“In a way, we can be ‘role models’, or we can be the future we are dreaming of.”
Incheon Dowon Gymnasium on the 7th, the day before the Women’s Professional Basketball All-Star Game. Lee So-hee (23, BNK Some), who enjoyed the festival with 80 new stars of women’s basketball, said the meaning of the ‘W-Festival’ like this. It meant that just spending time with professional players who could be role models would be a great motivation and precious memory for children.
On this day, 80 players from 5 elite women’s basketball teams in Incheon, and 4 teams who won the U-13 division of the 2022 WKBL Youth Basketball Club’s strongest game gathered at the gym. Ages and affiliations ranged from third graders in elementary school to high school students, elites and clubs. The key was that everyone was a rising star in women’s basketball who liked basketball.
And for them, 19 women’s basketball all-stars also gathered at the gym. The official name of the event was the ‘W-Festival’, the first day of the Shinhan Bank SOL 2002-2023 Women’s Professional Basketball All-Star Festival. About 100 participants, including all-stars, were divided into 4 teams and played a recreation and basketball game for over 4 hours. The children as well as the players never stopped laughing throughout the festival.
It was meaningful in that it was not a one-day festival in which the players played only one game of the All-Star Game, but had time for their children on the eve of the All-Star Game 메이저사이트. It goes without saying that the fact that they teamed up with professional players and even all-star players for recreation and sweating while playing games together became a precious memory that will be remembered for a long time by children.
It became a time to recall childhood not only for the children but also for the players. Shin Ji-hyun (28, Hana One Q) said with a smile, “When I was young, I thought about it a lot. When I was young, I loved basketball too, and I liked running around. Like me, I like basketball, and the active looks were very pretty.”
It has been three years since women’s basketball has had precious time with local children ahead of the All-Star Game. Prior to the All-Star Game in the 2019-2020 season, they visited Dongju Girls’ High School in Busan and had a time with 30 local basketball players and All-Star players. Since then, the All-Star Game, which was not held due to Corona 19, was held for the first time in three years, and a meaningful meeting between young girls and all-stars took place in three years. WKBL plans to continue a special time for young girls ahead of the All-Star Game.
The All-Star Game, the main event of the All-Star Festival, will be held at Dowon Gymnasium in Incheon at 1:30 pm on the 8th. Prior to the All-Star Game, from 11:30 a.m., various events were held, such as players giving souvenirs to spectators or selling food from food trucks. In the All-Star Game, Shin Ji-hyun, who ranked first in the fan vote, took the role of Pink Star captain, and Lee So-hee, who ranked second, took the captaincy of Blue Star, respectively, and selected players through direct drafting. It has been 1092 days since January 12, 2020, that the Women’s Basketball All-Star Game will be held.