Passion songs
The third weekend of February saw CUHK star in the University Sports Federation of Hong Kong’s intervarsity competitions, with men’s woodball and squash teams snatching gold and silver.
Dubbed “commoner’s golf”, woodball is a simple and fun game originating in Taiwan that has been rising in popularity in recent years. Much like golf in posture and swing, woodball is played with a wooden mallet, with players trying to hit the heavy wooden ball through a narrow gate made up of two wooden bottles—and upend the wooden beer bottle between them. The woodball course has 12 fairways; the player who completes all fairways with the least strokes wins.
Both Victor Kong, captain of men’s woodball, and Isabel Law, captain of women’s woodball who led the team to finish fifth this time, concurs that woodball is a deceptively simple sport that takes time to master. “Just like every other sport, woodball demands players to be focused and determined in games and practices. It is a craft which takes hours to refine,” says Kong.
Most players in Hong Kong are introduced to this nascent Taiwanese sport after they go to university, so their starting point and practice hours are somewhat similar. The key to winning, Law thinks, lies in an athlete’s mentality: “One slight error in swing will take a toll on the entire team; top players are those who can keep calm and move on to the next fairway. A competition lasts three to four hours, and it is not easy to stay sharp throughout the process. Focus, determination and mental strength would determine an athlete’s ability to thrive in the game.”
“‘Surge with faith, enjoy the game’ is our team motto. It is what we want to achieve,” Kong adds.
For three years in a row, men’s squash team has made it to the top three in university competitions, runners-up being its best spot. Team coach Chan Chi-ming, also lecturer of Physical Education Unit, concedes it was an impossible fight: “Polytechnic University featured nine Hong Kong representative team members in their line-up; we just had one retired athlete. It was a tough test.”
Facing a formidable opponent, the team did not give up. On match day, the university management came to show their support, with team members rooting for their teammates in the audience. Every point scored was greeted by a fresh wave of cheers. “Our morale was high and everyone was doing their part. It really showed the University’s team spirit, which we’re so proud of.”
In retrospect, their way to the final was anything but smooth sailing. The team’s semi-final against the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) was a hair-raiser. In a five-game match, where the first who takes three games wins, HKUST led the match with aggressive tactics, outplaying CUHK 2-0. The team held their ground and bounced back, forcing a draw and storming back to take the final match. “HKUST played aggressively; but the fight dragged on. When our rival ran out of steam, we were gaining an upper hand.”
With the curtain down on his coaching and teaching life as he retires in July, Chan sees the latest runners-up and the brilliant slates of men’s and women’s squash, where they’ve consistently occupied the top spots, a jubilant consummation of his quarter-century coaching of both teams. “For 20 years and more, CUHK’s squash team has been a number to be reckoned with. My thanks go to all team members who’ve accompanied me on this rewarding journey to grow and fight for CUHK.” After the final, the squash team had a celebration dinner, to which all former captains were invited and introduced to current members.
“Without the passing on of passion, experiences and skills, the CUHK squash team won’t be what it is today. Bearing this in mind far outweighs wins or losses,” says the veteran coach and physical education teacher.
