[Yeonsu Hanmadang]
Our neighborhood gymnasium where people
play sports while sweating even in winter
Wow!! It's too cold!
A day like this is great for boiling sweet potatoes and lying down on a hot floor to read books. Still, those with chubby bodies stand to gain weight due to lack of exercise in winter. But it's too cold to work out in bitter cold. Maybe this is a good time to go to the new gym in town.
1. Seonhak Gymnasium reborn as venue for "Sports for All"
Located within walking distance from Seonhak Station, Seonhak Gymnasium hosted boxing matches in the 2014 Incheon Asian Games. In June, Yeonsu-gu took over the gym’s operation, and will continue to do so for four years per a work agreement with Incheon Metropolitan City. Accordingly, the gym has been returned to Yeonsu-gu residents as a place of "Sports for All," including table tennis and badminton. Many who step in there eagerly want to play table tennis. While the area outside of the gym was battered by a subzero cold wave, inside was filled with heat from people sweating in their short-sleeve sportswear.
Song Bok-sun, 59, a zealous student in the advanced class, registered for the class as soon as Seonhak Gymnasium opened in October. She praised the gym for its clean facilities, many tables and even an electronic issuing machine. She also said her quality of life got better due to "Sports for All" programs in such a fine facility near her residence. When she talked about ping pong instructors, she gave a thumbs-up to indicate their proficiency. True to her compliments, instructor Park Byeong-jik is chairman of the Yeonsu-gu Table Tennis Association and vice chairman of the Sports for All Society. He wants to raise the number of table tennis players, and his trustworthy smile shows he seeks to improve people's health by increasing their reactive and concentrative abilities through table tennis and promote healthy communication and gathering through competition. The residents of Yeonsu-gu are just glad to use the gym operated to provide space for "Sports for All" and contribute to the sports welfare of people.
Admission is 3,300 KRW for two hours, and a daily pass is available for the gym. Classes are now exclusively for table tennis but those for badminton will open from January 2016.
* Details of Seonhak Gymnasium
• Tuition : Table tennis (40,000 KRW/month), badminton (28,000 KRW/month)
• Tel : 032-749-6942 (Operation Office)
2. Seonhak International Ice Arena
Though natural to seek warm places during the cold winter, Seonhak International Ice Arena is filled with people looking for blade-like wind. The sound of skates dividing the wind along the cheerful whistle and sound of hockey sticks brushing against the ice show how heated practice is of Killer Whale's Ice Hockey Club, a children's ice hockey team. The heavy equipment and large uniforms seem uncomfortable, but children focus on practicing in the cold. The team was organized this year, and holds regular practices and training. Besides ice hockey, the arena also offers regular classes in skating.
* Details on Seonhak International Ice Arena
• Fees : Children (2,500 KRW/3 hours), youths (3,000 KRW/3 hours), adults (4,000 KRW/3 hours), skate rental (3,000 KRW)
• Opening hours : Weekdays (13:00 ~ 18:00), weekends & holidays (10:00 ~ 18:00) * Closed every first and third Monday of the month
• Tel : 032-821-5723
