Changsha, the “home of sports“, goes to the Provincial Games
Within an hour, a family of three won the championship (Xingyao Dongting Special Report on the 14th Hunan Provincial Games)
Song Yi and his daughter Song Xinyu won the provincial games championship trophy.
After her husband and daughter, Li Jia also became the champion of the Provincial Games.All photos provided by respondents
Zhao Ziming, an all-media reporter of Changsha Evening News
At 11:40 on August 27, at the football field of No. 2 Middle School in Miluo City, with the whistle of the referee, coach Song Yi turned his head and hugged his daughter Song Xinyu, who was a player, to celebrate the Changsha team winning the 14th Hunan Provincial Games. Youth football (women’s U15) champion. At this moment, in the No. 1 Middle School of Xiangyin County, 25 kilometers away, Li Jia had just entered the finals of the women’s B volleyball group of the adult group of the Provincial Games. An hour later, she also joined her husband and daughter’s team as she wished. Become a provincial champion.
“A few months ago, I was very excited to know that our family of three will participate in the Provincial Games. We are all motivated to contribute to the Changsha National Team together.” Li Jia said happily after winning the championship. Her husband Song Yi said: “We all cherish this experience, and we are very serious in completing our own work. Finally, we can win the championship on the same day. The whole family is deeply honored.”
Really “sports home”, the whole family goes to the provincial games together
In April this year, 44-year-old Li Jia was selected for the Changsha team to participate in the women’s B group of the senior gas volleyball team of the Provincial Games. In June, Zhounan Meixihu Middle School won the championship in Changsha’s selection competition and was qualified to represent Changsha in the youth group football (women’s U15) of the Provincial Games. The coach of this team is 45-year-old Song Yi and his 13-year-old daughter. Song Xinyu was also in the team, and the story of a family of three entering the provincial games at the same time was staged.
Although the strength of the two selected teams is the top in the province, the preparation of the family of three is still meticulous. As a teacher in a training institution, Li Jia tries his best to use his spare time to practice with his teammates, “Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, I will practice in the morning, and then look at everyone’s schedule. If you can get together, add more. practice”. Liu Ze, the head coach of Changsha’s senior women’s volleyball team, commented on Li Jia: “As the ‘big sister’ in the team, she trains the most actively and comes first every time.”
Song Yi is a professional football coach. The team he led is the 2007 and 2008 women’s football team jointly built by Zhounan Meixihu Middle School and Hunan Youth Training Center. Since taking over in April 2019, Song Yi has Focus on team building, come and go in winter and summer, and take no more than 8 days of vacation a year. In order to prepare for this year’s Provincial Games, after the summer vacation on July 8, Song Yi led the team to start a fully closed training camp at the Provincial Sports Vocational College, without taking a day off.
In addition to completing her own work and training, Li Jia also helps her husband and daughter prepare for the war, does logistical work, and sometimes helps the team members with psychological work. “The team members are all girls, so I can speak better. I can help a little with anything in the team, and I can be considered half the team leader.” Li Jia said with a smile.
On August 22, the youth group football (women U15) competition began, and on the 23rd, the adult group air volleyball competition began, and the family of three entered the stage of the Provincial Games at about the same time. Every day, Li Jia would call her husband and daughter, and the three encouraged each other. The two teams also had smooth sailing, all the way to the finals.
On the morning of the 27th, two finals were staged one after another. In the youth group women’s football (U15) final, which started first, the Changsha team relied on the two goals scored in the first half to defeat the host Yueyang team 2-0 to win the championship. In the women’s B-volleyball final of the adult group, the Changsha team also defeated the Hengyang team 2-0. In this regard, within an hour, Song Yi’s family of three became the champions of the Provincial Games.
Befriended by sports, happy because of sports
The family of three all became the champions of the Provincial Games. This is a veritable “sports family”, and Li Jia and Song Yi became attached to each other because of sports. When the two met in 1990, Li Jia was a member of the provincial women’s softball team and Song Yi was a member of the provincial men’s badminton team. “His parents were both teachers of the sports institute. At that time, our training place was downstairs from his house, so we knew each other.” Li Jia recalled that although he knew each other early, the two only came together ten years later. ” Everything seems to be going with the flow, and there aren’t too many dramatic love stories.”
After leaving the provincial team, the two are still inseparable from sports. Li Jia has been a primary school physical education teacher for many years, and insists on exercising after resigning. Three years ago, Li Jia began to get in touch with air volleyball. “Air volleyball is a very good sport. It is not very intensive, and it is suitable for both entertainment and exercise. It is suitable for middle-aged and elderly people. It is very good as a normal hobby.”
After leaving the badminton team, Song Yi turned to the football industry to become a coach. Now he is an A-level coach of the AFC and Chinese Football Association. Last year, he led Zhounan Meixihu Middle School to win the runner-up of the 2021 China Middle School Football Association Cup (Junior High School Women’s First Division). The players Cao Kexin, Zhao Zhouling, Song Lijuan, Cao Zhiyi and Zhao Xinyi were also selected as “Stars of Hope” by the Chinese Football Association in July last year. “As a coach, there are many things to consider, such as the ability of the players, the arrangement of training tactics, analyzing the opponent’s situation, logistics, etc. I don’t have much professional experience. I just started early, and I have seen, learned and done more, and I have achieved today’s results.” He says.
In 2008, the crystallization of their love, Song Xinyu, was born. Under the influence of the family’s strong sports atmosphere, her daughter also fell in love with sports and football, and began to play football under her father. “Actually, exposing children to sports is just for physical and mental health. She never thought about taking the road of professional sports, but she likes it very much after she started getting in touch.” Song Yi introduced.
The 13-year-old Song Xinyu has grown to 172 centimeters tall and plays as a central defender in the team. In 2020, he was selected as the best team for the national youth campus football summer camp. He hopes to be admitted to Beijing Sports University in the future. “Actually, my daughter, like me, has no talent, but like her parents, she is very serious in everything she does. This may be what sports teaches us, no matter what position you are in, no matter what time it is, we must work hard. “Song Yi said.
Source: Changsha Evening News