Posted December. 30, 2003 22:48,
Hey, give me the ball. Go block the ball faster.
The playground of Chunan elementary school, Sunghwang-dong Chunan city Chungnam on December 26.The wind chill fell to 10 degrees below Fahrenheit due to the cold wind. Twenty-one soccer team members kick the ball and run here and there. Due to the cold weather, their cheeks are red and frozen but the smiles never disappear from their faces.
Hey, that time you should have passed the ball to the wing side. The face of 43-year old head coach Song Young-ho was full of laughter. It was much better as a comic game than as training.
The Chunan elementary soccer team kicks the dream again. It was March 26 that nine kids had died and 15 kids were wounded out of 25 kids, due to a fire in the training camp dormitory. The provincial office of education and the Korea Football Association urged the dissolution of the team right after the accident but the bereaved families has been against it. They have made up their minds to reorganize the team for the dead kids.
With this, they assembled the 25 children, including kids who played soccer in the Chunan youth soccer society, to reorganize the soccer team in September. One thing is different after the accident. They enjoy the soccer regardless of the result. That might be the reason why laughter fills the young players faces.
I want to make dreams of friends and players who went to the heaven due to the disaster come true on behalf of them, said fifth grader Hong Jung-taek.
If I shout young players down, they cant do well feeling timid. They should kick the ball joyfully to boost their dream, said head coach Song.
Only fifth grader Hong Young-dong played soccer continuously out of the players who suffered in the disastrous accident. His lung was wounded in the tragedy and he still has medical treatment at Hangang Sungshim Hospital. His father, Hong Dal-pyo, seems nervous about him, saying, Even though I permitted him to play soccer because my son keeps insisting that he play soccer again, it keeps bothering me.
Three kids who have played soccer together went to play abroad in Brazil, and four left for Seoul. Eight kids have given up the soccer in the physical or mental aftermath. Fifth grader Chung Han-ho and fourth grader Lee Kyung-jin feel afraid of going to playground due to their mental shock and wounded bodies, even though they have the full yearning to kick the ball.
Kim Jung-wook, who has lost his son Min-woo due to the disaster, often visits the playground, recalling his sons image even nowadays. Min-woo in heaven will definitely be happy for the reorganized soccer team. He said he wanted to be a world star .
An event for a monument to the memory of dead players was held at the playground of Chunan elementary school on December 30.