[Southeast Express]Lang is coming

Source: Southeast Express: Dec. 2, 2009.

Fujian Volleyball was defeated by Evergrande at 2-3. But it seemed that the mood of audience was not affected at all. With continuous applauses and cheers, they extended themselves to have a good look of the enemy Lang Ping, coach of the rival.

After ten years of foreign experiences, Lang Ping returned home for her career, causing a rare Lang Hurricane . Usually there s few audience for women s volleyball league, but a wave of rushing for ticket emerged these days in Xiamen, making it hard to get a ticket.

Crazy Crowd in Pursuing Lang

Xiamen s Sports Center Became Evergrande s home

In November 28, at the first stop of Lang s Army s tour in Baoding, Hebei Province, Evergrande beat Hebei with 3-0, wining its first match. The most heated scene since the history of Group B league became the focus of media and volleyball fans went all out for it. Shortly there s more attention to new teams of Group B than Chinese National Team in the East Asian Games. After the match, Lang said that she s expecting the competition with its second rival-Xiamen Ximengbao because there were so many good friends there, in particular Chen Zhonghe whom she hadn t seen for a long time.

There s already much highlight in star lineup and star coaches. In addition, Chen is the vice director of Fujian Sports Bureau and supervisor of Fujian Women s volleyball. He is also Lang s good friend, and respectable teacher of Feng Kun and Zhou Suhong. As a result, this competition becomes more attractive with ideas of battle between He and Ping and meeting of the teacher and the pupil .

Even before Lang s arrival in Xiamen, the fans have been prepared to buy tickets for the competition in Sports Center. But in the past, even with free tickets from the organizer, few of them would like to focus on a team still on the way to Group A.

To avoid a over-heated game, the organizer stopped selling more tickets the day before. Even when some reporters applied for reporter s certificates, they got the response that there s too few of them, so only one could be granted to each medium and they would be considerate of the media from Guangdong and Beijing.

Xiamen Sports Center Turned into Evergrande s Home

As in the last competition in Hebei where Evergrade turned it into home, on the platforms around the fans of Evergrande not only scattered on three of them, but were well equipped with catch words and slogans, drums and horns, and even in uniform. As was noted, each point by Evergrande would be followed with an explosion of applauses. Lang was also surprised by the crazy fans, Although I haven t watched many Group B league, such a good environment can be compared to that when I coached in Italy and I hope it will continue.

In the very beginning, Fujian attacked successfully before Lang s Team got prepared, with 4-0 ahead in the game, which forced Lang for an immediate suspension. However, the experienced veterans of Lang s Team soon adapted themselves in the court, catching up with the rival in two disadvantageous situations.

When the match was dragged into final game, Lang s Team with high morale eventually won at 15-4, stepping over the danger. Fujian played very well today and they caused much trouble for us with block and defense and quick attack while we didn t display a tacit cooperation in counterattack. Anyway our players stroke hard, especially when we re left behind they prepared themselves well for the trouble and devoted themselves, which resulted in the winning after they re adapted to the rival s quick attack in the latter competition.

Lang commented after match.

As soon as the whistle ended the game, the fans and media speedily rushed into the court, circling around the players and coach of the guest team. While fans surrounded Lang s Army with mobile phones, cameras and pens for signature, the Xiamen players tidied up their luggage silently. And such a scene will emerge again in the next stop of Lang s Army s tour.

Meeting of Lang and Chen

not a He-Ping battle

but a happy together of He and Ping

This was a party of old friends. Compared with encounters in the past four years which were all related with Olympics, the He-Ping battle yesterday was for the first time not a zero game . I have a much easier feeling than a year ago (Olympics). Chen said. Compared with Lang who remained as a coach, Chen, now seated in the chairman s bench as the vice director of Fujian Provincial Sports Bureau, had indeed a single task to emerge on the scene. With 30 years of friendship, He and Ping actually got a happy together yesterday.

Chen didn t agree to the saying of He-Ping battle , suggesting that it s more proper to say He-Ping happy together. And Lang also laughed at He-Ping battle by the reporters when interviewed, There s nothing like He-Ping battle , even when we encountered as coaches of American Team and Chinese Team respectively, we re rivals in the court but friends off the court, which never changes.

Accurately we re once colleagues, who worked for Chinese Women s Volleyball Team in the 1980s and led the team in Atlanta Olympics! It s already 10 o clock and Lang appeared apparently tired after match, Now I really admire Chen who s relaxed indeed while I ve got to be pressed with my duty of the team.

When Lang visited Fujian this time, Chen complained that she deprived him of his opportunity as a host for a banquet, I meant to invite them for dinner, but Lang said they happened to have a banquet of ceremony and invited me, which turned out that she stood treat. Time is quick while friendship is lasting. The two old friends would part away after a short meeting last night. However, Chen, who now enjoys a relatively easy life, promised that when Fujian played its away game in Guangdong, he would visit Lang in return, if time permitted.

Lang s Team

established with 20 million yuan

With Feng Kun, Yang Hao, Zhou Suhong, Zhou Yuan from Hebei and the young player Yin Meng who ranked as one of the national players this year, Evergrande Volleyball, established and invested with 20 million yuan by Evergrande Real Estate Group CEO Xu Jiayin, is actually another national team. Added with two American super-aides, its strength may to some degree surpass the present national team. Further, Lang Ping s coach experiences, star career and outstanding influence are out of question incomparable for Cai Bin.