The pace of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics is getting closer, and ice and snow sports are becoming increasingly important in the lives of Chinese people.

The Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region is rich in ice and snow resources. In recent years, more and more local schools have changed winter sports classes into ice and snow classes, allowing children to enjoy the fun of ice and snow sports.

However, ice and snow sports have not been smooth sailing into the campus. When it comes to ice and snow classes, students like it, parents are concerned, and the school is difficult.

When ice and snow sports enter the campus, they still have to "break the ice."

1 Ice and snow sports make children fall in love with winter

  The first time I put on my skates, the first time I stood on the ice, the first time I stumbled a short distance...Every first time, the children screamed and laughed.

  Beginning in the winter of 2019, primary and secondary schools across Inner Mongolia have accelerated the pace of ice and snow sports entering their campuses. Many children have had their first intimate contact with ice and snow sports, and there is a "silver fun" in winter.

  In November 2019, during the breaktime exercises of Tulihe Primary and Secondary School in Yakeshi City, Hulunbuir, for the first time, there was no sound of radio gymnastics music. Instead, it was replaced by cheerful light music and students' laughter on the ice.

  The teachers of Tulihe Elementary and Middle School transformed the practice base on the campus into an ice rink. The children of this township elementary school took skating lessons for the first time.

Principal Su Liang introduced that the school changed the winter exercises to skating. "Children like skating very much. They don’t want to go home after school, so they want to skate more."

  Chang Qing, a physical education teacher at Zhalantun Experimental Primary School in Hulunbuir City, started teaching speed skating to students in 2009. At first, there were only 6 children skating, but the number increased to more than 20 in the second year. The school speed skating team has grown to more than 100.

  Relying on the outdoor ice rink formed by the relay of teachers and parents in the middle of the night, several students of Zhalantun Experimental Primary School have already embarked on a professional path, and more children have fallen in love with this sport and developed it into a lifelong hobby.

  Every day after school, the speed skating team of Zhalantun Experimental Primary School has one hour of training time. Many students have to play on the ice rink for a while after training.

Every time the teacher said: "Go home, the teacher is going to turn off the lights." The students would say: "Turn off the lights, we have the moon, we have to slide for a while."

2 Multiple difficulties hinder the development of campus ice and snow sports

  Although ice and snow sports have made more children fall in love with winter, it is not easy to develop ice and snow sports in primary schools.

The shortage of venues and equipment, weak teachers, and difficulty in eliminating safety concerns have become an iron wall hindering the development of campus ice and snow sports.

  “The school does not have a special ice rink. To carry out ice and snow sports, teachers and parents need to pour ice on the playground. It is very hard.” said Xiao Bing, principal of Zhalantun Experimental Primary School. At six or seven o'clock in the morning, it was poured for 10 consecutive days. After the ice rink was poured, it was poured three times a week for routine maintenance.

  The fence of the ice rink of Tulihe Elementary and Middle School is made of discarded heating pipes. Nine abandoned street lamp poles were repainted by the teacher and stood around the ice rink.

It was dark at 4pm in the local winter, and the students could slide until 7pm with the lights on.

The school teacher said that the conditions of the ice rink poured out are limited, and the students want to improve their skills, but without good field training, they can only improve their anti-collision ability and physical fitness.

  Chang Qing said that basic schools lack training tools for ice and snow sports, and teachers have to make their own tools.

Changqing welded the sledge into an ice cart to ensure that students can slide on ice and snow; made balance bricks with wooden boards for students to step on to exercise their balance; the tools used for corner exercises are also the leather strips and Drawstring.

  Many primary and secondary school principals admitted that the biggest problem in carrying out snow and ice activities on campus is the limitation of professional venues and teachers.

There are currently 7 physical education teachers in Tulihe Primary and Secondary School, and 4 of them will retire within 3 years. There are no teachers who are professional in skating.

"Skating enthusiasts can only be hired from outside the school as social sports instructors to guide the school speed skating team." Su Liang said.

  "Most of the physical education teachers are generalized physical education majors, and there are no teachers who specialize in skiing and roller skating. In order to carry out roller skating classes in club activities, it is necessary to hire roller skating teachers from outside the school." Wang Ruilin, principal of Jinshan Mongolian Middle School, Harqin Banner, Chifeng City It is said that the unified recruitment of teachers by the Education Bureau does not meet the individual requirements of the school. The school wants to specifically introduce talents, but Qixian schools cannot attract teachers who meet the requirements.

  Safety concerns are also the reason why some schools are reluctant to carry out ice and snow sports.

Ice and snow sports have higher requirements for students' physical fitness and sports skills, and are dangerous. The injury rate is relatively higher than other sports teaching activities.

"As soon as a child is injured, parents do not ask for the reason, they will find the school to be responsible. The school is really scared." Many physical education teachers said that because they were afraid of the student's injury, they would seldom engage in some real ice and snow sports.

3 Ice and snow sports also need to go out of campus

  In response to the difficulties faced by primary and secondary schools in promoting ice and snow sports, Inner Mongolia continues to "break through" and "break the ice."

At the same time, they also look forward to multilateral support to make ice and snow sports enter the campus smoothly.

  The half-month talk reporter learned that in order to solve the problem of teacher shortage or unprofessionalism, many primary and secondary schools in Xilin Gol League and Ulan Chabu City, Inner Mongolia, through cooperation with sports clubs and associations, hire out-of-school ice and snow lovers as sports instructors to assist sports. The teacher started ice and snow sports.

  In some schools where ice and snow sports cannot be carried out, the dryland improvement activities of ice and snow sports are in full swing.

Beiyuan Primary School in Hohhot City has laid a "Imitation Ice" field on the top of the teaching building for lower grade students to develop dry-field curling.

The school also carried out snow fighting and dry ice hockey classes on the playground, which were welcomed by the students.

Li Peng, the director of physical education teaching at Beiyuan Elementary School, said: “As long as you use your brains, you can get children on the ice without ice or snow.”

  Campus ice and snow sports can also go out of the school and use professional venues outside the school to carry out experiential exercises or club activities to drive long-term participation of students who love ice and snow sports.

For the cooperation with off-campus venues to carry out ice and snow courses, many principals said that it is a feasible option, but who pays for the relevant expenses is still a problem.

  “Schools cannot collect students’ money, but venue rent and transportation expenses are not small expenses.” said a physical education teacher in Hohhot. “Some venues cooperate with schools to provide one or two free experiences, but this is not enough for learning. The effect is not a long-term solution." Many primary and middle school principals suggested that the cost of ice and snow sports is high, and the education department can set up a special fund for "Ice and Snow Entering Campus" to support schools to carry out activities.

  In addition, the development of campus ice and snow sports also needs a complete safety system to escort.

Educational departments and schools need to strengthen the construction of ice and snow sports safety systems, conduct safety training for teachers and students, improve the risk prediction and emergency response capabilities of relevant teachers, teach students how to reduce collisions and self-protection, and ensure the safety of students participating in ice and snow sports .

  For ice and snow sports to enter the campus, it also needs to get out of the campus.

Every winter, youth ice and snow theme activities are carried out all over the country. In the past, these activities were mostly carried out in big cities and areas with concentrated ice and snow resources. Teachers and students at the grassroots level hope that such activities can be extended to primary and secondary schools and areas with scarce ice and snow resources. Many students provide opportunities for ice and snow.

  Half a month to talk about reporters: Wang Chunyan and Wei Jingyu