Kim Su-ji 37, the captain of Heungkuk Life Insurance, will mark her 20th season in the V-League through 2024-2025 season. Jung Dae-young 43 and Han Song-yi 40 retired after the last season, becoming the best female blocker in the V-League. When I met her in Shanghai, China, where Heungkuk Life Insurance’s off-season training is taking place, she said, “When I graduated from high school, I never thought I would play in the professional league for 20 years. When I debuted, senior players who played for a long time were in their early 30s, and I used to retire mainly in the mid to late 20s.”

Kim Soo-ji is able to maintain her active career for such a long time thanks to advances in medicine and training technology, but she is not easily injured and is thorough in self-management. Kim Soo-ji played more than 20 games every season except for 18 games in the 2005-2006 season, which was her debut season. After the 2011-2012 season, she played more than 30 games except for 2016-2017 29 games and 2019-2020 25 games, which is truly the “steel king.”

Kim Soo-ji said, “I’m a little flexible for my height, so I don’t get seriously injured. I don’t do too much other activities than volleyball. I think I’m good at taking care of myself because I only have to play volleyball when I play volleyball. 토토사이트 순위 I usually sit with my friends when I rest during the off-season, or lie down when I’m alone.” “I tend to manage weight changes, too. I tend to gain weight when I eat, so I have to take care of it. I’m not just controlling myself by diet, but I’m sensitive about weight changes, so I eat less when I feel like I’ve gained weight, and I take this pattern,” she added.

Heungkuk Life Insurance’s captaincy will be taken by Kim Soo-ji this season from Kim Mi-yeon last season. It is also somewhat unusual considering that the oldest member of the team does not usually take the captain’s position. Kim Soo-ji explained the reason why she took the captain’s position, saying, “I hope you can do it now. Bring it if there is a better way, but the next day, she said, ‘Isn’t there no more?’ So I said, “I got it, I’ll take the captain’.”

A captain can also feel uncomfortable as he has to serve as a bridge between the coaching staff and the team. “Sometimes I have to say something bitter. Still, I try not to say much, but I do it when I need to,” Kim said. “It is fortunate that we can share the news because Kim Yeon-koung is next to me. Although I feel uncomfortable about being a captain, I feel a little lighter than when I claimed it when I was younger than now, maybe because of Yeon-koung,” Kim said.

Kim Su-ji’s middle blocker partner is expected to change this season. Lee Ju-ah, who played last season, became a free agent and moved to IBK Industrial Bank of Korea. “Four players including Hwang Louis-Ray, Byeon Ji-soo, and Lim Hye-rim are training hard,” Kim said. “Louis has a good height, so it’s good to handle high balls or block high balls. Since she has been with the coach for the longest time, she understands the coach’s instructions quickly and moves well. Hye-rim says, “I like how you learn positively. That’s why I’ll become a better player in the future.”

Heungkuk Life Insurance’s manager Avonja has declared that he will increase the proportion of middle blockers’ attacks in the next season. Kim Soo-ji is also well aware of this. He said, “Even during training, the coach deliberately guides me in that direction. I haven’t played many practice games, but I’m trying more than before. It’s good to score a point, but even if you don’t score a point, you have to try a lot to score a point. I think it’s very positive that that the part has gone up. In the end, the weight of the center has to go up to penetrate both sides, so I will attack more in the upcoming season.”

She is still a middle blocker at the best level, but what is clear is that she plays less often than she does. How do she want to end her career? “I just want to end her career by playing her role consistently. I will do my best until I can,” Kim said. “What I use is ultimately the coaches’ choice. I will try to do my best.”