OUHK athletes: Get set, go!
[Sponsored Article]
Late at night on 12 May 2019, sleepy Cheung Chau is still wide awake. A lively crowd of onlookers jostles around the 14-metre bun tower at the centre of the soccer pitch of Pak Tai Temple Playground. Finally the gong strikes midnight, and the 12 finalists — nine men and three women — race up the towering structure. In the spotlight is Janet Kung Tsz-shan, the highest-scoring finalist and last year’s second-placer in the women’s division. In the blink of an eye, she snatches all the nine-point buns within reach, and knowing the rules of the game, makes sure both of her feet are firmly on the ground before three minutes are up. Relief! After seven years of scrambling, Janet finally bags the title of Queen of the Buns.
This energetic Queen wears many hats: she’s a coach of multiple sports including swimming, adventure training and rope climbing, she’s a sport and ice climber… and she’s also a new Nursing graduate at the Open University of Hong Kong (OUHK)!
Janet Kung Tsz-shan
Achievements: UIAA Ice Climbing World Cup (Women’s Speed / Lead): rank 21 /
62 (2015); Inter University Sport Climbing Championships (Women’s Amateur): 2nd runner-up (2016); FWD MAX Limitless Challenge (Women’s): 2nd place (2018); Joint School Orienteering Championships (Women’s Open): 2nd place (2019); Queen of the Buns (2019)
Q: How do you manage your many roles?
A: It is important to know your priorities. For example, if I miss a competition, I can go back to it next year, but if I fail to meet the practicum requirements, I’ll have to extend my studies. Then I know what choice I have to make. Now that I’m graduating, I’ll try to find time to get back to the international sporting arena as I start working as a nurse.
Q: Has participation in sport helped your professional development as a nurse?
A: Definitely. Sports training has toughened me up so that I’m able to cope with a high level of stress in the nursing work environment.
Janet, who has been awarded the Government’s Talent Development Scholarship (TDS) three times, is just one of the talented young athletes at OUHK. Among the TDS recipients are hockey player Chan Tsz-ming, studying Sports and Recreation Management, and dodgeballer Mok Ting-yan, studying Professional Accounting. Both of them are training with Hong Kong national teams, and have demonstrated their sporting prowess in regional and international competitions.
Member of: Hong Kong Men’s Hockey National Quad, Shaheen Sports Club (Men’s Division A1)
Represented Hong Kong in: Boys U18 Asia Cup Hockey (2016), Hong Kong Quadrangular Hockey Tournament (2017, 2019 champion), Nantou’s Hockey Tournament (2018)
Q: You’re studying sports management while playing hockey. What are your goals?
A: As an athlete, I’ve always wanted to learn more about how to organize sports events. I hope I can contribute my knowledge to the industry. As for hockey, I’m now training hard for a major international competition that will take place in Hong Kong towards the end of the year.
Member of: Elite Team of Dodgeball Association of Hong Kong, China (Mixed Open, Multi-ball Style), Ling Fung Ti-I Women’s Open Team
Represented Hong Kong in: Asia-Pacific Dodgeball Championships (Women’s Single-ball Style) (2017 first-runner up), Dodgeball World Cup (Mixed Multi-ball Style) (2018)
Q: Which of your competition trips abroad did you find most memorable?
A: The World Cup in New York. It was my first time playing in such a big tournament alongside such diverse international teams. In fact the reason I switched from single- to multi-ball style was that the latter is more international while the former is largely confined to Asia; I wanted to broaden my exposure.
Q: Why do you love dodgeball so much?
A: Dodgeball was the first team sport I ever played and I fell instantly in love with it — I just love the vibe! The way you work closely with teammates, training twice a week and eventually becoming very close friends… This is something I’d never experienced when training for track events.
While not everyone is equally good at sport, there is no doubt that an active lifestyle is good for everyone. Seeing sport and wellness as integral to a holistic education, OUHK has set up a dedicated team under the Student Affairs Office (SAO) to run a diverse programme of free sports courses for all, such as badminton, yoga, indoor shooting and swimming. On the other hand, it also recruits the more able athletes into University teams and trains them for competitions in and outside of Hong Kong. After years of hard work, OUHK was finally admitted to the University Sports Federation of Hong Kong (USFHK) as an Associate Member in 2016, and was granted the right to participate in some events, including athletics, badminton, basketball, cross-country, swimming, table tennis, taekwondo and rugby. OUHK students also participate in invitation games of other sports such as futsal, orienteering and volleyball.
To encourage students to develop their sporting talents and to recognize the efforts of those who represent the University in inter-university competitions, in 2016 the SAO also launched the Best Athlete of the Year Sports Scholarship Scheme, which awards up to HK$10,000 to the successful applicant. The awardees for 2017– 18 were 2018 Nursing graduate Mandy Kan Ming-pui and Global Business and Marketing student Tham Chun-yee.
Member of: OUHK Women’s Table Tennis and Cross-Country Teams
Achievements: Hong Kong Orienteering Ranking League Events (W21 Sprint): rank 2 (2017); Guangdong Orienteering Championships (W21A Middle–Long): 1st runner-up (2017); Festival of Sport – Orienteering Relay Event (Women’s B Open): champion (2017); Joint School Orienteering Championships (Women’s Open): 1st runner-up (2018)
Q: How has sport helped you grow as a person?
In orienteering you’re often on your own up in the mountains, and you have to plan your own route, navigate, and figure out directions when you get lost. In this way I’ve learnt to solve problems independently.
Q: I heard that you’re quite an ambassador for orienteering. Tell us more.
I’m a Scout and have been in the sport for a long time. At OUHK I’ve approached students I met in the PE courses and friends in the Cross-Country Team, and managed to get about 20 students involved in the sport. I still return to OUHK to train students from time to time.
Member of: OUHK Men’s Basketball Team (captain since 2017), Yuk Fai Basketball (Men’s Division A2)
Participated in: HSMC/HSUHK Sports Invitation Games (2016 1st runner-up; 2018 1st runner-up and scoring champion; 2019 champion), Jordan Brand Invitational (2017), NBA 5V5 China (shortlist of the Jordan Brand Flight Club Summer Camp) (2018)
Q: What kind of progress has the OUHK Basketball Team been making?
A: When I first joined the team, it lacked coherence because we only trained before occasional competitions in the summer. Now, with more competition opportunities available, we’re gradually catching up with teams from fellow universities. I’m excited about our first basketball exchange camp in Changchun this summer. I hope we will one day be able to take part in the USFHK Basketball Competition regularly.
Q: Tell us about the Jordan Brand Flight Club Summer Camp.
A: It started with around 200 students training together, and I was honoured to be one of the 12 who were eventually shortlisted for the NBA national competition in Shanghai at the end of nearly three months. The intensive training we received and the competitive atmosphere created by the elimination mechanism pushed us to exceed our limits — and most of the participants were top players from other universities!