China skip pumps up the volume
Source: Agencies |
February 21, 2010, Sunday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
She is one of the smallest curlers at the Olympics, but Wang Bingyu, captain of world champion China, may well be the loudest.
A fondness for karaoke singing has helped Wang pump up the volume for one of the best recognized aspects of the game -- the cries of "Hard! Hard!" as rock throwers demand more aggressive sweeping from their teammates.
"She's got lungs," her coach, Canadian Dan Rafael, said.
She has also got game. Wang, 25, led her team to a 11-1 rout over Denmark on Friday but later in the day lost to Sweden 4-6 to leave China's record at the Games at 3-2.
Wang, became a giant-killer when she and her team -- all of whom stand under 1.6 meters -- beat defending Olympic gold medalist Sweden to take the world title last year. That was a first for an Asian curling squad.
Now, Wang needs her powerful pipes to communicate with her team at the booming Vancouver Olympic Center.
"Because so many people are sitting around us I need a loud (voice), there's such a bigger sound," said Wang, who is making her Olympic debut.
Wang quickly put Friday's game against Denmark out of reach by scoring an impressive five points in the sixth end.
Thanks to her composure on the ice and a methodical approach, she has led her team to curling's elite just nine years after she took up the sport. Her father encouraged her to give it a try after she was deemed too petite for ice hockey.
Rafael said Wang and her rink, who Chinese officials kept away from the media before competition began, are improving with each game. But he does not heap praise, saying China won its previous games because opponents made more mistakes. "But today (against Denmark) we were definitely sharp."
But, Wang is not looking to any one team to give her the biggest run for her money.
"How many games left? Four teams," she said. "Actually that's not joking. It's not a situation of which one you should be playing well and which one you maybe don't need to play well."
A fondness for karaoke singing has helped Wang pump up the volume for one of the best recognized aspects of the game -- the cries of "Hard! Hard!" as rock throwers demand more aggressive sweeping from their teammates.
"She's got lungs," her coach, Canadian Dan Rafael, said.
She has also got game. Wang, 25, led her team to a 11-1 rout over Denmark on Friday but later in the day lost to Sweden 4-6 to leave China's record at the Games at 3-2.
Wang, became a giant-killer when she and her team -- all of whom stand under 1.6 meters -- beat defending Olympic gold medalist Sweden to take the world title last year. That was a first for an Asian curling squad.
Now, Wang needs her powerful pipes to communicate with her team at the booming Vancouver Olympic Center.
"Because so many people are sitting around us I need a loud (voice), there's such a bigger sound," said Wang, who is making her Olympic debut.
Wang quickly put Friday's game against Denmark out of reach by scoring an impressive five points in the sixth end.
Thanks to her composure on the ice and a methodical approach, she has led her team to curling's elite just nine years after she took up the sport. Her father encouraged her to give it a try after she was deemed too petite for ice hockey.
Rafael said Wang and her rink, who Chinese officials kept away from the media before competition began, are improving with each game. But he does not heap praise, saying China won its previous games because opponents made more mistakes. "But today (against Denmark) we were definitely sharp."
But, Wang is not looking to any one team to give her the biggest run for her money.
"How many games left? Four teams," she said. "Actually that's not joking. It's not a situation of which one you should be playing well and which one you maybe don't need to play well."
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