Zhang Xiaochen, who used to be a little slow to respond to external stimuli, has now transformed into a national figure skating athlete recognized by the International Skating Union (ISU) at level 3! In the ISU strict rating test, she successfully won the national level 7 in free skating and the national level 9 in footwork with excellent performance, which is undoubtedly a big step in the field of ice and snow sports!
She is not only the highest-level figure skating national level 3 athlete in the same age group in Zhejiang Province, but also the youngest member of it. Whenever Zhang Xiaochen's sturdy and graceful figure danced on the ice, his father's face was always filled with an extremely proud smile.
He seemed to be able to see the lonely and determined girl many years ago, with a love for figure skating, chasing her dream on the ice rink with all her might.
This road to success is full of hardships and challenges, but Zhang Xiaochen has never flinched. With her tenacious will and perseverance, she overcame countless difficulties step by step, and finally turned her dream into reality.
Recalling the scene of his daughter skating on the ice rink for the first time many years ago, the father was filled with emotion. At that time, although she was a little young and her movements were a little stiff, the determined light in her eyes never changed.
It is this persistent pursuit of her dreams that inspires her to forge ahead, overcome obstacles, and finally climb to the top of figure skating.
Zhang Xiaochen was born in the picturesque city of Hangzhou and is a gentle and elegant Jiangnan woman. As her name suggests, this little girl has been full of laughter since she was a child, and she is an optimistic person by nature.
Despite her lively and cheerful personality, Xiaoxiao was not as active as her peers in her childhood, and she lacked enough interest in various activities in kindergarten, and even simple skipping rope was difficult to complete.
In order to help their daughter overcome her physical coordination barriers, Xiaoxiao's parents paid special attention to art courses such as music and art when choosing training courses for her, hoping to stimulate her hobbies.
However, it wasn't until Xiaoxiao entered the first grade of primary school that the situation improved significantly.
At a sports day organized by the school, looking at the energetic figures of other children, the parents had a flash of inspiration and decided to encourage Xiaoxiao to sign up for the 1-minute rope skipping competition.
Before the game, Zhang Xiaochen was full of doubts about her own ability, and her shy eyes revealed the deep anxiety in her heart. However, her parents did not force her, but patiently reassured: "Don't be nervous, give it your all, and don't be frustrated even if you fail."
With endless perseverance, Zhang Xiaochen successfully won the crown with an astonishing record of 230 in 1 minute in an exclamation, surpassing all the senior brothers and sisters, and became famous and known as the leader in the rope skipping industry.
Since getting involved in ice skating, Zhang Xiaochen has been fascinated by it, working hard in the cold wind for four to five hours every day. Even when she got home, she practiced outdoors rain or shine.
The young girl's heroes are the 14-year-old Russian figure skaters Sasha Cohen and Kamil Lalieva, who are among the world's best quadruple jumpers.
With clear goals and outstanding role models as motivation, Zhang Xiaochen has strengthened his determination to move forward.
After half a year of hard work, Zhang Xiaochen showed outstanding talent in the field of figure skating and successfully entered a more professional training stage.
In order to ensure that her studies and training are correct, she applied to the school and asked to leave the school early at noon every day.
In the afternoons and evenings, she dedicates her time to figure skating training, training for at least five hours a day, sometimes even longer. During the short break, Zhang Xiaochen did not relax, choosing to complete the homework assigned by the school in the ice rink, her eyes were firm and focused, and she did not dare to be negligent at all.
Despite the challenging training process, the young girl remained committed to her studies, and she wanted to balance figure skating as important as knowledge as it was.
In order to provide better training conditions for his daughter, his father resolutely decided to accompany Zhang Xiaochen to Harbin to continue his studies. In 2017, Zhang Xiaochen, who was full of passion, stepped into the ice and snow resort of Harbin with his father, and worshiped under the coach Cong Wenyi, who was famous all over the country at that time.
Although the days in Harbin were quite difficult, he stuck to the firm figure skating dream in his heart with a smile on his face. Seeing his daughter's increasingly sophisticated performance, as a father, he resolutely decided to lead her on the journey abroad and show her style on a broader international stage!
So, with a smile and a little apprehension, together with his resolute father, he set foot in Russia, which enjoys the reputation of "ice ballet", and began to learn the exquisite skills of figure skating with the famous local coach "Sister Noodle".
However, when they arrived in this strange country, the language barrier became the biggest problem they faced.
The father and daughter do not know much about Russian, and the locals rarely use English to communicate, sometimes even the most basic of communication is difficult.
Once, she and her father had seen that the destination was in front of them, but they couldn't explain it to the taxi driver anyway, so they had to give up.
The language barrier has caused many inconveniences in their lives, but it is only one of the many challenges that Xiaoxiao faces.
What really doubled the pressure on her was the strength of the rest of the Russian team. Russia has long been a traditional powerhouse in figure skating, and the athletes in the team are highly skilled enough to complete any difficult training task assigned by their coaches.
In contrast, it often takes several days for Xiaoxiao to learn a move, and if she makes a slight mistake, she will inevitably be severely criticized by the coach.
Faced with the natural advantages of her teammates and the strict requirements of her coach, Xiaoxiao's heart often fell into pain and confusion, and she began to question whether she was really suitable for the sport of figure skating.
In order to catch up with the rest of the team as quickly as possible, this strong little girl carefully develops a detailed training plan for herself every month, and insists on recording her daily training experience, from which she has learned many valuable lessons.
As soon as she stepped on the ice, she would give it her all and devote herself to the practice until she reached a state of self-satisfaction.
So, with perseverance and perseverance and the pursuit of ideals, Xiaoxiao finally won the heartfelt appreciation and high praise of her coach and teammates! Now, she has returned to her hometown of Hangzhou and embarked on a new chapter in her skating journey.
Looking back on the arduous journey of his daughter's education, the father's eyes couldn't help but moisten. He still clearly remembers that when he was studying in the ice city of Harbin, he witnessed Xiaoxiao being troubled by the gap in strength, and his heart was full of deep frustration.
As a father, he comforted him with tenderness: "Please don't forget that the swimming atmosphere in the south is just as vibrant, which is due to regional differences.
My father's words were like charcoal in the snow, giving Xiaoxiao the courage and confidence to move forward. It is true that compared with the deep accumulation of children of the same age in Harbin for three or four years, Xiaoxiao has only been exposed to figure skating for one year, and there is naturally a gap in strength.
However, it is precisely because of this that she cherishes her hard-won opportunities even more, and she is indomitable and tireless on the training ground.
Time flies, five years have passed in a flash, and Xiaoxiao has spent five consecutive Spring Festivals on the training ground. Although she sometimes misses her relatives and friends in her hometown of Hangzhou, she will turn this homesickness into motivation to move forward, devote herself to every training session, and finally gradually move towards the noble hall of national athletes.
Today's achievements are not only the fruit of Xiaoxiao's unremitting efforts, but also the ardent expectations of her father and the sincere teachings of all those who have given her encouragement and support.
It was their correct guidance that enabled Xiaoxiao to forge ahead in the difficult situation and finally realize her dream.