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新一期季刊隆重登場！

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Joyce Yip

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Paint the Town Red: Red Bull Dance Your Style's Women of Whacking

Once the general manager of Asset Management at LINK REIT, Jenny Wan left her 22-year corporate life to invest in her lifelong passion of wellness and sports. Not just any sport, but one that even Taylor Swift plays: pickleball. &nbsp;&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://prd-cdn.jessicahk.com/Untitled_design_e05e0a0035.png" alt="Untitled design.png"></figure>By her university years, the tennis-obsessed Jenny Wan had already torn her ACL and had rods pounded into her knee to treat the multiple fractures she’s endured. Under the doctor’s strict orders, she gave up the sport and turned to golf – which she still plays now at 48 years old – but missed the adrenaline and thrill of high-intensity games. So, every three years, she vowed to take on something new – table tennis, Muay Thai, squash and badminton: these were always taught by a coach for up to three times a week after her then daytime role as general manager of asset management at LINK Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT), which heads 130 properties in Hong Kong alone.“I’d go all out: I trained to compete, to win,” said Jenny.For decades, she kept to her rigorous routine.&nbsp;This was, until the summer of 2023 when she found a pickleball paddle tucked away in the storeroom of the Ladies Recreation Club, where she is a member. Since the sport was still at its nascency in Hong Kong at the time, online videos and forums became her coach. Soon, Jenny formed a group of women who’d play two nights a week: aside from the thrill of the sport, some joined for the post-game banter and others saw it as a chance to show off their mini dresses, pleated skirts and pastel-coloured polos from the likes of Norma Kamali, Tory Burch, J. Crew and more. &nbsp;<blockquote>"Sure, pickleball isn’t as high-octane as other racket sports or the sports I’d previously enjoy, but it’s truly a bridge that connects sports enthusiasts, weekend players and people who like to social or wear cute clothes."</blockquote>Pickle What? &nbsp; An amalgamation of tennis, ping pong and badminton, pickleball was born in 1965, when Washington state congressman Joel Prichard and his friends Bill Bell and Barney McCallum had wanted to play badminton on an old court but couldn’t find any racquets and shuttlecocks. What took their place were ping-pong paddles – which have grown in size today – and a perforated ball. The name “pickleball” is attributed to Joel’s wife, Joan Prichard, who allegedly named the sport after the “pickle boat” in crew races, where rowers who fell short of competitive teams would face each other. &nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://prd-cdn.jessicahk.com/Bay_Pickle_Reveals_an_All_New_Indoor_Pickleball_Court_in_Tsuen_Wan_s_D_PARK_4_b0103a12a3.JPG" alt="Bay Pickle Reveals an All-New Indoor Pickleball Court in Tsuen Wan’s D‧PARK (4).JPG"><figcaption>Photo courtesy of Bay Pickle</figcaption></figure>Unlike most racket sports, aggressive smashes are replaced with close-up nudges over the net – also called “dinking” – making pickleball the perfect sport not only for the elderly looking for an adrenaline hit, but it also offers players of different statures a levelled playing field.“A lot of the action in pickleball is up close: it’s a game of patience and waiting for your opponent to make a mistake, it’s the only sport where I can win a 6ft-tall guy without the need to run twice as hard,” Jenny jokes.Though pickleball saw its first tournament in 1976 in Washington, it remained a seniors’ game. What sprung it into global stardom was the COVID-19 pandemic, when people – including A-listers like Taylor Swift, George Clooney, Leonardo DiCaprio and Serena Williams – sought safe outdoor activities with an easy learning curve. &nbsp;The Sports &amp; Fitness Industry Association’s 2024 participation report found pickleball to be the fastest-growing sport in the United States, with 13.6 million players. Such momentum has trickled to Southeast Asia, with clubs and competitions spanning from local to national levels. Hong Kong’s Leisure and Cultural Services Department, too, is playing catch up, having increased public facilities for pickleball from just one in 2022 to more than 15 as of last December. This exponential growth by the HKSAR was partly driven by the likes of Jenny, who with three other partners, founded the city’s first private, indoor pickleball court in Tin Hau – Bay Pickle – last summer. Since then, Bay Pickle has expanded to Tsuen Wan’s D‧PARK, a private member’s club in Central and Pok Oi Hospital 80th Anniversary Tang Ying Hei College in Tseung Kwan O. &nbsp;“I’ve been in countless business negotiations in my 22-year corporate life; but when I was offered the opportunity of investing in a pickleball court, I said yes in a heartbeat,” Jenny said. &nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://prd-cdn.jessicahk.com/Bay_Pickle_Grand_Opening_Pickleballs_and_Paddles_2_55b29d137b.JPG" alt="Bay Pickle Grand Opening_Pickleballs and Paddles_2.JPG"><figcaption>Photo courtesy of Bay Pickle</figcaption></figure>Weaving Wellness into the Dink Bay Pickle was Jenny's first taste of entrepreneurship with a team of men, who all appreciate her eye for detail. &nbsp;“When we first opened the Tin Hau flagship, the boys were only obsessed with the technicalities of the flooring. Without me, they probably won’t even have towel racks in the bathroom,” Jenny quips. &nbsp;Aside from the love of the sport and its potential in the Greater Bay Area, her investment in Bay Pickle aligns with her wellness pursuit, one that was founded in wanting “to make better and more nutritious soups” for her long-term partner, Gigi Chao – daughter of billionaire Cecil Chao, vice-chairman of investment holdings company Cheuk Nang Holdings Limited and outspoken gay-rights advocate. &nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://prd-cdn.jessicahk.com/Bay_Pickle_Grand_Opening_Group_Photo_2_03fdcc98cf.JPG" alt="Bay Pickle Grand Opening_Group Photo_2.JPG"><figcaption>Jenny Wan on the left with her partners Albert (second on the left) and Ken (first on the right) and Steve Kuhn, founder of Major League Pickleball in the United States. Photo courtesy of Bay Pickle</figcaption></figure>Like her dedication to sports, Jenny also poured her unabashed devotion to wellness by enrolling into The Chinese University of Hong Kong’s School of Chinese Medicine in 2021 and quitting her job at LINK REIT two years later to focus on her new pursuit. &nbsp;“I don’t want to become a Chinese medicine practitioner; instead, I want to instill small wellness habits in people before illnesses even arise. Brew yourself a cup of herbal tea here; add a few healthy ingredients to your lunch there; and play a bit of low-impact, highly social pickleball once or twice a week and voila, you’re on your way to a healthy life,” said Jenny. &nbsp;Though Hong Kong is quickly picking up the pickleball momentum, Jenny hopes to attract more female players, who she says are less likely to join drop-in sessions with “intense, sweaty men”. Solutions include Ladies Night – which will kick off on February 6 in Bay Pickle’s Tin Hau location – as well as wellness-helmed programs that will hopefully incorporate the fruits of her Chinese medicine studies in the future. &nbsp;“What we’ve seen is that most of ladies who come through our door want a fun, engaging sporting environment, and we want to be a place for all those things. After all, any effort to get moving is a great beginning to a better life, right?”&nbsp;Text by Joyce Yip

Paving the Pickleball Road: Jenny Wan

余翠怡和施幸余，一位是香港輪椅劍擊運動員，另一位是香港游泳運動員，看似風馬牛不相及，但原來二人是「共賦同居」數年的室友，建立出友誼的默契。事實上，比賽儘管有競技的差別，但不論在輪椅上或泳池中，運動員所面對的心理壓力都是一樣。就在她們遠赴里約熱內盧參戰奧運前，我們找來這對室友談談是次備戰情況！
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Yu Chui Yee 余翠怡 
香港輪椅劍擊運動員 
小時因骨癌切去左腿，輾轉接觸輪椅劍擊運動。過去曾代表港隊多次參與不同世界賽事，屢奪佳績。她在過去三屆殘奧會累積贏得7金1銀1銅，成為殘奧會累積金牌數目最多的香港選手。曾五度獲選香港傑出運動員，亦為2007年香港傑出青年，翌年獲《旭茉JESSICA》雜誌選為年度成功女性，香港政府亦於2009年向她頒發榮譽勳章。她將於本屆里約傷殘奧運會輪椅劍擊運動項目中，分別以個人及團體身份參與花劍和重劍共四項賽事。
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Rosanna Sze 施幸余 
香港游泳運動員 
九歲開始習泳，小六便加入香港游泳隊訓練。擁有「香港女飛魚」美譽，而因蝶泳表現出眾，更有香港「蝶后」之稱。2004年，16歲的她首次參與雅典奧運，還擔任開幕禮港隊持旗手，及後以0.22秒之差失落08年奧運，卻在12年奧運重奪出賽入場券，這經歷和紀錄在香港泳壇歷史中是無人能及。現年28歲的她代表香港女子4X100米混合泳接力隊在本屆里約奧運會中勇奪參賽資格，為香港接力隊創下首戰奧運的歷史紀錄，同時準備出戰第三屆奧運。
這次爭奪奧運入場券的經歷中，有沒有甚麼難忘事？ 
余：要在輪椅劍擊比賽中出線，要不達到一定世界排名，要不透過不同錦標賽中爭取直接出線機會。由於自己的排名一直較高，所以是有一定信心入選奧運，最重要做好本份。相比之下，游泳比賽追求時間表現，施幸余有份代表的接力隊情況會較驚險⋯⋯ 
施：是的，接力比個人賽複雜，我們港隊之前在世錦賽中跟直接出線資格擦肩而過，要再在複賽爭奪前四。而泳隊中有一半隊員都在美國受訓，直至我們到馬來西亞參賽前一個月才「合體」訓練，幸而最後我們以4分03秒10時間奪得女子4×100米混合泳接力賽金牌，成功躋身奧運。 
<img src="https://prd-cdn.jessicahk.com/files/gy6a0827.jpg" title="出戰奧運前夕 余翠怡 施幸余" class="paragraph-image" alt="出戰奧運前夕 余翠怡 施幸余"/>出發在即，心情如何？ 
余：你將比我先出發里約！ （按：余翠怡參加的殘奧會是緊接奧運於九月才舉行）
施：但你心情比我更早就興奮起來呢！今次是我第三次參加奧運，心情固然跟之前很不同。第一次04奧運糊里糊塗便過去了，連場館有萬個觀眾也懵然不知。第二次已是相隔八年的倫敦奧運，失而復得當然很難忘，因為我證明了自己的能力。今年的心情較平靜，沒特別緊張，加上本年還有很多其他世界賽事，反而不會視奧運為最主要的賽事，但倒是期待到時在奧運村內跟其他項目選手的交流。 余：我跟你一樣都是04年參與首屆殘奧，至今已第四次，現在一定沒有以前緊張，但由於始終都是世界盛事，外間都會形成無形壓力，所以自己要學習以平常心將奧運看作其他比賽一樣，做好自己每場賽事的表現。 <img src="https://prd-cdn.jessicahk.com/files/gy6a0885.jpg" title="出戰奧運前夕 余翠怡 施幸余" class="paragraph-image" alt="出戰奧運前夕 余翠怡 施幸余"/>踏入最後備戰階段，可以跟我們分享日常的訓練內容嗎？ 
余：現時我的技術調整訓練主要在平日晚上，白天作體能鍛鍊；不過最重要還是心態的調節，老實說能晉身世界比賽的選手個個具備高技術水平，大家所差無幾，勝負成敗往往落於心理質素的處理。 
施：我同意，心理因素是非常重要。現在基本上我一星期六天會如常在上下午訓練，但到決賽時如何臨場發揮出最佳表現才是關鍵。我自己在比賽前一晚會在腦中將現場可能的突發危機也在腦中預演一次，將意外化成意料之內，到時遇上岔子都懂得採用甚麼方案應對。 
余：減壓方面，我會提醒自己運動員以外自己都是個平常人，會逛街看戲，做些令自己開心的事，舒緩心情；另外都注重情緒宣洩 ，不會無盡的吞下所有壓力，所以我常會self-talk，自己跟自己靜靜對話，把該發洩的都抒發出來。 
施：說來我們平日在房內都經常各有各說，務求把所想講出來，但甚少有交流對話，哈哈。 
余：這方法真的很有效哈哈。 
既然穩定情緒這麼重要，你們到達奧運村裡會做甚麼來保持心境平靜？ 
余：事前我會用心準備很多東西來防止賽前分心，特別奧運村內玩樂氣氛濃厚。上次倫敦奧運我特意買了一副500塊拼圖，避免自己離開房間，另外抵埗後會禁止自己上Facebook，免卻看到朋友的打氣時所感受到的無形壓力。有時也會一起說鬼故，壯壯膽量！ 
施：你這麼說我想起除非當時覺得自己心理狀態OK，不然都習慣在比賽前一天閉關，徹底把Facebook和電話都關掉，就是怕被朋友無心的壓力影響，就似是一個自我保護機制。 有想過這屆是最後一屆奧運嗎？ 
施：唔⋯⋯不知道。其實從08年開始已有人問我這問題，結果到今年我仍繼續出賽。順其自然吧，到下屆要是體能條件許可，又有機會達標入選的話，何樂而 
不為？ 
余：畢竟運動員是沒有法定退休年紀，沒必要為自己設下限期，而這種想法對實際幫助也不大。說到底，每個運動員都應該把每場比賽當作最後一場，做好本份發揮水準。 
<img src="https://prd-cdn.jessicahk.com/files/gy6a0830.jpg" title="出戰奧運前夕 余翠怡 施幸余" class="paragraph-image" alt="出戰奧運前夕 余翠怡 施幸余"/>運動員路上的投資與回報 
余翠怡：成為運動員，我投資了很多「青春」追夢；多年過後，雖然金錢上賺到的不多，但我獲得可以為港爭光的機會，以至在世界賽事奪獎的時刻，都為我帶來莫大的榮耀。對我來說，這比成為千萬富翁更值得驕傲。 
施幸余：跟同齡朋輩相比我犧牲了很多玩樂的時間，但我在訓練時的快樂是常人不能理解的，例如能夠挑戰自己的成就感、以及運動時體內產生安多酚的快感；最後有能力賺到訓練和挑戰，與目標一致的隊友建立友誼，已是最大回報，其他像獎牌及參與國際賽事都是額外的「花紅」。<img src="https://prd-cdn.jessicahk.com/files/gy6a0915.jpg" title="出戰奧運前夕 余翠怡 施幸余" class="paragraph-image" alt="出戰奧運前夕 余翠怡 施幸余"/>老實說能晉身世界比賽的 選手個個具備高技術水平， 大家所差無幾， 勝負成敗往往落於 心理質素的處理。 —余翠怡<img src="https://prd-cdn.jessicahk.com/files/gy6a0910.jpg" title="出戰奧運前夕 余翠怡 施幸余" class="paragraph-image" alt="出戰奧運前夕 余翠怡 施幸余"/>心理因素是非常重要。 現在基本上我一星期六天 會如常在上下晝訓練， 但到決賽時如何臨場 發揮出最佳表現才是關鍵。 —施幸余
Text: Alice Liang Photo: Kwan

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出戰奧運前夕  余翠怡  施幸余

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