“Rather than comparing myself to others, I cared about my progress. As a result, basketball itself became fun.”
Assist, which has been working on the Assist For Youth project for the development of youth basketball in Korea since 2022, has been working steadily with global sports brand Wilson.
Assist, along with Wilson, selects and introduces one basketball class youth every Monday to join Up For You. This project has been in progress for over a year as a valuable opportunity to let young people who are hard to get attention know themselves.
The main character selected as the 54th in Wilson X Weekly A For You is Choi Eun-ji of Jinju Jeong Bong-yeong Basketball Class.
Eunji Choi, who is currently in second grade at Gaeyang Middle School in Jinju, said that she learned basketball from her sixth grade at Jeongbongyeong Basketball Class in Jinju. It must not have been easy for a female student to learn basketball for nearly two years in Jinju, a basketball wasteland, she said.
Eunji Choi said, “At first, I started learning basketball because I wanted to be tall. I’m learning basketball about once a week, but maybe it’s because I learned basketball, so I’m taller than before. I’ve grown to 161cm now, and I wonder if I’ll get taller in the future.” Learning to grow, I grew up, but basketball itself became fun. At one time, I dreamed of ‘I’ll try to become a basketball player’. There are difficult things in basketball, but the fun part is bigger, so I think I’m steadily learning basketball.” Until then, he explained why he was learning basketball.
Choi Eun-ji, who said that there are overwhelmingly male students in the basketball class because there are not many female students learning basketball around her, said, “The male-to-female ratio is skewed towards male students. Still, it is uncomfortable because I am active and get along with male students without hesitation.” (Laughter) And the male students teach me about basketball, and I teach my friends who are worse than me, but I don’t pay much attention to it and I’m learning basketball diligently.”
Choi Eun-ji, who has a cheerful personality that was felt throughout the interview. But she must have had some hard times even for Choi Eun-ji, who had just entered her puberty.
“There were some difficult parts while learning basketball. It was difficult to learn the technique, and I was not tall, so there was stress from it. But from a certain point on, I got out of my worries by focusing only on improving my skills rather than comparing myself to others. And as I controlled my mind and said, ‘I’m really good at it,’ basketball became more fun.” Eunji Choi said. 안전놀이터
As she entered middle school, she started to see a difference in physique from the boys, but she didn’t take it seriously.
However, Choi Eun-ji, who is preparing hard for this year’s competition, said, “One of the reasons I have been learning basketball for over two years is the pleasure of scoring goals. And while learning basketball, I feel like I am improving myself. This is very good. The reason why I continue to learn basketball is because I like Director Bong-Young Jung,” he said. “It is very good that Director Bong-Young Jeong always carefully informs me not only of the technical aspects, but also about incorrect postures and methods. Now I am at an age where I have to focus on studying It’s okay, but I want to continue learning basketball as much as possible without giving up. I will not neglect my studies so that I can hang out with my friends and play basketball for a long time.”
Jinju Jeong Bong-yeong Basketball Class Director Jeong Bong-young said, “Eun-ji is a friend with a lot of affection. She has been teaching her since elementary school, and she has a cheerful personality and is like licorice in our basketball class. There are three girls including Eun-ji, and these friends have played basketball for the rest of their lives. I will do my best to teach students so that they can live while enjoying it,” he promised to do his best in the future.
Assist For Youth is a project that assists to spread youth basketball by joining forces with youth basketball classes across the country from 2022. Inquiries about joining the Up For You Project can be made through the official Instagram account