Shijiazhuang, September 7 (Xinhua) -- From a college graduate majoring in mechanical design and manufacturing to a professional athlete participating in the National Ice Hockey Championship; From technical officials who have entered the ice hockey arena of the Beijing Winter Olympics and Paralympic Winter Games, to coaches who have taken root in the grassroots and focused on ice hockey youth training... Dong Haobo, 36, from Tangshan City, Hebei Province, has made breakthroughs in chasing his dreams for many years, and now he has new dreams to come true.
I first learned ice hockey at the age of 23
"The first contact with ice hockey was in 2010, when I traveled in Kazakhstan and went to the home stadium of the Astana Snow Leopards to watch a few games." Dong Haobo told reporters that for him, who has been exposed to football and basketball since he was a child, ice hockey is a new sport.
In May 2018, Dong Haobo participated in the National Ice Hockey Championship.
Kazakhstan is in the first tier of ice hockey in Asia, and the Astana Snow Leopards are a traditional powerhouse in the Continental Hockey League (KHL). "Fast, skillful, confrontational, teamwork. The first time I saw a high-level ice hockey game, it was really shocking. Dong Haobo said, "It is late to see each other." ”
That exotic trip officially opened Dong Haobo's "ice hockey life".
After returning to China, Dong Haobo first joined an amateur ice hockey team to start learning, and then often used his spare time to train and compete in Beijing, Harbin and other places, and also obtained the qualifications of national ice hockey first-class referee and China Ice Hockey Association E-level coach. In 2017, he resolutely quit a job at a state-owned enterprise in Tangshan to become a full-time youth ice hockey coach in Tangshan.
In May 2018, the National Ice Hockey Championship opened in Beijing, with 28 teams from 12 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities across the country competing. He played as an athlete with Zhangjiakou and played three games as a winger, scoring three goals.
"As an athlete, I don't have the opportunity to stand on a higher stage, so I look forward to participating in ice hockey at the Beijing Winter Olympics in a new capacity." Dong Haobo said.
A lucky and inevitable trip to the Winter Olympics
Jump on the ice rink and hit the ball to lead the team training; Get out of the ice rink and study the theory hard. In August 2019, Dong Haobo was selected into the talent pool of ice hockey at the Beijing Winter Olympics, and then underwent long-term offline and online training and assessment, including professional ability and English proficiency.
"It was quite surprising to be selected, some of my colleagues are international referees of the International Ice Federation, some are former national team members, and some are high-achieving students from universities at home and abroad. I told myself, 'I'm going to try to get to the Winter Olympics.' Dong Haobo said.
In February 2022, Dong Haobo's Beijing Winter Olympics ice hockey rink team took a group photo.
In 2021, Dong Haobo missed the national championships and Winter Olympics test activities that year because he began to lead the club team to train and go out to compete alone. He thought he would miss the Winter Olympics, but in early 2022, he received a notice to participate in the Winter Olympics as a domestic technical official.
"There's some contradiction beyond the excitement." Dong Haobo said, "At that time, the ice rink where I worked was closed, and I could only take the children to train on the outdoor ice surface at minus 10 degrees. If I leave for a few months because of the competition, some kids may leave the sport. ”
But with the support of parents, Dong Haobo seized the opportunity - on January 21, 2022, he officially entered the Beijing Winter Olympics men's ice hockey domestic technical officer team, responsible for off-field refereeing, and needed to mark the real-time shot types and shooting positions in the English environment, so that the world's audience could understand the game through the relevant system.
Dong Haobo cherished that time, and in addition to his work, he also helped to produce the Chinese version of the men's ice hockey record book and the Paralympic ice hockey result book, and assisted in translating the rules of ice hockey for the disabled.
"I have communicated with coaches and athletes from many ice hockey powers such as the United States, Canada, and Russia, and learned a lot about their learning, training and competition, and I look forward to learning from their experience in future teaching." Dong Haobo said.
The youth stage allows dreams to continue
After the trip to the Winter Olympics, many ideas about ice hockey teaching began to germinate in Dong Haobo's heart. But when he returned to Tangshan, he faced the reality that there was not a single ice rink in the huge city. He can only take his children to do land training and use his vacation to ice in other cities.
In August 2023, Dong Haobo (front row, first from left) led the team to participate in the national youth competition.
Finally, at the beginning of 2023, the local high-tech zone skating hall in Tangshan was put into use, and Dong Haobo and the "ice hockey team without ice" had a home. The new skating hall meets the conditions to host national competitions. Dong Haobo and several coaches reorganized the "Tangshan Ruixiang Warriors Ice Hockey Team", including more than 30 players in U6, U8, U10 and other age groups.
Parent Zang Hui told reporters: "The child has been learning ice hockey with Coach Dong for 3 years, and after coming to this venue, the training and competition conditions are better." The team has won a good position in the national competition this year, and I hope this team can keep going. ”
"The improvement of the team's performance has attracted more and more attention from local teenagers and parents. While undertaking professional competitions, the skating hall will also be open regularly for free, providing the public with a place for physical exercise and sports and cultural exchanges, and looking forward to the popularization of ice hockey on a larger scale. Peng Kangkai, the operator of the skating hall and general manager of Hebei Ruixiang Sports Culture Development Co., Ltd., introduced.
Looking at the galloping ice hockey players on the court, Dong Haobo still has a dream growing in his heart.
"Through systematic training, ice hockey can let children learn self-care, self-discipline, self-confidence and unity and cooperation, which brings more support and fun to their growth." "Now, my dream is for children to grow up and go to a higher and broader stage, and that's what I got there," he said. ”