FACE JANUARY 16, 2004 9 E-mail:[email protected] EDITOR: SHAN JINLIANG DESIGNER: PANG LEI Best Setter Gets Ready Photo by SunYali By Shan Jinliang Two years later, Chen Zhonghe Medal and 2003 Asian Champi- periods of absence from home. t’s been a long wait, both for took over as coach of the nation- onship Gold Medal, and she was “My parents are not in good Chinese volleyball fans and al team, and he promptly chose also awarded the title of best set- health,” she told Beijing Today re- Ifor Feng Kun. But on No- Feng as his setter. Feng could ter at the 2003 Montreux Vol- gretfully. Since 1990, Feng’s fa- vember 15 last year, Feng, 25, hardly believe the news and had leyball Masters, the 2003 World ther has been collecting reports captained China to their first to be shown the squad list of the Grand Prix and, of course, at the and memorabilia about her ca- Women’s Volleyball World Cup in national volleyball team before 2003 World Cup. reer, from Shishahai Sports School 18 years. she really took it in. Gearing up for the Olympics training to the last game of the It was a moment Feng had Feng still felt her setting skills After winning the World Cup, 2003 World Cup. Feng says this dreamed of since she was a little were lacking but she was good at Feng only got 10 days’ vacation support from her parents’ has had girl. She was inspired by the Chi- the other four main techniques of and soon was back to her club a lot to do with her success. nese women’s teams that dom- a volleyball player: serving, pass- side, Beijing Volleyball Team. Though volleyball is a big part inated the sport, winning the ing, spiking and blocking. For With little time to cooperate of her life, Feng told Beijing To- World Cup in 1981 and ‘85, the long periods she played as a sub- with her local colleagues and a day she might not pursue it as World Championships in 1982 stitute. “It was a tough training shortage of mature players, the her lifelong career. “I prefer free and ‘86, and taking Olympic gold period for me,” Feng recalled. “I Beijing team got only one vic- careers, and journalism might be in 1984. Rivals like Brazil and was not in a good mood so I cut tory and suffered five defeats. a good choice,” she said. “And I the USA have come to the fore my long hair off.” As the setter and soul of the also hope to study an MBA in the since then, but now China has Chen believed Feng would im- team, Feng had to bear most of future.” returned to the pinnacle of the prove if he found a proper training the pressure. Feng and her team In her spare time, she lives the game and is eagerly anticipating method for her. In the meantime now have to beat Fujian the life of a normal young woman, the Athens Olympics. she kept training from 2 pm to 9 day after tomorrow to have any shopping for fashionable clothes Feng might be the main wom- pm and went home with books on chance of staying in the Group A on the weekends, and spending an now, but she’s had to fight the game at night. Volleyball League. holidays traveling with her fam- to win her place in the team. In “Sometimes I got sick of volley- As the setter for the national ily, as far as Xinjiang and Tibet. 2001, she was chosen to play as ball and was reluctant to train,” she team, Feng is having to get used At her birthday party in 2000, the main setter of the national told China Consumer Journal last to responsibility and pressure. she made a prayer that she would team, responsible for organizing November. “I would even change Her next goal is the 2004 Olym- get into the China National Vol- the team’s attacking moves. At a round plate for a square one pics in Athens. She is full of op- leyball Team. So far, her dreams first she felt frustrated and in- when dining out because I hated timism. “I think the 2003 World seem to be coming true. adequate in the role, but she re- seeing anything round. Actually, I Cup championship was just When Beijing To- paid coach Chen Zhonghe’s faith just needed some time off.” the first trophy for us, day asked what in her by scooping the title of the Training remained tough. and there will be many wish she had world’s best setter at the 2003 Photos by Hu Jinxi Feng suffered a hand injury more to come.” made for her World Cup. “I am happy to win which delayed her progress and A quiet life 2003 birth- the Women’s World Cup with my she had to endure some harsh Now in the lime- day, she re- team, but personally I am happi- teammates such as 1.97-meter- when Feng reached the age of 13 words from the coach about her light more than ever, fused to er to get the title of world’s best tall Zhao Ruirui - Feng im- she became a member of Beijing passing skills. Feng was reluctant d i v u l g e . setter,” she said. pressed coach Zhang Qin of Volleyball No. 1 Team. She soon Big break to let the exposure “The wish People around her attribute Beijing Shishahai Sports School, became the main force since there Feng made her debut in the break up her quiet might not her success to her persistence a semi-professional school. was a shortage of squad players 2001 World Women’s Volleyball life. So after training, come true if I and calm state of mind, but hard At the age of 10, Feng decided in the team. At 17 her rapid prog- Grand Prix and soon recovered she spends as much time tell you now. If work has been vital. Feng’s col- she was destined for a career in ress continued as she was called her confidence. Taller than most as she can at home with it does, then I will league Chen Yang told Beijing volleyball and she begged her par- up to the China national volley- setters, she displayed her ex- her family, to compensate tell you.” Today that she practiced harder ents to allow her to pursue it, ball team, coached by Lang Ping cellent skills in blocking, spik- for the long than most of the other players. rather than focusing on tradition- who had helped China’s national ing and an improved range From track and eld to volleyball al academic pursuits. Feng said to volleyball team win their first of passing skills. She had Born in 1978 in Beijing, Feng her mother, “This is my first real World Cup in 1981. found her best form since was greatly inspired by her fa- opportunity in my life, and I want However, 1999 brought her joining the national ther, an avid sports fan. She to make good use of it.” Her moth- crashing back to earth as she team, Chen said. became fond of track and field er later said she was surprised was not selected by new nation- She learned a sports and her parents sent her at such an adult announcement, al volleyball coach Hu Jin. Feng lot from the games to a sports class when she was and Feng told Beijing Today she still remembers crying alone in at the Grand Prix. In in grade three at primary school. could not explain why she said it. the dormitory as her colleagues the game with tra- One day when she was seven She just knew she was following headed out for group practice. ditional rivals Japan, years old, Wang Guifang, a coach her main interest. Feng’s father says she was in Song Nina, the veteran set- in the volleyball class, thought So Feng’s mother agreed, on a bad mood for a while, but these ter withdrew, giving Feng she could be a good volleyball condition that Feng stop playing days she’s philosophical about the chance to show her player and she persuaded Feng’s volleyball if she didn’t make suffi- that reverse. “It wasn’t unex- game. China won and went parents to allow Feng to become cient progress in the sport. Feng’s pected,” Feng says. “I wasn’t play- on to finish as runners up in her student. Wang thus became parents said one day before she ing at the required level, and to the competition. Feng’s first volleyball coach. went to Shishahai Sports School ensure success at the Olympic From 2001 to 2003, she won By 1986, Feng was playing vol- that she could give up if she found Games in Sydney it was under- a number of international prizes leyball for one or two hours most the going too tough, but there standable for Hu to select senior together with the team, includ- days after school and she came to were no doubts in Feng’s mind. players.” ing the 2001 Montreux Volley- love the sport. Despite being rel- Ups and downs Like her idol Deng Xiaoping, ball Masters Fourth Place, 2001 atively short - at least compared Things went smoothly at Feng was resolved not to be World Grand Prix Silver Medal, to some of her current national Shishahai Sports School, and ground down by minor defeats.