Senior citizen smiles for the birdie
August 28, 2010, Saturday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
YOU may find yourself rubbing your eyes in disbelief if you visit the badminton courts at Minhang Stadium.
Yes, there in a doubles game along with three much younger players is a white-haired woman named Chen Jifang.
The four of them play for 30 minutes before her three companions call for a break because they're exhausted. Not Chen. She leaves them to catch their breaths while she bounces over to another court and takes on another 20-something in a singles match. She beats him easily.
Chen, 60, is a bit of a local legend at the Minhang courts.
Every day for that last six or seven years, she's been hitting the birdie for up to six hours.
"I'm addicted to badminton," she explains. "I even dream of the game sometimes.
"The more I play, the more my health and my mind improve."
It's hard to imagine, but Chen was in frail health and mostly bedridden for 20 years after giving birth to her daughter in 1981.
She said she had no energy and was riddled with pain.
She couldn't bear to leave her house or even her own bed for days on end. Her condition didn't do much for her mental outlook either.
Then, one day, a friend of her recommended a new medicine. It seemed to help.
The aches and pains slowly disappeared and gradually Chen began to do some light physical exercises.
When she was 52, she joined a badminton training class.
She was the oldest person in the class but she was determined not to let age defeat her.
"Her skills and tactics are very professional," her coach said.
"She has better stamina than many young people. On these courts, few people have beaten her in badminton."
Chen remains modest about her achievements.
"I still have a lot of work to do to improve," she said. "A few weeks ago, I took part in an amateur badminton game in the city, but I didn't win any medals."
Reigning champ
But back on the courts in Minhang Stadium, she's a reigning champ.
Young people often ask her for advice on their games, and she's happy to help.
Her circle of friends and admirers grows by the year.
"At the very beginning, my skills, my gestures °?-- nothing was right," said Sunny Sun, who often plays with Chen. "But she's such a patient person that she instructed me over and over on how to improve my game.
"I admire her energy very much. She can play for hours with few breaks."
Chen is very economical in her personal life.
She altered a workplace uniform, turning it into a pair of sports pants for herself. If her racket breaks, she repairs it herself.
She lives on Xingbei Road and travels more than an hour one way to get to the stadium. En route, she practices her English.
Chen began taking English lessons in 2007 and now takes a course at the Xinzhuang Community School.
"I can read most of the English signs at the Expo site," Chen said with some pride.
Badminton and English have their compatible moments.
Chen recalls the time she played with some Filipinos and could converse with them in English. "My hair is white -- that's true ... But my heart is young and happy," said Chen.
Yes, there in a doubles game along with three much younger players is a white-haired woman named Chen Jifang.
The four of them play for 30 minutes before her three companions call for a break because they're exhausted. Not Chen. She leaves them to catch their breaths while she bounces over to another court and takes on another 20-something in a singles match. She beats him easily.
Chen, 60, is a bit of a local legend at the Minhang courts.
Every day for that last six or seven years, she's been hitting the birdie for up to six hours.
"I'm addicted to badminton," she explains. "I even dream of the game sometimes.
"The more I play, the more my health and my mind improve."
It's hard to imagine, but Chen was in frail health and mostly bedridden for 20 years after giving birth to her daughter in 1981.
She said she had no energy and was riddled with pain.
She couldn't bear to leave her house or even her own bed for days on end. Her condition didn't do much for her mental outlook either.
Then, one day, a friend of her recommended a new medicine. It seemed to help.
The aches and pains slowly disappeared and gradually Chen began to do some light physical exercises.
When she was 52, she joined a badminton training class.
She was the oldest person in the class but she was determined not to let age defeat her.
"Her skills and tactics are very professional," her coach said.
"She has better stamina than many young people. On these courts, few people have beaten her in badminton."
Chen remains modest about her achievements.
"I still have a lot of work to do to improve," she said. "A few weeks ago, I took part in an amateur badminton game in the city, but I didn't win any medals."
Reigning champ
But back on the courts in Minhang Stadium, she's a reigning champ.
Young people often ask her for advice on their games, and she's happy to help.
Her circle of friends and admirers grows by the year.
"At the very beginning, my skills, my gestures °?-- nothing was right," said Sunny Sun, who often plays with Chen. "But she's such a patient person that she instructed me over and over on how to improve my game.
"I admire her energy very much. She can play for hours with few breaks."
Chen is very economical in her personal life.
She altered a workplace uniform, turning it into a pair of sports pants for herself. If her racket breaks, she repairs it herself.
She lives on Xingbei Road and travels more than an hour one way to get to the stadium. En route, she practices her English.
Chen began taking English lessons in 2007 and now takes a course at the Xinzhuang Community School.
"I can read most of the English signs at the Expo site," Chen said with some pride.
Badminton and English have their compatible moments.
Chen recalls the time she played with some Filipinos and could converse with them in English. "My hair is white -- that's true ... But my heart is young and happy," said Chen.
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