Beijing boys shape their future on ice rink
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LI Yu, 11, is one of more than 3,000 Beijing boys for most of whom ice hockey carries life-changing significance.
When he took to ice hockey at age 3, Li’s life path began to divert from the traditional ones. He spent most of his extracurricular time playing ice hockey while his peers were attending after-school classes, according to his father.
This summer Li will go to Canada to play his favorite sport. His father is choosing a boarding school for him.
“If not for ice hockey, there was no need for so young a boy to go overseas to study,” said his father who asked for anonymity. “But next year he will go to middle school where in China he will be under huge pressure to study hard and not have much time for ice hockey.”
“We have to make a choice between Chinese traditional education and ice hockey. We chose the latter. So I decided to send him to study in Canada where he will receive quality ice hockey training. Almost all the kids who play ice hockey here choose this way,” his father said.
Li is following in the steps of his predecessors like Song Andong, who was drafted in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft by the New York Islanders.
The 20-year-old Song played hockey from childhood and at age 10 he and his family moved to Oakville, Ontario, in Canada. He played there with the Oakville Rangers which served as his career launching pad.
Song and Li belong to a unique group of Beijing boys who share a lot in common — rich family, open-minded and resourceful parents and above all, ice hockey.
“When Li Yu started playing ice hockey eight years ago, there were about 300 kids in Beijing playing this sport, now the number has surpassed 3,000,” said Feng Fei, general manager of Huaxi International Ice Hockey Club.
“This means more and more families are getting rich, like in Canada or the United States, as ice hockey is very expensive to play. Only affluent families can afford it,” said Feng.
Every boy is estimated to spend at least 60,000 yuan (US$8,698) annually on ice hockey, according to Feng.
“Since Beijing won the bid to host the 2022 Winter Olympics, ice hockey has become popular here. Now we have more than 30 indoor rinks in Beijing, 10 of which were built last year. We have more boys playing ice hockey,” Feng said.
“Ice hockey has brought a lot of positive changes for the kids. Look at Li, he has never been bullied in school, nobody dared to do it. He works out on the rink three or four times a week and thanks to that he is strong, powerful and energetic. He now weighs 70 kilograms, almost 20kg more than his classmates.”
Li’s father is also gratified to see how playing ice hockey has helped shape up his son’s character.
“He is tough, never gives up until the end of a match. I am very proud of his fighting spirit,” the father said. “I think it is due to playing ice hockey.”
Li was one of the talents that caught the eyes of Jay Tredway, sports director of the prestigious Ridley College of Canada, who set up a two-day training camp in Beijing early this month.
“We have been impressed with the skill level of the kids, they skate well and can handle the puck well,” Tredway said.
“There are some very good athletes here, which is the foundation. You have to be a good athlete first to be a good hockey player. And for sure a lot of kids have the potential,” he added.
Li will go to study in Canada this summer and hone his ice hockey skills with the aim of becoming a professional player in the future. If he cannot turn professional, then according to the plan designed by his father, he will try to enter a good university in the US.
“We know it is very hard to be a professional player, so if my son fails to do so, he will apply for a good NCAA university. Playing good ice hockey can help him achieve that,” the father said.
“Life is a journey full of choices, I try to choose the best one for my son.”
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