In the 24th Chinese University Basketball Association’s provincial competition held in December 2021, WHU Shengfan female basketball team won the championship of Hubei Province. Behind this success is the women’s love for basketball and their great diligence.
WHU female basketball team became the champion of Hubei Province
“We train four times a week, three times for basketball practice and once for strength training,” He Xiaoyang, the team leader, said. Besides the regular training, the women have to practice free throws 30 times and perimeter shot 20 times every day. “To be honest, the intense training is hard for us as we aren’t professional athletes, but all of us believe that more effort means doing better in the game,” He Xiaoyang said.
To do better, they have to strike a balance between study and training, which increases the pressure on them. “As the team leader, I need to deal with many things. During last year’s season, trifles occupied my time and I had to prepare for the final exam, so I was a bit anxious about the provincial competition at that time,” He Xiaoyang recalled. Other team members also face the same anxiety. The women always wear jerseys under their clothes for the entire day before the training to save the time of changing clothes. They also complete their study tasks. Last year’s provincial competition coincided with the final week, and sometimes they even revised their books on the way to the stadium. “Our study schedules need to be subordinated to the team’s training plans, so I arranged my schedule properly and left more time for training. Although we can’t always avoid conflicts between study and basketball, we do our best to manage our time,” Yang Ruiqi, one of the team members, said.
The team’s regular training
The women’s diligence finally paid off. When recalling the competition, Yang Ruiqi and the teaching assistant Xu Rong both mentioned one particular group game. “It’s the game against Wuhan University of Bioengineering. During the first three quarters, we were at a disadvantage, but we remained patient and confident until we finally turned the game situation around with only three minutes left in the final quarter.”
Why can they become the champion? Xu Rong’s answer is “love and diligence”. It is their love for basketball and sports that motivates them to make great efforts. “Basketball is my life-long companion. It makes me calm and dedicated. Every time I play basketball with my friends, I feel happy,” a team member, Cheng Si, said. “This competitive sport has its unique charm. The reason why we endeavored to win the championship of Hubei Province is that we want to play more games and stay longer in the nationwide final. We want our efforts to pay off,” He Xiaoyang said. Just as the saying goes, “You can never underestimate the heart of a champion.”
The team is on the field of CUBA
Besides their passion and efforts, the team’s unity also deserves credit. Xu Rong used metallic elements as a metaphor. “Our relationship is like ‘au’ (gold), more precious than ‘fe’ (iron).” Yang Ruiqi’s story proves Xu’s comment right. Before the provincial competition in 2020, Yang Ruiqi got injured during training. “My teammates took turns to give me piggyback rides, and my coach Ms. He, drove me to hospital. My injured feet didn’t even touch the ground all the way. During that time, my drawer was filled with medicines that my teammates prepared for me. I also had a crutch Ms. He had given me.” Even though she missed the competition, she felt the warmth of this team. “I love my teammates as much as I love basketball. My friends joked that this metaphor objectifies women. Actually, it’s the personification of the basketball,” Cheng Si said.
A united basketball team
This summer, the women will stand on the field of the nationwide final and continue to chase their basketball dreams.
Photo by WHU female basketball team
Edited by Li Hefeng, Qin Zehao, Zhang Yilin, Zou Xiaohan, Sylvia and Hu Sijia
