Nurturing an unlikely hockey hotbed
The search yielded a breakthrough in October with the opening of a new indoor ice and snow sports venue, which features a rink covering an area over 600 square meters, a standard curling sheet and three ski simulators.
The venue has welcomed more than 1,500 visitors since opening. To entice more people to the center, an annual pass can be purchased for just 365 yuan (about $58), according to Sun Xuewei from the provincial sports bureau.
"Our kids used to play on ice rinks in shopping malls. Training space and time were restricted because those rinks would also be open to the public. We're grateful the local government is attaching more attention to winter sports and built this venue," said Li.
In order to enhance their competitiveness, the team travels to other cities to play games and for intensive training.
Parents often join the kids and their coach, Fu Qiunan, on those trips, living and training together for weeks at a time. The trips help improve the youngsters' hockey skills as well as strengthening their bond on and off the ice.
