▲ The photo from the 39th National Canoe Championship (Source: Kim Hui-joo)

Currently, many of the students at CWNU are showing great performances as sports players. Among them, CWNU's Canoeing Team has traditionally won awards at canoe competitions. They have won first and second place among canoeing team universities nationwide. CWNU's Canoeing Team finished second overall at the, ‘39th National Canoe Championship,’ held in Goseong, Gyeongsangnam-do, from September 3 to September 6. The Campus Journal interviewed Kim Hwi-joo, Captain of CWNU's Canoeing Team.

Q: Please introduce yourself and the players of the Canoeing Team.

Kim: Hello, I'm Kim Hwi-joo, the Captain of the CWNU's Canoeing Team, majoring in Physical Education. All of our canoeing team members are Gyeongnam's representative canoe players. There are six players on our team: Kim Hwi-joo and Cho Young-bin in senior, Lee Joon-young in junior, Lee Kyung-hoon in sophomore, Kim Sang-kyun and Jung Hee-jun in freshman. Currently, seniors are working as Canadian canoeists and freshman to juniors are working as Kayakers.

Q: Please explain the sport of Canoeing.

Kim: Canoeing is a sport played by boat, and it is divided into two sports: Canadian and Kayak. First, the Canadian-only boat has no cover on the boat. The players are on the boat in a, ‘sitting on its knee,’ posture, where a player kneels down on one knee. The Canadian-only paddle is sharp and has a paddle only on one side. Therefore, a player has to choose either the right or the left direction, and paddle only on that side. The Canadian is denoted by the abbreviation: C.

On the other hand, Kayak-only boats have a cover on the boat. The players are on the boat in a sitting position. The Kayak-only paddle has paddles on both sides, so the kayaker takes turns stroking the paddle on each side. Kayak is denoted by the abbreviation: K.

Q: What are the events in which the players participated in this National Canoe Championship and the results of the match?

Kim: At the National Canoe Championship, CWNU's Canoeing Team, produced a lot of results. The event is marked as, ‘event- the number of people who participated in the event’. Our team is ranked first in 2 events (C-21,000M, K-4 200M), ranked 2nd in 6 events (C-1 1,000M, K-1 1,000M, C-1 500M, K-1 500M, K-2 500M, K-4 500M), and 3rd in 3 events (K-2 1,000M, K-1 200M, C-2 500M) of a total of 11 events.

Q: How do you feel about finishing second in this competition?

Kim: In this year's first match held in Gangwon-do in June, we missed the runner-up with a disappointing performance at the, ‘National Canoe Competition in Paroho Lake’. However, I'm very happy to finish second in this match. In the next game, I will achieve first place, after setting my goal to win the overall championship.

Q: How do you take care of your condition the day before the competition?

Kim: First of all, my body is very sensitive, so I shouldn't eat spicy food or cold food. Therefore, I need to be careful eating and must sleep early before the game, so that I can maintain the best condition the next day.

Q: What made you become a canoe player?

Kim: There was a canoe experience center in Gyeongsangnam-do, where people can experience canoeing, available for the general public. Therefore, I applied for a canoeing experience and participated in it. While experiencing canoeing, I felt the fun of cutting through the current. Additionally, I felt attracted to the speed of the canoe, with the frequency of how much I use it. Therefore, I have competed as a canoe player since high school.

Q: Compared to other sports, what do you think the charm of canoeing is?

Kim: Canoeing is a sport in which the teamwork of team members is important. The more team players work together, the higher the speed. The swifter we cut through the current and the canoe goes forward, which I think is the charm of Kanuman.

Q: I'd like to know about future activity plans.

Kim: The National Sports Festival will be held in Andong from October 9th to 11th. As I participated in the competition as a representative of Gyeongnam, I really want to win the prize. After graduation, my future plan is to go to the training professional team. I will continue my career as a player, and grow further to become a member of the National Team.

Q: Lastly, what is something that you would like to say to your team’s members?

Kim: There's not much left of the year, so I hope we focus until the end of this season.

CWNU's canoeing team players are trained all four years in college for annual competitions. Behind their valuable runner-up was constant effort, and above all, they have pride in canoeing and the inner power to rise again, even if it was difficult. Thus, CWNU's Canoeing Team’s prize will shine more brightly than before. I applaud the efforts of CWNU's Canoeing Team and sincerely support their activities as Gyeongnam representatives.

By Lee Yeon-jin, cub-reporter  dlduswls45@naver.com

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