For ordinary KU students, going to school is about attending classes, doing club activities and taking exams. Shortly, going to school is a preparation for their future career. For KU sports players, like basketball, rugby, soccer or ice hockey players, going to school is part of their career. Many people are familiar with sports such as basketball and soccer, due to their popularity; what students are unfamiliar with are about non-major sports, and one sport that has been receiving the spotlight since last year is ice hockey.  

Ice hockey is a sport that is not readily played in Korea. Unlike baseball, soccer or basketball, ice hockey has been introduced to the general public relatively later than other sports. Also, the facilities and infrastructures in Korea make it hard for people to be introduced to ice hockey. However, despite such an inconvenient environment, there are prospective and passionate hockey players in KU that are committed to continue their hockey career during and after college. The current captain of KU hockey team, Oh Se Ahn (11’, Physical Education), was eager to tell interesting stories regarding the team.

Oh briefly commented on the professionalism of the hockey team. For many people who thought that the hockey team consisted of people who wanted to play hockey as a hobby, that was a big misconception. All members of the hockey team are students in the department of physical education, and are all experienced players that have played in professional competitions and games during high school, middle school, and even elementary school. Oh shared his story on how he started hockey. “I was initially a roller skater in elementary school, but my mother recommended me to try out hockey, so I started hockey when I was in 6th grade.”

KU ice hockey team’s professionalism can be observed in the training they participate in during summer and winter breaks. Since Korea is deficient of advanced facilities such as ice rinks, and also of flexible practice time, the team goes on a training program abroad. They go to locations that can provide a better environment to carry out concentrated practices. “We usually go to close countries like Japan, but this summer we went to the United States for training. We invite famous coaches from the National Hockey League (NHL) for the training period.”As such, the ice hockey team not only practices hard, but also receives high-level coaching that helps them upgrade their play.

 

   
 

The team is always trying their best, but the results were not always satisfying. As many people know, ice hockey was a game that many KU students did not expect much, partly because their popularity was overshadowed by that of basketball. It was last year’s Annual Ko-Yon Games that the ice hockey team received praise for their excellent play, although it was a tie game. Regarding this, Oh expressed a rather different opinion for this game that was evaluated as “unexpectedly excellent.”“I don’t understand why KU students praise our last year’s game because we did not win. It was a tie game.” This shows that as a captain of the team, Oh is always trying his best to live up to his high standard of a successful play.

The KU ice hockey team unfortunately missed out on their victory last year with a tie game, but that does not mean failure. Oh mentioned that last year’s tie score should not be considered a relief but rather a further motivation to achieve victory this year. In this sense, Oh’s role in the team is ever more significant. As team captain, Oh is responsible for leading the players during practice and mediating the communication between players and the coach. He humorously said that the hockey team is somewhat like the military. The players cannot complain because all the physical and emotional hardships in doing sports are what they have to bear.

The KU ice hockey team is upgrading its play as years and seasons pass. At the Annual Ko-Yon games, it was not easy for the KU ice hockey team to win over the Yonsei University ice hockey team. However, players are exhibiting improvement with an introduction of a new coach and new playing styles. “About a couple of years ago, the team’s play was focused on showing individual skills. Now, we shifted our focus on strengthening our team play through passing.”

Being An Ice Hockey Player In KU and In Korea

Korea is well known for having world-renowned players in sports such as archery, golf, and Taekwondo. Also, popular sports like soccer, baseball and basketball prevail in the Korean sports market. However, the same does not apply for ice hockey, since ice hockey has not been as much promoted, and lacks familiarity to the general public.

For most professional athletes, regardless of the game of sports, risk always exists after retirement. Retired sportsmen usually make money out of training and coaching young players, but that is especially hard for sports that lack popularity. Oh expressed his personal opinion on being a professional hockey player, in a country where hockey is less recognized.“Unlike figure skating, Korea has not yet experienced an ice hockey boom. Because of that, it is possible that finding job is going to be a challenging task.”

However, Oh did not seem to take ice hockey’s meager status as a barrier in his future career. “I play ice hockey because I am good at playing, and most importantly because I love the sport.” His passion for ice hockey is a driving force that will lead the prospective future of the KU ice hockey team, and on the whole, of Korea’s ice hockey community.

Oh proudly claims that being a KU ice hockey team player is a true fortune. Compared to other college hockey teams, KU is equipped with its own ice rink, and the school provides players with basic equipment such as hockey sticks. “Having our own ice rink is a true benefit since we can save time that would otherwise be spent on going to an ice rink in Mokdong.”

A Small Step Forward

From the improvements that the KU ice hockey team is making, the future of Korea’s ice hockey community seems bright. The infinite possibility of Korean ice hockey could be observed in the second preliminary game for the 2014 Sochi Olympics in the November of 2013. Although the Korean team did not win the preliminary games, the fact that Korea won against England proves that we are making a striking progress. Oh mentioned that there is welcoming news as well. As a hosting country of the 2018 Sochi Winter Olympics, the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) announced that they are considering securing Korea an automatic qualification to enter the game once Korea ups its ranking to 18. “That’s definitely an opportunity that we are eager to grasp.”

Every year, KU students fervently cheer for KU sports teams during the Annual Ko-Yon Games. Students usually have a perception that KU has particular strengths and weaknesses in certain games, but it is time to change that mind set. The KU ice hockey team is desperate to reap good results more than anyone else. People were greatly disappointed last year when the game ended with a tie score. What this means is that the higher the disappointment, the bigger the expectation and room for improvement there is for the future.

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