The morning light spills over the playground. Huang Cheng stands by the track, clutching a shiny stopwatch in his hand, his eyes fixed on the figures dashing on the track. "Sink your shoulders down and swing your arms more actively!"—This is the most vivid image of Huang Cheng in the minds of the athletes on the Nanhua University Track and Field Team. "Teacher Huang's loud voice is more reassuring than the rising sun."
In 2009, Huang Cheng, filled with enthusiasm for physical education, became a teacher at the School of Physical Education of University of South China and later served as a coach for the university's track and field team. Over the past 16 years, he has been rooted in the competition field and training ground, leading his team members to win more than 20 provincial championships and more than 10 national championships. He has been awarded the title of "National Outstanding College Student Coach" three times, and has written a wonderful answer sheet for sports education with solid achievements.
Light up sports dreams with "Training the Body and Mind Together"
In 2015, the school's track and field team stopped recruiting sports-specific talents. Instead, each year it selected interested and potential non-sports students from various majors to join the team. Huang Cheng followed the training process for high-level athletes, directly applying the high-intensity, standardized training program to academic students. However, before long, problems arose. Team members frequently got injured, their training enthusiasm declined day by day, and even a large-scale withdrawal occurred, causing the team's development to fall into a difficult situation.
Huang Cheng takes a group photo with the winning team
How canregular college studentssurpass themselves in track and field training? "The old ways won't work anymore!" Huang Cheng realized that regular college students and sports students have completely different physical foundations and mental states. He couldn't train regular college students with the same mindset used for sports students; he had to find a more suitable training method. Gradually, he adjusted his team management approach. While maintaining the "hard indicators" of training, he also paid attention to students' "soft needs." From training attendance to competitive matches, he gradually explored methods to help students break through themselves. He summarized the concept of "training both body and mind"—not only should students' physical fitness and technical skills be improved through scientific training, but their psychological resilience should also be strengthened to allow them to step onto the competition field with confidence.
There was once a team member who, due to excessive tension before the match, had the idea of withdrawing. After learning about this, Huang Cheng had a long talk with the team member late at night, sharing his own experience: "The competition arena is not only a test of physical strength but also a battle of mentality. Just by standing here, you have already won half the battle." Since then, he has incorporated simulated match scenarios and organized team mutual aid sharing sessions into the training, helping the team members overcome psychological barriers through repeated training.
Photo of Huang Cheng and Hu Juan
"The track and field team is like a home to me. When I was studying alone far from home, with teachers caring about my well-being and friends making progress together while taking care of each other, I became more motivated to stride forward towards our common goal. On the road to winning the championship, I was just responsible for running in the competition; the honor belongs to our entire track and field team." said Hu Juan, an undergraduate student from the School of Nursing, Batch of 2019 and a national outstanding athlete, with a smile. When encountering a training "bottleneck", Huang Cheng tried every means to help her make breakthroughs; when she was anxious about preparing for competitions, Huang Cheng and the track and field team members took the initiative to act as "Tree Hole" (emotional outlets), helping her regain confidence. Under Huang Cheng's guidance, she successfully defended her championships in the Women's Group A 800m, 1500m, and 4×400m relay events at the 20th and 21st Chinese University Track and Field Championships.
Solve Training Difficulties through Scientific Innovation
"Teacher Huang always has a sharp eye and can immediately spot the flaws in our movements." This is the consensus among the track and field team members. For each team member's potential and weaknesses, Huang Cheng tailored personalized training programs for them. For sprinters lacking explosive power, he didn't limit himself to traditional deep squats but designed easy-to-master techniques based on the individual personalities of the team members. To alleviate the fatigue of middle and long-distance runners during training, he used natural terrains such as campus forest trails, steps, and ramps instead of the circular track, allowing the runners to enhance their endurance while connecting with nature. During training, he often put on sports attire to lead the runners. Whenever the runners were about to give up, seeing the coach sprinting with gritted teeth would reignite their fighting spirit. "The coach can always use the most 'down-to-earth' methods to help us achieve the best results," the team members often say.
How to balance academic studies and training is a more difficult "exam question" in competitive matches. To help the team members balance the two, Huang Cheng has innovatively explored the "fragmented training method". He breaks down high-intensity training into "short and fast" modules in the morning, evening, and after class, which not only ensures the training volume but also leaves sufficient study time for the team members.
Huang Cheng (middle in the front row) takes a group photo with teammates
"Excellent in both body and learning, a lifelong benefit." This is a phrase Huang Cheng often mentions. He trains at 6 o'clock and finishes training at 8 o'clock to go to class. In his free time, he goes to the library for self-study. After evening self-study, he goes to the playground for more training. Under Teacher Huang Cheng's encouragement and guidance, the team members can put down their phones and consciously engage in their studies. "If you don't do well in academics, you'll be expelled from the track and field team," the team members joke with each other and also encourage one another with this.
Under his influence, the team members not only won gold and silver medals on the field, but also many of them received national scholarships and awards in academic competitions. More than 30 team members have been recommended for postgraduate studies or admitted to universities such as Fudan University, Central South University, and South China University of Technology. This has truly achieved the "double brilliance of culture and sports".
Guard the path of growth with meticulous care
At 6 am in the morning and 9 pm at night, on the playground, Huang Cheng can always be seen giving up his rest time to train with his team members all year round. Even when he was unwell, he never missed a session. This summer vacation, during the crucial period of preparing for the 21st Chinese University Athletics Championships, Huang Cheng fell ill and was hospitalized. On the second day after his surgery, he guided his students' training through video call in the early morning. When he found that online guidance couldn't accurately correct the movements, he went to the track and field stadium with his arm still with an uncapped needle, encouraging the team members with a hoarse voice. After the training ended, he hurried back to the hospital.
Off the training ground, Huang Cheng is more like the "big brother" of the team members. He pays tuition fees for students with financial difficulties, lends them living expenses, helps team members solve life problems, listens to them confide their thoughts, and takes them out for late-night snacks to relax... During the pre-match training, to keep the team members in their best condition during intense training, he personally cooks chicken soup to supplement nutrition and熬制杂粮粥to control diet. During the competition, he transforms into a nanny, personally overseeing the food, clothing, housing, and transportation of the participating team members, constantly reminding them, "Set the air conditioner to 26°C", "Take a one-hour nap at noon", and "Change clothes promptly after sweating".
During the preparation for the 2024 Hunan Provincial University Student Track and Field Championships in October, team member Luo Wanyi was under triple pressure from academics, postgraduate entrance exams, and training. Additionally, she suffered an unexpected injury before the competition, and her emotions nearly collapsed. "Teacher Huang sensed my despondency acutely, and he didn't lecture me on grand principles. Instead, he quietly cared about my life, subtly adjusted my training plan, and repeatedly comforted me, assuring me there was no need to worry.。" With the care of Huang Cheng, the track and field team won 10 gold, 4 silver, and 1 bronze medals at the Hunan Provincial University Student Track and Field Championships. Luo Wanyi won two gold medals and successfully passed the postgraduate entrance exam. "In our eyes, his stopwatch not only records speed but also measures growth. His words are very ordinary, yet they can always cut a path forward for me when I'm confused," Luo Wanyi said.
Over the past 16 years, Huang Cheng has proven with his actions that sports training is not only the refinement of the body but also the shaping of the soul and the transmission of conviction. Those guidances in the morning light, the companionship in the dead of night, and the encouragement on the field have long become the most precious memories in the youths of the team members.
