DREAMING BIG FROM A SMALL SCHOOL

[Anchor Lead]

A small elementary school in Gangwon-do Province has only about two dozen students, but all of them are skiing athletes registered at the local office of education and the Korea Ski Association. Lately they have been training hard to achieve their dreams.

[Pkg]

An intermediate-level course at a large ski resort. Athletes zip through colorful gates at high speed. They are students from Daegok Elementary School in Hongcheon, Gangwon-do province.

[Soundbite] Shin Hye-soo(Daegok Elementary School) : "I want to win a silver medal at a competition. It feels great to slide down a slope in a straight line in the final part."

All of them are competitive skiers. The youngest one, a first grader, began learning just a month ago, but his skills are quite impressive.

[Soundbite] Kim Dong-jun(Daegok Elementary School) : "It's a lot of fun. I want to train hard and compete."

This small rural school of just 27 students first set up a ski team about two decades ago. That was possible because of the snowy climate of this area and large ski resorts located nearby, which provided free admission to the students. The children attend regular classes in the morning and practice skiing in the afternoon.

[Soundbite] Ryu Hae-ryeong(Principal, Daegok Elementary School) : "They always give each other a helping hand and wait for others. We have a very friendly atmosphere in our school."

The students have won 11 medals in competitions in Gangwondo since 2018, including three golds. Recently the school is receiving new students transferring from other regions.

[Soundbite] Kim Hye-seon(Parent) : "We have moved to this area to send our kids to this school. We like it a lot. We don't need to worry about private tutoring costs."

These young athletes are training hard hoping to win an Olympic medal someday.