The preparation of the Beijing Winter Olympics has enabled some people to start a "butterfly change" in their lives, and they have stood out from the 350,000 "Yanqing villagers". Now, with just over 40 days to go before the Beijing Winter Olympics, what are their expectations for this event that will change their destiny?
Ice masters used to circle the kitchen
Ice making is a comprehensive demonstration of the technical strength of the Winter Olympic venues. In October this year, the "Meet in Beijing" Speed Skating China Open was staged in the "Ice Ribbon" of the National Speed Skating Hall, and the high-quality ice surface won unanimous praise from domestic and foreign athletes. The largest full ice surface in Asia, which is 12,000 square meters, is made by an excellent team of Chinese and foreign ice makers. Wang Shicun, 41, is one of the team members.
Wang Shicun is a native of Sihai Town, Yanqing District, and became an ice maker, which he could not have imagined a few years ago. Originally, the kitchen was his world, "I opened a staple food factory, although I was the 'boss' myself, but the income was unstable, and I made some hard money." Steamed buns at work every day. He laughed.
The preparations for the Winter Olympics opened the door to a new world for him. In 2019, Wang Shicun accidentally saw the news that Yanqing District carried out "100,000 person-times training": for all Yanqing residents, ice makers, ski instructors, etc., without any fees, after learning well, they can also recommend work. Wang Shicun consulted with his daughter-in-law, closed the shop, and registered with the Yanqing District Human Resources and Social Security Bureau.
"Training is the same as going to school, just started class, I don't know if I can learn it." After studying for a while, I found that the teachers are very professional, the training is very solid, and theory plus practice. I am most interested in making and pouring ice, and the teacher often takes them to the ice rink to learn the experience. Half a year later, Wang Shicun comprehensively studied the theory of ice making and the maintenance of facilities and equipment, and successfully completed the final examination. Later, he successfully applied to the ice making company. In September this year, due to his technical skills, he was sent to the National Speed Skating Hall and became an ice maker in the "ice ribbon".
In October this year, the "Meet in Beijing" Speed Skating China Open was held in the "Ice Ribbon". During the competition, Wang Shicun and his colleagues, as an ice maker, need to be on standby on the sidelines at any time, sweeping the ice between breaks to ensure that the ice surface is smooth as new in each competition. Start the ice sweeper and operate the work panel, the front ice blade scrapes away the excess snow foam, and the rear outlet is constantly sprinkled with water to repair the ice surface.
Wang Shicun said, "The ice car repair test is the craftsmanship of the ice maker, pay attention to the depth of the knife head and the amount of water, the thickness of the ice needs to be evenly controlled at about 2.5 centimeters, the ice surface temperature difference is controlled within 0.5 degrees Celsius, and it requires skilled theory, long-term practice, and boldness." ”
The ice-making practice in the "Ice Ribbon" has exposed Wang Shicun to the world's top ice-making operations, which has opened his eyes and at the same time has some "skill panic".
"Some time ago, I signed up for the Advanced Seminar on Green and Sustainable Operation of Winter Olympic Venues to continuously improve myself. This upcoming event has brought great changes to my life, and I will continue to strive for excellence and contribute to it. Wang Shicun said.
The bobsleigh referee was originally a social worker
At the Vanke Shijinglong Ski Resort in Yanqing, a team of bobsleigh referees dressed in ski uniforms sped down from the top of the high-level slopes, skirting the piles and crossing the flag gate, like flying swallows on the snow. Li Wei, 39, is one of them.
1975 meters, is the length of the National Bobsleigh Center "Snow Dragon" track; one thousandth of a second, is the smallest unit of timekeeping for bobsleigh events. Every value related to the bobsleigh race, Li Wei is familiar with it.
Bobsleigh races use a timekeeping of one thousandth of a second, that is, winning or losing is often between one thousandth of a second. Therefore, whether it is the athletes themselves or the competition equipment, any data that may affect the outcome of the game, there are strict standards. Before the official competition, Li Wei and his colleagues had to make strict and fine measurements of a number of data: the weight of the sled, the length, width, height, the gap between the parts, the athlete himself, the counterweight of the equipment, etc. Each is accurate to the millimeter: the maximum distance between the two screws in the middle of the sled blade, the maximum distance between the two screws and the edge blade, the radius of the arc of the sled blade, the distance between the two edges at the bottom of the double sled... You can't go wrong with a single piece of data. Even the temperature of the skid blade has a fixed range – "temperature interferes with friction, which in turn affects the race data." Ice temperature is different, the sled temperature measurement standards are also different, must be strictly referred to the standard, to ensure safety and fairness. Li Wei said.
Don't look at the standards of international competitions now, a few years ago, Li Wei was just an ordinary social worker in Yanqing District. His association with ice and snow began in 2017, when Li Wei applied to join the newly established Haituo Farmers Ski Team. "I couldn't ski at first, and I wrestled to the point of doubting life." At the beginning of the memory, Li Wei laughed, "My family advised me to 'don't slip, they are 35 years old, it is too dangerous', I still chose to insist after considering it." At that time, I thought that under the impetus of the Winter Olympics, ice and snow sports must be popular, and if you master skiing skills, you can have more employment opportunities. ”
At that time, Yanqing carried out large-scale training in the whole district and trained ice and snow sports students for free. Under the leadership of the teacher and his own efforts, Li Wei successively obtained the national vocational qualification certification level 5 certificate (ski instructor), alpine skiing level 2 referee certificate, etc., and became a ski instructor and referee. With his dreams in mind, he didn't stop there. "When you enter the door of ice and snow, you are 'Master leads you through the door and practices in the individual.'" Li Wei said that in 2019, under the recommendation of the Yanqing District Sports Bureau, he signed up for the training class for domestic technical officials of the Bobsleigh Project of the Beijing Winter Olympics Organizing Committee, and after hard study and diligent training, he successfully passed the written test and interview in English and obtained the qualification to serve as a referee in the bobsleigh project.
In 2018, Li Wei went to Chongli as an INTERNATIONAL SNOW FEDERATION alpine ski referee and was rated as an excellent referee. In February and November this year, he served as a referee in the bobsleigh project, working and studying under the guidance of the technical officers of the International Bobsleigh Federation. "I hope that I will have the honor to participate in the Winter Olympics and show the world the professional skills and style of Chinese referees!" Li Wei is looking forward to the arrival of the Beijing Winter Olympics.
The safety guards are from the Farmers Ski Team
In the cold winter, Xiaohaituo Mountain is wrapped in silver and majestic. At the top of the mountain, the National Alpine Ski Center "Snow Flying Swallow" 7 tracks meandering down, a total length of 9.2 kilometers, the maximum vertical drop of 900 meters, this is the first domestic alpine skiing competition venue that meets the standards of the Winter Olympics, more than 40 days later, the world's masters will compete in alpine skiing , the project known as the "crown jewel of the Winter Olympics".
On a training trail in the middle of the pistes, there are several figures scattered. During the day, the temperature at the top of the mountain was close to minus 20 degrees Celsius, and they stepped on snow crampons, wearing helmets, gloves, and hats, and were tightly wrapped. The protective steel frames on both sides of the training track have just been erected, and the safety locks on the top are fixed to a red safety net, and outside the net is a bottomless cliff. Less than half a meter from the edge of the cliff, Yan Qingsheng stepped on solid feet, used the machine to create a snow hole more than 50 centimeters deep, put the ground anchor into the snow hole, covered and compacted, and then tied the safety net and the fixed rope pulled by the ground anchor. "One two, pull, one two, pull!" Yan Qingsheng and his colleagues shouted vigorously, breathing and breathing through the mask and rising in the air. They used their hands and feet together, pulling the safety net with all their might, and repeatedly making sure it was firm and unmoving, before they were relieved to go to the next section of the track.
Yan Qingsheng, 26, is a safety guard in the Racing Equipment Department of the National Alpine Ski Center. "The safety guards are mainly responsible for installing protective equipment for the ski slopes. Alpine skiing tracks have large drops, speeds and high hazard factors, and with safety nets, they create a safety guarantee for athletes. Behind Yan Qingsheng, on both sides of several long ski trails, red safety nets, anti-partition net skirts, protective pads, etc. have been erected. With two hours to go before the sun went down, they stepped up their pace and continued to set up a safety net on the next section of the slope.
In recent years, Yanqing will undergo great changes because of the Winter Olympics, and because of this event, Yan Qingsheng has also ushered in new opportunities in life. "I love skiing and have been teaching myself to ski since 2011. In 2017, at the foot of Haituo Mountain, a Haituo farmer ski team composed of Yanqing farmers was established. This is our farmer's own organization, everyone's skiing technology is top of the top, but also free to teach Yanqing teenagers to ski, so I joined, and later became a 'regular army', the district specially invited domestic and foreign coaches to teach us, I obtained the Swiss ski instructor instructor first-level teaching certificate, alpine skiing three-level referee certificate, became a professional ski instructor! Recalling the past of joining the ski team, Yan Qingsheng's eyes shone with pride.
In October 2020, due to his superb skiing skills and the steadfast and serious officer, Yan Qingsheng was successfully recruited to become a safety guard in the event equipment department of the National Alpine Ski Center, and had the opportunity to serve the Winter Olympics at his doorstep. "To be a safety guard, skiing is a stepping stone. Installing protective nets at various points, either skiing or wearing snow claws, tests the skill of the feet. At the same time, it is also necessary to bear hardships and stand hard work and be bold and careful in order to ensure the firm safety of each protective net. Yan Qingsheng said.
This year, in addition to his own work, in his spare time, Yan Qingsheng also taught yanqing teenagers to go to ice and snow with the members of the farmers' ski team. He is full of expectations for the future: "I not only have a skill, but also become a builder of the Winter Olympics, I will continue to work hard to challenge higher skiing skills!" ”
Photo by Zhang Hongmin
Source Beijing Evening News | Reporter Li Yao
Edited by Wang Qiong
Process Editor Wu Yue