Original title: Xushui, Hebei Province has held basketball game “Village BA” for 18 consecutive years to add vitality to the campus
The rural arena, 16 teams, presented 28 exciting games; more than 10,000 people watched online and offline, with rave reviews… Recently, the 18th “Harvest Cup” basketball game in Dawangdian Town, Xushui District, Baoding City, Hebei Province went as scheduled held. This “village BA” has been “popular” here for 18 years.
Why can a basketball game be held in a remote town for 18 consecutive years? Zhang Yingtao, secretary of the Party Committee of Dawangdian Town, said that local schools have a strong foundation in sports, and basketball has always been an advantageous project in the middle schools in the town, and a large number of basketball talents have been cultivated. In 2003, Dawangdian Town youths Li Shijie and Li Baoquan, who had been the main players in the school team when they were in school, took the lead in forming the town’s first farmers’ basketball team. In the golden autumn of 2006, the town government took advantage of the situation and held the first “Harvest Cup” basketball game. Six farmer teams from the town and other counties competed on the same field.
After that, the basketball game is held once a year. Although the conditions are difficult, it does not affect the enthusiasm of the players to participate in the game. The number of participating teams increases year by year, and students during the National Day holiday also come to volunteer and learn football skills.
In 2019, the team’s “new head” Zhang Zhao used his savings to rent an idle local warehouse and transform it into a standardized arena. The team’s training and games have moved from outdoor to indoor, and three professional coaches have been hired to teach children in the village to play ball all year round. The team’s reserve force has continued to grow, which has also promoted the improvement of the school’s sports level. In the 18th competition, the Dawangdian Town basketball team won 5 championships and 5 runner-ups. Dawangdian Middle School has also become a model school for quality education in Hebei Province.
Nowadays, when walking in Dawangdian Town, people often see golfers on school playgrounds and village squares. Driven by the basketball boom, more than 30 cultural and sports clubs, including table tennis teams, football teams, hiking teams, and fitness dance teams, were established inside and outside the campus, attracting a large number of rural people, primary and secondary school students to participate and enjoy themselves.
“Adhere to the cooperation between schools and localities, actively cultivate and develop basketball experience, fitness tourism, pastoral picking, special catering and other business formats, create a diversified and integrated ‘Village BA’ agricultural, cultural, sports and tourism brand, and empower rural revitalization.” Zhang Yingtao said that to “harvest” Cup” basketball game will continue to be held as a traditional event in the town.
