First Day in Harbin
I wake up, and for the first time I get to see Harbin in the daylight. I look out my window to find a Rollercoaster less than 50 feet away.
I met my interpreter and headed over to the rink to see the team practice for the first time. The facility is very old and quite cold and the players walk over from the dormitory to the rink in their equipment (about 1000 yards).
I learn from my hosts that only about 80 girls in all of China play hockey. The best 30 are here in Harbin training with the team, ranging in ages from 15-26 years old.
As we head back to the dormitory for lunch, you can see the huge Ferris Wheel in the background on a grey day in Harbin.
In the evening I got to meet all of the players individual using my translator, "Kirby" He is not very strong with the english, so he got help from "Jenny" a representative of the CIHA who stays with the team. The players are very nice and very eager to learn and get better. Time for bed as 6:00 am breakfast will come early.
posted by Ryan Stone @ 1:36 PM
3 comments
3 Comments:
Over a billion people, and all they have are 80 girl playing ice hockey in the whole country? I guess ice skating is more popular?
So, wait... Kirby is your translator but he's not very strong w/ the english? Hell, I could be your translator then! I'm just not very strong w/ the chinese! ;)
yeah ice hockey isn't a popular sport in China, but 80 females in the whole country who do play it is still a amazingly low number. I virtually know nothing about this sport, but at rare occasions when I watched Stanley cup on TV, it looks ...errr, dangerous to me, players get injured easily, no?
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