How a hockey coach dribbled past hurdles and scooped a dream goal

LANZHOU－The rigor of championships, and the reputation of over 20 athletes in provincial and national teams, keep driving Sun Jiangang's dream to promote hockey among the youth.

The 45-year-old coach has led the Sports School of Jingyuan County, in Northwest China's Gansu province, from nothing over a decade ago to national champions.

"In 2008, when I became the coach, the school lacked basic gear for the game, except for hockey balls and sticks," Sun says, adding that the campus team also had to practice on a basketball court.

To make matters more difficult for Sun, parents wanted their children to focus on studies, which meant the selected players could only practice hockey after school hours and on weekends.

"I tried to ease the concerns the parents had and persuade them to encourage the kids to play," he says.

The team of ragtag players that Sun cobbled together in 2008 went on to participate in national youth hockey championships for more than a decade and won three titles since 2009.

The all-round development of the players has been inseparable from the improvement of local hockey facilities. Three 6-a-side hockey fields and one for an 11-a-side game have been built in Jingyuan county since 2008. The number of hockey coaches in the school has increased to four.

Sun noticed that his players not only performed better academically, but they also exuded confidence at various sporting events. The team trained in several places during summer and winter vacations, and competed against others from across the country.

"Vacation training improves technical and tactical skills, and broadens horizons,"Sun explains.

Hockey has become popular in Jingyuan, and more parents now want their children to play. Gao Xiang, headmaster of the Sports School of Jingyuan County, says the campus team has more than 150 players. "The school has sent over 200 to different colleges and more than 20 players have joined national youth hockey teams," Gao adds.

Yang Faxiang joined Sun's first batch of players in 2008. He has represented China at two international competitions since. The 25-year-old finished fourth as a member of the Gansu hockey team at the 14th National Games last year. "Hockey has changed my life and I love it," Yang says.

To promote the sport further, the county school has been sending its hockey coaches to train members of students' clubs and conduct after-class sessions at primary and middle schools.

Twenty schools were registered under the Chinese Hockey Association last year, of which 10 are in western China. The Sports School of Jingyuan County is an accredited National Olympic Reserve Base for hockey talent.

"There are more young hockey players in the province," says Wang Xiangchen, director of Gansu Sports Bureau, adding that the game offers great hope to children of primary and middle schools.

Xinhua