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Program aims to help kids learn teamwork and have fun, Yao says
Tao Siwen, a seventh grader at Beijing No 8 High School, never expected his first day at the NBA Yao School would be so exciting.
The school president, China's hoop icon Yao Ming, didn't disappoint Tao and another 100 plus new students, who gathered for the New Year Game-Viewing Party, the school's first group activity since its opening on Dec 1, at NBA China's Beijing office at the end of December.
Despite recovering from a cold, Yao offered a warm welcome to each and every student and signed autographs at the office's reception hall before chatting enthusiastically with them.
Yao crouched to lessen the height of his 2.26-meter frame to play mini games with the children and faced some tough questions from them.
"How about your exam results in middle school?" asked someone from the crowd. Yao's answer of "85 points on average" triggered laughs as some students joked, "It's awful".
Tao, 13, said Yao's huge presence was a bit intimidating but his kind demeanor helped bridge any shyness.
"He's definitely the biggest school principal I ever had, but he talked with us just like a big brother," said Tao, who began to play basketball three years ago, inspired by Los Angeles Lakers' All-Star guard Kobe Bryant.
Yao explained why he established the school with the NBA.
"We don't teach math, physics or chemistry in textbooks at schools. Here, we teach life lessons of communication, socializing and teamwork that will benefit children's lives through the game of basketball," said Yao, who partnered with the NBA on youth development and charity projects in July 2012.
"We hope that by playing basketball together, children can learn how to make new friends, how to work with others and how to stay confident when facing adversity."
The school, which was jointly established by Yao and NBA China in October, will provide after-school basketball training and fitness programs for boys and girls up to 16 at all skill levels in an English-speaking environment.
The program will feature a two-hour session every week on Friday evenings or weekends over a 13-week period from Feb 21 to May 25 at the Wukesong Basketball Park in Beijing.
About 200 students have registered since December and the maximum enrollment of 400 was expected to be met soon, said Liu Xian, employee of Yao's agency.
Despite a tuition fee of 3,900 yuan ($640), parents said it is worth the money given Yao's reputation and NBA expertise.
"We came because of Yao," said Tao's mother Zhu Dan. "We believe the program will cultivate the virtues of competitive spirit, camaraderie and discipline while inspiring our child to more exercises, which isn't valued enough in the normal school curriculum."
Xiao Yumin, father of a 9-year-old boy, echoed Zhu but said that Yao's personal impact will not be strong enough to change traditional Chinese education, which emphasizes academic performance over sports.
Yao is under no illusions but relishes the challenge.
"There is pressure (to live up to parents' expectations) but there is motivation as well to change the current situation of neglecting the role of sports in education," Yao said. "I hope this small effort will make a big difference."
Apart from Yao's influence, NBA China will design the training curriculum and operations manual for the school, and select an experienced technical director to manage the program.
NBA legends will also visit the school to provide specialized instruction and give inspirational speeches.
"Training professional players (for future NBA draft) is not really our focus in the school," said NBA China CEO David Shoemaker. "The focus is for children to experience the sport to learn teamwork, leadership and to have fun.
"If we can positively impact the life of the children in China through the school in those ways, I think our mission will be accomplished."
sunxiaochen@chinadaily.com.cn
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Former NBA player and president of the NBA Yao School, Yao Ming, answers a student's question at a New Year's party at NBA China's Beijing office in December. Ding Xu / Xinhua |
