‘Best friends’ Kim Yeon-kyung and Kim Su-ji preparing for the new season, thinking together about ‘retirement’ and the growth of Korean women’s volleyball

Heungkuk Life Insurance, who is currently training in Japan, Kim Yeon-kyung and Kim Su-ji shared their thoughts on preparing for the new season together and shared what they were worried about together.

Heungkuk Life Insurance started a full-fledged power inspection four weeks ahead of the opening by appointing both Kim Yeon-kyung and Kim Su-ji, unlike the previous day, in a practice game against JT Marvelous held in Nishinomiya City, Hyogo Prefecture, Japan on the 16th. JT Marvelous played the game with two male coaches due to a lack of players including those selected for the national team, and in the game that lasted to 3 sets, Heungkuk Life Insurance lost with a set score of 1-2.

Kim Yeon-kyung scored the most with 18 points, followed by Kim Mi-yeon with 12 points. Kim Su-ji, who played for the first time during training camp in Japan, scored 5 points. After the game, Kim Yeon-kyung said, “It’s been a really long time. JT Marvelous is a team that was behind in the past. “It’s like my hometown team,” he said, adding, “I have new feelings.” Kim Yeon-kyung played for JT Marvelous in 2009.

Kim Yeon-kyung said about the feeling of playing with her ‘best friend’ Kim Su-ji, “I joined around the end of July and have been playing with her for almost a month and a half. “She has friends she can rely on, so she has high expectations for this season,” she said.

Suji Kim said, “It’s nice to be able to get advice and rely on it while I’m in the process of improving my physical condition.” Kim Su-ji qualified as a free agent at the end of last season and wore the Heungkuk Life Insurance uniform. He ended up playing on the same team with his friend Kim Yeon-kyung. Kim Yeon-kyung said, “I was so happy to hear that (Kim Su-ji) signed a contract with Heungkuk Life Insurance. He won the regular league championship, but missed the integrated championship. Therefore, we needed to strengthen our power, and I think it is good that Kim Su-ji is coming,” he said, welcoming Kim Su-ji.안전놀이터

The two players are working toward the same goal this season. There is a lot of work for the two veteran players to do. Outside heater Kim Yeon-kyung and middle blocker Kim Su-ji should take center stage.

Kim Su-ji said, “We have to do well to live up to expectations. “He signed the contract with that in mind.”

Then, he opened up about retirement, which was mentioned during last season. Kim Yeon-kyung said, “I’ve been thinking about it for a long time. The conversation was getting louder, but Suzy didn’t react much. “Because we are now at an age where it won’t be strange when we retire,” she said.

Friends always worry about the future. In fact, it’s not just these people. Everyone prepares a plan B for life after retirement. This does not mean that you will decide to retire right away. Think about it in advance and prepare.

Kim Yeon-kyung shares her concerns with her friend Kim Su-ji and asks for advice from each other. Kim Yeon-kyung said, “We talk to each other a lot. “It seems like we’re talking about that a lot these days,” she said. “In my case, I’m thinking about a lot of directions.”

Suji Kim said, “Because we are older, we plan to focus on volleyball during the remaining playing time and try to experience various things during the off-season. “Then I think you can find something that suits you well,” he said.

At the same time, Kim Yeon-kyung and Kim Su-ji hope that their juniors can show better play. Kim Yeon-kyung said, “I hope there will be many opportunities for young players in the future,” and “I always hope that they will have good skills and play well in the V-League and international competitions.”

Suji Kim said, “I think the same thing,” and added, “The current players are all in good physical condition. However, there are some details that are missed. It’s an experience. So, I believe that the players will gain a lot of experience and improve as they gain more experience.”

Meanwhile, Heungkuk Life Insurance will play another practice game with JT on the 19th and return to Korea on the 20th.