Long Zijiao prepares to ski on the snow field. Courtesy of respondents
Buy Ilbek Chihes practicing skiing. Courtesy of respondents
Zhang Guoxiang performs an ice Taiji sword. Courtesy of respondents
Zheng Jinlin (center) teaches children to ski. Photo by Wang Mingfeng, a reporter of this newspaper
Xiao Yijun is experiencing ice and snow sports. Courtesy of respondents
Yan Peichen took a photo at the ski resort. This newspaper reporter Jia Fengfeng photographed
In the Forest Sea SnowField, in the southwest mountain city, in the Loess Plateau, in the Jiangnan Water Town... In recent years, the scope of ice and snow sports in China has gradually expanded. According to the statistical survey results commissioned by the National Bureau of Statistics by the General Administration of Sport, China has achieved the goal of "driving 300 million people to participate in ice and snow sports", with the number of participants in ice and snow sports reaching 346 million and the participation rate of residents reaching 24.56%. The 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics has ignited people's fiery passion for ice and snow, and ice and snow have become the sports habits of many people. This issue invites several readers to talk about the joy of snow sports.
From the beginner road station to the intermediate road
█ Long Zijiao Beijing lawyer
As a Southerner, skiing used to be a distant thing for me. In my hometown, there is hardly snow in winter, let alone skiing. After graduation, I came to Beijing to work and live many places, and only then did I have the opportunity to learn about and like to ski under the recommendation of friends.
Two years ago, during the New Year's Day holiday, I met a group of friends from Shenzhen to ski to welcome the New Year. I was new to skiing at the time, and many of my friends were also for the first time. Originally, the plan was to go to the snow park to see the scenery, briefly experience skiing, and take a few photos to send to the circle of friends. Unexpectedly, it was that skiing experience that made me completely like the sport.
People who are new to skiing have similar feelings: thick ski suits, hard snowshoes, and stepping on skis is like putting lead on their feet. Several friends also complained: "Why did you come to suffer this sin during the great festival?" ”
But when I really slid down the slopes, the feeling of excitement immediately dispelled the idea of giving up. Led by a friend, I mastered basic movements such as plough-type gliding, and quickly got from the beginner road to the intermediate road. After countless falls and climbs, I mastered the technique of speed control. After becoming proficient, you can gradually catch a glimpse of the scenery near the slopes during the taxi and start to enjoy the excitement of accelerated coasting. On that day, I suddenly understood the joy of skiing: it brought speed, freedom and a sense of control. Unlike indoor sports such as playing badminton and practicing yoga, being outdoors and looking at the dazzling white snow, skiing brings me a relaxing experience that no other sport can match. The few friends who had originally retreated, although the skiing level was uneven, I felt a change of attitude from the laughter when they slipped.
Since then, skiing has become a sport I often do in the winter. From Miyun in Beijing to Chongli in Zhangjiakou, many snow fields have left my presence. I often tell my friends that after "stinging" in the mountain ski slopes, there may not be anything more exciting in winter. I heard that after the Beijing Winter Olympics, many venues will be open to the public. Skiing at the Winter Olympics must have been a lot of fun, and I'm already looking forward to the next snow season.
This newspaper reporter Liu Yao sorted it out
Lead more people to enjoy skiing
█ Mai Ilbek Chihesi Villagers of Talat Village in Fuyun, Xinjiang
This year marks my fifth year at the Cocoto Sea Ski Resort in Fuyun County, Xinjiang. After entering the snow season, more and more tourists come to ski, and I am busier.
I am 26 years old and live in a village deep in the Altai Mountains, on the banks of the Irtysh River, with high-quality ice and snow resources. I grew up in the mountains, so I have a natural affection for skiing. In the past, our children here could almost walk and ski. Herders who used to live in the mountains traveled on fur skis. At that time, the fur skis used were mainly made of pine wood as the core, and the places in contact with the snow were wrapped in fur, and the hair was reversed when going up the mountain, increasing friction; when going down the mountain, the hair was smooth, speeding up, and the direction could be adjusted with a wooden pole. The people in the village are particularly slippery.
In 2012, after graduating from high school, I have been working in the local restaurant. In 2018, I heard that a world-class ski resort had been built in front of my house, so I immediately joined in.
In the beginning, I was responsible for driving snowmobiles at the ski resort. Later, I obtained a ski instructor qualification certificate and became a coach. Now, I am the captain of the ski patrol, helping tourists deal with all kinds of unexpected situations.
In early December last year, tourists from Xi'an accidentally got lost and called the ski resort for help. My teammates and I arrived just in time to bring him back safely. Because we are familiar with the terrain and skate fast, we have not delayed time.
This job also gives me the opportunity to get in touch with the outside world. In the past two years, the national alpine ski team has carried out intensive training at the Cocoto Sea Ski Resort, which has provided me with a rare learning opportunity. In addition to their training, I learned a lot of skiing techniques from them.
Kung Fu pays off. After a period of hard study and training, my skiing skills have improved dramatically. In 2020, I competed in the National Ski Mountaineering Challenge and won the Adult Men's Championship in Vertical Racing.
I love skiing and now I have realized my snow and ice dreams on my doorstep. In the new year, I hope to be able to lead more people to enjoy skiing on my doorstep!
This newspaper reporter Ardak sorted out
Dancing swords on ice, it's charming
█ Zhang Guoxiang Hebei Chengde City Gas Co., Ltd. employees
I've been working on the ice tai chi sword project for several years, don't look at me as 53 years old, but when I wear skates on my feet, hold a sword, and dance the various moves of tai chi sword on ice, I am more flexible than young people.
What is the "Ice Taiji Sword"? With the accompaniment of beautiful music, Glide freely on the ice while dancing the Taiji Sword, which is the Taiji Sword on the Ice, which is charming. Think about it, on the ice, sometimes the sword points to the sky, sometimes the knee is independent, the movement is light and soft, soothing and elegant, is it particularly wonderful? Especially when I make an action that has both the beauty of figure skating and the power of Tai Chi swordplay, my heart is full of a sense of accomplishment, satisfaction, and pleasure.
I remember at the opening ceremony of the first Ice and Snow Games in Hebei Province, I performed the ice taiji sword. When a series of moves such as "Loose Hanging Left Hand Sword", "Ping Hugging All The Teachers An", "Kaiyun Ming Guiding The Way", and "Hand Taking The Sword Ping Point" were used, the audience issued a burst of admiration and applause, and my pride at that time was not to mention.
Nowadays, the ice taiji sword is not an unpopular project, and has become one of the popular ice and snow performance projects in Chengde. In the middle of winter, every morning, dozens of hundreds of people come with me to the summer resort to practice ice skating and sword dancing, which always becomes a unique scenery in front of the water center. Everyone likes to learn, and I am willing to teach.
It's easy to learn this project. The biggest difficulty in practicing Tai Chi sword on ice is controlling the balance of the body. If you want to stretch the movements and do a good job, the key is to look at the balance of kung fu. Most people who play tai chi are mainly slow, after going to ice, the ice surface is slippery and the ice knife is fast, at this time, the moves of the tai chi sword will become faster and need to be practiced well.
Dancing Tai Chi sword on ice is not practiced in vain, and it is of great benefit to the body. There is less dust on the ice surface, and 10 days of ice is equivalent to doing a "maintenance" of the lungs. After long-term practice, many students are physically awesome.
I was 47 years old when I started skating, and I couldn't stop skating. Now I have a small wish, that is, I hope that more children with roller skating and skating foundations can also participate in and fall in love with this sport, show the strength and beauty of this sport, and let it benefit more people who like ice and snow sports and tai chi sword.
Zhang Tengyang Guan Pengyu finished
"Cold ice and snow" becomes "hot economy"
█ Zheng Jinlin, Sichuan Chengdu Ski Instructor
Every day at 10:00 a.m., dressed in a red ski instructor suit, I began to teach skiing at the indoor ski resort of minus 6 degrees Celsius, Chengdu Sunac Snow World. Although I appeared patient and sophisticated enough to face the trainees, the round frames and green face on the bridge of my nose would still reveal my "post-95" age.
In the south, where snow and ice resources are scarce, I chose a profession that most of my peers may never have been exposed to – ski instructor. Despite my young age, I already have 6 years of experience teaching skiing. When I was in school training, I accidentally came into contact with skiing, and found that I liked this sport very much, and many difficult movements could be easily learned, so I resolutely chose to turn my hobby of skiing into a career. In the finals of the 2018-2019 National College Challenge, as a non-ski student of an ordinary university, I competed with student athletes from nearly 40 colleges and universities across the country who had undergone professional and rigorous training, and won the 14th place in the finals; in the same year, I also won the title of Chongqing Indoor Ski Open.
My idol is The Chinese snowboarder Su Yiming, who became famous at a young age, became more and more courageous along the way, and won international championships at a young age. I firmly believe that with hard work, I can go further and further on the ski road. While working in the snow field, I gained more psychological growth. Teaching students the same standard skiing moves repeatedly every day will inevitably be a bit boring, and sometimes they will be not understood and questioned by students. But I find that the work of a ski instructor requires more patience and empathy, and self-improvement through repetition. Gradually, because of my patient personality and empathetic teaching method, I received praise from the students at the snow field and was elected as the annual gold medal ski instructor of Chengdu Sunac Snow World.
In this city, because there are places where you can ski all year round, skiing has become a trend, and I have instructed many children who are passionate about skiing. With the opening of the Beijing Winter Olympic Games, "cold ice and snow" has become a "hot economy", "ice and snow for all" has ushered in an upward period of ice and snow industry, and the enthusiasm of parents and children for skiing is also rising. As a ski instructor, my career began to take off. Youth is just in time, like me on the ice and snow of young people, will certainly get more opportunities on the stage in the future.
This newspaper reporter Wang Mingfeng sorted it out
I fell in love with curling
█ Xiao Yijun, a university student in Beijing
The upcoming Beijing Winter Olympics have touched the heartstrings of the people of the whole country, and I have been looking forward to the Winter Olympics for a long time.
Just this past December 2021, I encountered a particularly interesting opportunity to participate in ice and snow sports - Beijing University of Chemical Technology organized a Winter Olympics experience event, and each of our participants personally experienced the Winter Olympic ice and snow project, and at the same time had great fun.
I chose curling. It's an interesting sport, and we form teams to win by throwing our own curling balls in a pre-set position or by hitting the opponent's curling balls out. The event was very lively, and the students who did not play actively acted as cheerleaders for the players on the field, always paying attention nervously when we threw the curling ball, and then excitedly shouting and applauding for us. When I first came into contact with curling, I was still very confident, and when I watched others do it, I felt that I could do it, but it turned out that I was really a bit of an eye master. Curling is not easy to control, the first time I tried, curling seemed to "cooperate" with me poorly, stopped in a very close place, I was frustrated by my failure. But the applause and shouts of my classmates around me gave me a new motivation, so I learned the lesson of the last failure, silently recalled the main points of the action, and corrected the incorrect action. It was my turn again, and my nervous heart pounded. In the midst of another shout from my classmates, I was pleasantly surprised to find that I had done it! With this successful experience, I not only improved my skills, but also cooperated with my teammates more tacitly.
The thrilling game was over and everyone on our team was excited and hugged for the hard-won victory. This curling competition experience made us more aware of the importance of teamwork and collective cohesion.
While I first felt the joy of curling, I also fell in love with this sport that tests both physical and mental strength. As soon as the semester's final exams were over, the first thing my classmates and I did was to play another curling game together.
It's like flying
█ Yan Peichen, Xining, Qinghai Xining Primary School student
Although I grew up in a snowy plateau, I never had any contact with skiing because I felt that it was a very distant sport. The professional equipment and speed of the skiers on the TV are amazing. However, just two days ago, I finally experienced my first skiing, which was so unforgettable.
Last weekend, accompanied by my mom and dad, I went to the ski slopes. We first changed into our special clothes, pants and gloves, put the right skis on our feet, and rushed into the pistes. But for me, who had never skied before, skiing was easy: I just got on the slopes and fell on a big heel. The coach teacher and dad rushed up and told me, "Don't worry! Don't worry!" With their encouragement, I leaned forward slightly to keep bending, while the skateboard was slightly "figure eight", and I slid up with the poles gently pushed back. At that moment, it felt really good!
It wasn't long before I was exhausted. The coach advised me to go down the hill to make it more exciting and more physically efficient. Watching the other tourists rush down from the top of the slope, I was both envious and afraid, and finally I did not overcome my fears, hoping that I would have the opportunity to challenge it again next time.
This skiing experience taught me that courage is really important and is the first step towards success. Dad said: "The joy of ice and snow sports is to give us the opportunity to be better ourselves." ”
In a few days, the Beijing Winter Olympics will kick off, which is what I am most looking forward to this year. Skiers are very hard, behind a short, beautiful action, is the condensation of countless sweat and tears, the so-called "sword blade from the grinding, plum blossom fragrance from the bitter cold." I wish every athlete can achieve excellent results, and I wish that our Chinese athletes can show their best self.
Jia Fengfeng, a reporter of this newspaper, sorted it out