On the afternoon of November 6th during CAS time, the "Life Lecture" by SHBS was once again held. The guest speaker for this session was our PE teacher Ms. Long Chengfeng. Ms. Long is one of the first Chinese skeleton athletes and participated in the preparations for the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. Under the theme "From 0 to 1: Glorious Moments are Not Accidental," she shared her personal growth journey.

Firstly, through a video presentation, Ms. Long provided the students with a basic understanding of this high-risk sport. She mentioned that at the just-concluded Beijing Winter Olympics, the skeleton event created history by winning the bronze medal in only six years. She was fortunate enough to be part of it, witnessing the joy and achievement.

Behind the success lies a load of hard work. Starting from knowing nothing about this sport, facing the embarrassment of having no track, no training facility, and even no name, Ms. Long talked about the daily training, the inability to reunite with family during holidays, and traveling overseas for competitions. The process was never in vain, all the hard work, tears, and bitterness contributed to a brighter future. In this way, Ms. Long won the first medal in this event, also becoming the first Chinese female athlete to win a medal for this sport.

Ms. Long next introduced Yan Wengang, an outstanding Chinese skeleton athlete who won the bronze medal at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. When he stood on the podium to receive his award, that was just the presentation of the result. Behind that moment were countless trials, injuries, and failures. Once, due to not thoroughly checking and adjusting the equipment, he had an accident. Later, he engraved a few words on his sled, "Never forget to tighten the screws" as a reminder to himself, ensuring he wouldn't make the same mistake again. Yan Wengang's story of learning from mistakes and continuously improving inspired everyone present.

Furthermore, Ms. Long shared her personal insights and transformation. In order to live up to others' expectations, she continuously suffered in self-criticism's vortex, ultimately breaking that string and ending her career as an athlete. However, becoming a coach was also a reconciliation with herself. She finally understood that from the moment she stepped out from zero, there was not just one outcome, but many possibilities that were hidden. More important than winning or losing were the brave attempts that started from scratch.

As the lecture approached its end, the students were still eager for more and actively participated in the interactive session—an experience class on skeleton racing. Four students came up on stage and, following Ms. Long's guidance and demonstration, tried to maintain balance on chairs and exercise balls. After a small competition, the student who lasted the longest received a surprise gift.

Ms. Long concluded the lecture with a quote from Mr. Pierre de Courbertin, "The most important thing in life is not the triumph but the struggle. The spirit lies not in winning, but in inspiring people to become braver, stronger, more cautious, and more open-minded."