A "veteran basketball team" in Jinan, Shandong Province has received a lot of attention recently. Different from other common basketball teams, the average age of players in this basketball team is about 67 years old, and most of them are composed of retirees, and some players are over 90 years old. Since the establishment of the basketball team in 2012, the team has participated in national competitions six times, won three championships and one runner-up, and has been praised by many netizens as an elderly "slam dunk master".
On October 18th, Ying Xu Li, a member of the basketball team, told the Beijing Youth Daily reporter that Ying Xu Li believed that the reason why he won the championship three times was that the team members were United. Ying Xu Li said that since the team was founded seven years ago, many players have improved their physical fitness by playing basketball, and they are more energetic than other peers. However, Ying Xu also reminded that the elderly should play basketball according to their own conditions and exercise step by step.
The senior basketball team won three national championships.
Just looking at the flexible pace, it is hard to think that the basketball team trained on the court is composed of elderly people. Just recently, this "veteran basketball team" in Jinan has attracted many people’s attention. In the seven years since its establishment, the team has participated in six national competitions, of which three won the championship and one won the runner-up, which was praised by many netizens as being healthy and strong.
On October 18th, Ying Xu introduced to the reporter of Beiqing Daily that in 2012, he and several other players set up this basketball team, with more than 40 people at that time, mainly retirees. "With the development of the national fitness campaign, basketball field has been built more and more. We are all basketball lovers. At that time, we thought about playing and never thought about participating in the national competition. " Ying Xu said.
In 2013, this basketball team took to the competition field for the first time and participated in the 24th National Basketball Competition for Middle-aged and Old People held in Wanzhou, Chongqing. But to the surprise of the team members, they achieved very good results on their first entry. Ying Xu said, "I didn’t have much experience at that time, and I almost won the third place, so I felt that the team was quite good."
After that, in 2014, the team participated in the Beijing World Chinese Basketball Competition held in Yantai and won the championship of the 60-year-old group. In 2015, the team won the silver medal in the 60-year-old group competition of the 26th National Middle-aged and Old-aged Basketball Competition held in Wuhai, Inner Mongolia. In 2018, the team participated in the 15th Beijing World Chinese Basketball Tournament held in Xingyi, Guizhou, and won the 65-year-old championship. In 2019, in the 30th National Urban Middle-aged and Old-aged Basketball Tournament held in Zhaoqing, Guangdong, the team won the championship of the 65-year-old group, which was the third time that the team won the first place in the national competition.
Playing basketball allows many players to solve the "three highs"
Ying Xu Li said that there are now 40 or 50 veteran basketball teams, with the average age of players being 67, the youngest being 50, and the oldest player, Li Chunfu, being 91. The team is divided into two groups. Besides playing at ordinary times, there is also a special team, that is, the team that needs to participate in the national competition.
At the beginning of the team, the players didn’t know each other. "There are coal miners, retired university teachers and enterprise employees in our team. Those who are not in the same unit are all together to play basketball because of their common hobbies." Ying Xu said.
This group of elderly people with an average age of 67 play basketball, and the most concern is their physical condition. Ying Xu told the reporter of Beiqing Daily that after playing basketball for several years, she felt that her physical fitness had been greatly improved. "Exercise can promote the expansion and contraction of blood vessels and enhance the flexibility of blood vessels. At the same time, it is also of great benefit to the bones of the elderly, and it can also improve the reaction ability of the elderly. Our players can move forward and backward quickly and occasionally fall without anything." Ying Xu said that once a team member rested for half a year after a leg injury, and he felt that his muscles were declining very quickly after not exercising for half a year.
According to Ying Xu, there were many players with hyperlipidemia, hypertension and hyperglycemia in the team. After playing basketball, many people’s blood pressure returned to normal. Although Li Chunfu, a 91-year-old member of the team, can’t take part in the competition, he still insists on exercising at ordinary times, focusing on fitness and keeping the habit of exercise.
According to reports, Niu Zhaoyan in the team had a sudden heart attack in 2012. After being rescued, there were no life-threatening injuries, and two stents were installed in his heart. However, in 2013, Niu Zhaoyan returned to the basketball court to train with everyone, and now he is recovering well.
Another member of the team, Wang Shenxun, also had a stomach perforation operation in January this year. After the operation, Wang Shenxun was once sent to the intensive care unit. Fortunately, in the end, Wang Shenxun turned the corner and was transferred to the general ward. After learning that Wang Shenxun was ill, his teammates also visited the hospital. After recovering, Wang Shenxun returned, starting with simple training, and now he can fight with the players in groups.
Besides basketball, I am also younger in mentality.
Although the players’ physical fitness is not bad, Ying Xu also reminded that the elderly should do what they can to play basketball, and should not be too casual, so they need to adapt a little through gradual exercise. In Ying Xu’s view, compared with professional athletes, they also have certain advantages, that is, they were not injured when they were young, and they can meet the requirements of the competition after training.
Now, the players basically maintain the training frequency of three times a week. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, because everyone lives in different places, the players will train in the basketball court near their home. On Saturdays, everyone will concentrate on training, usually for about 3 hours at a time.
Since the team was established seven years ago, it has participated in the competition six times, and the results of three champions and one runner-up have made many netizens praise this team. Ying Xu said that in the team members’ view, the most important reason why they can achieve such good results is that they pay great attention to internal unity and discuss and study tactics with each other. "If big-name professional coaches are invited to train, the results may not be as good as now. We all decide according to our own situation, pay attention to strengths and avoid weaknesses, and the players are very morale. "
Besides basketball, the players also have other hobbies, such as singing and photography. Ying Xu said that after retirement, many old people will inevitably have to help with their grandchildren and take care of their families. Besides, old people also have a wide range of interests and hobbies, which not only relieves their psychological anxiety after retirement, but also maintains good physical fitness and a younger mentality.
Text/reporter Guo Linlin
