It was officially the first long trip for the 10th batch, and the opportunity for all of us to spend some time together outside the classroom environment, learn about the 2018 Olympic Games, and have the experience of trying winter sports and, yes, snow, for the first time.
As a starting point, many of us come from countries that don’t have the facilities, athletes, and opportunities to participate in winter sports. This is also combined with weather conditions that don’t allow proper development in certain disciplines, so having the real chance to get familiar with an experienced place was a game changer.
The first stop was the Olympic Museum, where the memories, the venues, and the suits connected us to the experiences and the meaning of Korea being the host and made us realize how sports allow people to connect regardless of their conditions. For me, there were two specific points: the first was having the chance to see my country’s name in the participant list because back home we don’t get many chances related to winter sports; the second was the national women’s hockey team that represented Korea, not a division but an entire country.
easiest hills, being unable to stop, and taking the coach’s hand so you wouldn’t fall but still doing it, was unforgettable experience.
We learned; we fell—a lot; we laughed; and, most importantly, we had the opportunity to develop ourselves as professionals in a sport that was previously out of reach for many people around the world.
After this experience, the takeaway was big. Of course, as sports fans, the first idea would be to keep going, learn, and try to ski or snowboard in a better way, maybe without the injuries. But as a professional, I would consider applying many of the things I saw in my country to develop winter sports; the techniques, the venues, and PyeongChang 2018 are really good examples of how to do things.
Finally, after this, not only did we get the chance to experience a long field trip, but we also got new knowledge about development in our countries, new sports for our bodies, with the hope that at least some of us can come back one day and step on the skis or snowboard without falling again or at least go back home knowing how to make a difference and grow to support winter sports.
Written by Laura Maria Hernandez Cuervo (Colombia, 10th batch)
