CRI Younger generation raises expectations of ice hockey in China

 

This is one of the games of this year's international youth ice hockey tournament in Beijing - Tiger Ice Hockey Team from China against Ice Lion from South Korea.

Both teams consist of kids who are around 8 years old, but already have been skilled and hardened.

Zhang Dongdong was a former Chinese national ice hockey player. After retirement¹ at the age of 23, he has become an ice hockey coach to young kids.

"I love ice hockey very much. I see the team spirit and cohesiveness² from it. The teammates are united as one and concentrating the efforts on every game. I really enjoy that feeling."

Zhang stands in the waiting area, watching the game from the sidelines.

He seems confident, not a bit worried about his students.

The ongoing³ international youth ice hockey tournament in Beijing is of the largest scale so far in Asia. Over 1,000 kids will take part in more than 300 games in nine days.

With the rapid development of society and considerable improvement of the living standards, many Chinese parents are seeking different kinds of extracurricular activities for their children.

One of the hocky moms focuses all her attention on the game when her son is skating and competing on the ice. She is happy to see pleasant changes in her son after he started playing ice hockey.

"My kid's performance is just normal today. I don't think he is at his best. He started to play ice hockey when he was four years old. He used to be an introvert⁴ and didn't like to talking too much. But now he is vibrant⁵ and lively."

Just ten seconds after the opening whistle, the Tigers scored one point, and finally won the game 18:0 against their opponent.

But coach Zhang Dongdong says he is not surprised and it's just a normal performance for these kids.

No.99 Zhang Tianyu is quite excited about his team's victory. Sweat trickles⁶ down his forehead, but he is still full of vim⁷ and vigor⁸.

"I can have fun together with my team when I play ice hockey with them. The competition is really fierce on the ice. I'm happy that I can assist my teammates. I think I get stronger after I began to play ice hockey. I even gained some weight."

Ice hockey is not a traditional strength in Chinese sports history and does not yet have wide popularity⁹ across the country. 

As the Winter Olympics approaching, some even suggested that the Chinese ice hockey team might not have the opportunity to participate in the Games in 2022.

But Zhang says he sees a bright future of ice hockey in China, as more Chinese cities started to see young kids involved in the sport.

"In the past, ice hockey was mostly popular in northeast China. Big cities in the three provinces in the northeast China might also have their own ice hockey team. Later, it gradually shifted towards the southern areas. Kids in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen also started to play ice hockey."

Zhang says it's important to train ice hockey players at an early age.

"If we want promising¹⁰ development of sports, training for athletes should start when kids are young. Ice hockey is a team sport, so the more athletes get trained and cultivated, the more possibilities we can have to select excellent players and to build up a strong team."

The 24th Winter Olympic Games is going to be held in Beijing and Zhangjiakou in north China's Hebei Province in February, 2022. Beijing will undertake all the ice sports events.

Ice hockey, as one of the sports in the Olympic family, is getting more and more popular among Chinese people.

Zhang thinks China's hosting the winter Olympics will certainly bring some new hope and raise expectations for ice hockey development in China.

"I believe with the approach of 2022, more and more ice stadiums will be built in big cities and more and more kids will join the sport. It is not only because of supportive policies, but also the attraction of the sport itself, it draws people to play it and enjoy it. I believe development will get better and better."

For CRI, this is Huang Yue.

1 retirement   

n.退休，退职

参考例句：

• She wanted to enjoy her retirement without being beset by financial worries.她想享受退休生活而不必为金钱担忧。
• I have to put everything away for my retirement.我必须把一切都积蓄起来以便退休后用。

2 cohesiveness   

n. 粘合，凝聚性

参考例句：

• The Bogor Goals concern APEC's credibility, cohesiveness and future development. 茂物目标事关亚太经合组织的信誉、凝聚力和未来发展。
• One of the most important properties of a work team is cohesiveness. 工作小组的最重要特征之一是凝聚力。

3 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

4 introvert   

n.性格内向的人

参考例句：

• You are very much an introvert.你是一位地道的内向性格者。
• The same conversation that energizes the extravert also drains the introvert.同样的交谈能让外向者荣光焕发，却让内向者精神颓靡。

5 vibrant   

adj.震颤的，响亮的，充满活力的，精力充沛的，(色彩)鲜明的

参考例句：

• He always uses vibrant colours in his paintings. 他在画中总是使用鲜明的色彩。
• She gave a vibrant performance in the leading role in the school play.她在学校表演中生气盎然地扮演了主角。

6 trickles   

n.细流( trickle的名词复数 )；稀稀疏疏缓慢来往的东西v.滴( trickle的第三人称单数 )；淌；使)慢慢走；缓慢移动

参考例句：

• Trickles of sweat rained down my head and neck. 我颈上头上的汗珠，更同盛雨似的，一颗一颗的钻出来了。 来自汉英文学 - 中国现代小说
• Water trickles through an underground grotto. 水沿着地下岩洞流淌。 来自辞典例句

7 vim   

n.精力，活力

参考例句：

• He set to his task with renewed vim and vigour.他再度抖擞精神，手完成自己的工作。
• This young fellow does his work with vim and vigour.这小伙子干活真冲。

8 vigor   

n.活力，精力，元气

参考例句：

• The choir sang the words out with great vigor.合唱团以极大的热情唱出了歌词。
• She didn't want to be reminded of her beauty or her former vigor.现在，她不愿人们提起她昔日的美丽和以前的精力充沛。

9 popularity   

n.普及，流行，名望，受欢迎

参考例句：

• The story had an extensive popularity among American readers.这本小说在美国读者中赢得广泛的声望。
• Our product enjoys popularity throughout the world.我们的产品饮誉全球。

10 promising   

adj.有希望的，有前途的

参考例句：

• The results of the experiments are very promising.实验的结果充满了希望。
• We're trying to bring along one or two promising young swimmers.我们正设法培养出一两名有前途的年轻游泳选手。