Shotgun Pose

My last week’s classes had been one of my bests in my three years teaching English to my Korean students. This is because South Korea was having a successful run in the games in the Winter Olympics in Canada. They are raking medals and have a decent rank in the over-all standing. They are winning in several events, but nothing compares the excitement and pride that burst within them when Yu Na Kim took the gold and shattered her own world record in figure skating.

Internet news claimed that Koreans are not expecting a gold medal from Yu Na, they actually demands it from her. Considering her victory in the recent Olympics and World Championships and her long-time rivalry with the Japanese figure skater, this is understandable. But what my student told me is that they just want her to do her best, and as long as she gave it all, they will already be happy. I think this resonated to Yu Na as she performed gracefully and flawlessly in the ice. Cyberspace also insisted that her financial future depends on this, as she might lose all her lucrative sponsors should she fail. Though when she played the daring and flirtatious Bond girl to the hilt in her short program, one can say she is actually having fun nailing her jumps, perfecting her spins, amazingly gliding in the rink. Her tears and smile in her final routine was the culmination of her hard work, dedication and passion to her sports and was ultimately rewarded with the gold medal.

My students can’t help but rave, admire and praise her. When asked about what they can say about her performance, they used all positive adjectives from the dictionary. A male student of mine even described her as his ‘dream girl’. And when I inquired from another one what was her favorite part of her show, she said that it was Yu Na’s ‘shotgun pose’. And I also asked what was their reaction after her routine; one said that she screamed in joy with her family.

Yu Na showed that nothing is impossible if you will believe in yourself. Through perseverance, you can conquer the world stage. In her triumph, she inspired many of my students to stop at nothing until they can communicate in good English. In her victory she reminded me that I could also get the best out of my students, encourage them to speak their minds and feelings.