The time of the year has come! Shanghai High School International Division's Sports Week is finally here with the theme this year being "Approaching 2022: Happy Sports! Happy Carnival!" As we slowly pass through 2021, the 2022 Winter Olympics, held in Beijing and Zhangjiakou, is also gradually approaching. Therefore, SHSID has also accumulated Olympic elements into diverse activities and events in this sports week, such as ice-skating. There are also some newly added class/group events such as "Hot Wheels," "Pony Crossing the River," "Balloon Passing," and "Football," and the usual "Charity Run" and teacher-vs.-students matches in dodgeball, basketball, volleyball, football, and many more. Students are welcome and strongly encouraged to participate actively!

At September 17th’s 11th-grade Assembly, China’s short-track speed-skating world champion and ambassador of the “300 Million on Ice” project, Mr. Yu Yongjun, and the project director from Shanghai Skating and Snow Sports Association Short Track Speed Skating Project, Ms. Wang Tian, together delivered a fruitful presentation for SHSID students. As the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics is slowly approaching, ambassador Mr. Yu encouraged fellow students to dream big and work hard consistently for goals they have in mind and actively participate in activities relevant to the Olympics, specifically ice sports. After interacting with the students by posing a few questions, Mr. Yu offered students prizes and certificates. At the same time, students who participated in the “300 Million on Ice” project’s public promotion video were also awarded limited-edition T-shirts of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. After the presentation, many students initiated conversations with the ambassador on how they could improve their athletic skills or where to expose themselves to more ice activities.

At SHSID, there are actually talented student athletes who participate in ice sports while studying.

I have been skating since the age of four, am a member of the China Hong Kong SAR skating elite team, and have been cultivated under a governmental subsidy program. Throughout the years, I was sent to Beijing multiple times to train with the national team, won the Asian Figure Skating Open, and served as an ice girl at the Shanghai World Figure Skating Championships. I also came in fourth place at the American Junior Figure Skating Competition. Behind every graceful dance posture of figure skating, you have to fall several times, get up, and try again. Although you will experience ups and downs on the skating journey, you feel frustrated when you fail and honored when you win medals and applause, regardless of whether you win or lose, you are not afraid of the pain and are willing to stick it ‘til the end - this is the most precious part of sportsmanship.

--- Chen from Grade 12

I am a member of the Shanghai short-track speed-skating team and have participated multiple times in the shootings of Olympic promotion videos. Having skated for almost 10 years, I won the 1000m event at the Asian Short Track Speed Skating Challenge two consecutive years, the 500m and 1000m events at the Shanghai Short Track Speed Skating Open, as well as the Nationals against professional athletes. In addition, I also represented Shanghai in the 2nd Youth Games of the People's Republic of China. During holidays and breaks from school, I travel around, be it overseas or to Beijing for the national youth training program. It's fair to say that I'm the "first generation" of local Shanghai short-track speed skaters as I've been skating since the establishment of the first ever ice rink in Shanghai. I can look back at the sweat on the runway and the smudged sky at 4 AM when I had crawled out of bed to attend training; the memories I can listen to are the shouts of the coaches and the laughter of teammates. Consistency is not an easy task. As an athlete, you need to constantly and firmly believe in yourself amidst the uncertainty. I view this piece of ice as the purest spirit of sportsmanship because it symbolizes all the passion we skaters have to be gathered here.

--- Ling from Grade 11

I fell in love with figure skating in 2017, but it was not until a year ago did I actually get the opportunity to step onto the ice. From the costumes, the music, the technical movements, to the sportsmanship, I love everything about figure skating. Whenever I had the chance, I would put on my own skates and walk onto the ice to experience its endless charm. My passion for figure skating never extinguished even during times of the pandemic. Three years ago, the Pyeongchang Olympics left a huge impression in my mind, and my new dream has become watching the Beijing Winter Olympics in real life ever since. I hope that, one day, I can really listen to the sound of blades cutting through the ice from Olympic athletes!

--- Tang from Grade 12

I have always been passionate about figure skating. Whenever I stand on the ice, I feel unbelievably happy. I started to learn figure skating when I was nine years old and have been skating for six to seven years now. I train every day, but am still in love with figure skating very much. I have already taken the double ninth level exam and learned a lot of difficult jumps and spins, such as the triple-loop jump or the competitive level-four spins. I have also participated in many municipal and national competitions. I came in third place at the Shanghai Games, ranked within the top ten at 6th in the national junior competition, and came in first place in the participating groups in the Shanghai Championships and the national club league tournament. More than that, I've also participated in many international training camps and gained a lot of knowledge from them. I think figure skating is a combination of beauty and strength. Figure skating will also appear in the Beijing Winter Olympics in 2022. I hope more students can learn about it with more talents being developed.

--- Meng from Grade 9

*names in this article have been altered for privacy

What is worth looking forward to is that, in the upcoming Sports Week, these students will also participate in ice activities with the children of the elementary school to showcase the beauty of ice sports.

(Written by Victoria Ling Video footage provided by relevant students Reviewed by Qian Zuo)