Kaohsiung schoolgirls burst onto the world of weightlifting

2022-12-30

A pair of young sisters in Kaohsiung have burst onto the world of weightlifting! Pan Mei-chun from Hunei Junior High and her older sister Pan Hsing-chen have collected loads of gold medals. The prize money from weightlifting competitions is a big deal for the family. And now they’re getting support from the new Athlete Care Center at a nearby hospital. The medical team hopes to provide physiotherapy to young athletes, so they can enjoy a long and healthy sporting career.

She crouches down to prepare, takes a deep breath in, and lifts a weight few schoolgirls could handle. Following in the footsteps of her sister Pan Hsing-chen, little Pan Mei-chin already has years of weightlifting under her belt.

In the normal course of training, any athlete’s muscles will sometimes get hurt. This doctor uses a massage gun to help relieve Pan’s lower back pain. This Kaohsiung hospital has established an Athlete Care Center, and in just a year, treated more than 250 athletes.

Fu Yi-chih
Kaohsiung Municipal Da-Tung Hospital
We go into the remote areas. They’re starting to take care of their athletic career from elementary school and junior high. We want to help reduce their injuries.

The last thing the medical team wants is for young athletes to be forced to quit their athletic career prematurely because of injuries. Many are facing tough family financial situations.

Yeh Yung-chun
Karate practitioner, Fenglin Junior High
When I got injured, I felt very stressed and anxious. I couldn’t walk. I had to lie down, and just stretching my leg out to touch the bed made my ankle hurt. I could barely sleep two hours a night. I thought I couldn’t compete; I thought my athletic career was over.

The Pan sisters don’t come from a privileged background, and the family lives in an undesirable rooftop apartment. Their father supports the family with odd jobs, and the oldest Pan sister juggles university with part-time work. Now the two also help pay the bills with considerable prize money from weightlifting competitions. They hope in time the burden will get lighter and lighter.

高雄姊妹花舉重貼補家用醫院成最強後盾

2022-12-30

就讀高雄湖內國中的潘美金，跟隨兩位姐姐腳步，投入舉重運動，希望藉由舉重比賽得來的獎金貼補家用，因為家中經濟只靠父親打零工維生，而高雄一家醫院成立運動選手照護中心，提供復健等照護，幫助這些選手們，致力要做他們最強後盾。

蹲下預備動作，深吸一口氣，一把舉起一般小女孩支撐不起的重量，高雄湖內國中潘美金，跟著姊姊潘幸甄的腳步，從小練舉重。

苦於練習的情況下，身體肌肉難免損傷，醫師細心的使用筋膜槍替潘美金舒緩腰傷，高雄一家醫院設立運動選手照護中心，成立一年已服務超過250位選手。

[[高雄市立大同醫院長傅尹志]]
“我們深入偏鄉，就是從國小、國中，就開始照顧他們的運動生涯，希望能夠減少他們受傷”

醫療團隊發現這些運動員，最擔憂的就是受傷被迫提早結束運動生涯，因為不少人其實背負的家庭的經濟壓力。

[[鳳林國中空手道選手葉永均]]
“受傷的當下其實非常緊張跟焦慮，沒有辦法走路，那一次我是躺著，然後只要腳伸直碰到床我腳踝就會痛，然後那個時候我可能一天睡不到2個小時，好像不能比賽，我感覺我運動生涯要結束了”

潘家姊妹也是家庭經濟狀況不太好，目前住在頂樓加蓋的房子，爸爸是家中經濟支柱，打零工維生，除了上大一的大姊會打零工支出生活費，潘幸甄跟潘美金兩人靠著舉重比賽的獎學金貼補家用，也希望未來能用舉重改善生活。