Almighty Coach

Chapter 54: Fitness Coach of Weightlifting Team
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Provincial Weightlifting Training Center. Chief coach office.

The weightlifting chief, Coach Guangming Song answered the phone.

“Hey Song, here’s some good news for you. Did you mention that you want a fitness coach for your weightlifting team? Well now we have found one, a formal authorized one!” the caller said happily.

“How could it have been done so fast? A formal authorized one?” Coach Song was astonished. He had even changed his tone unknowingly.

“Big surprise, huh? It’s not easy to get authorized personnel. You reported that your team was lacking a coach a few days ago, so the leaders solved your problem. They attach importance to your team by giving you this personnel. Don’t disappoint them!” the person said.

Coach Song’s heart jolted, his face turning pale. He managed to cover it up, though, saying, “Of course! I won’t let you down! I will train harder and improve my performance! When will the new coach be here?”

“He will register in the Provincial Department of Sports, and after he finishes all the procedures I will send him to you.”

Coach Song hung up, looking uncomfortable. He thought for a while, then made several phone calls. He wrinkled his brows in concentration. Ten minutes later, the vice-chief coach of the weightlifting team, Guangyi Ma, went into Song’s office hurriedly.

“Hi Coach Song, what’s going on?” Coach Ma asked.

“Ma, sit down and have some water first.” Song gave Ma a cup of tea, and waited until Ma was breathing normally. Then Song said, “Ma, bad news. Your nephew may not be able to work for our team in the future!”

“What? Why? How?” Coach Ma looked at Song wide-eyed.

Song nodded, “I just received a phone call from the department. They have arranged a new fitness coach with authorized personnel. He will come register next Monday. Now that we have a formal employee, it will not be possible to ask for another one for three years. If your nephew wants to work for our team, he can’t be recruited for several years.”

Coach Ma sank in his chair and sat in silence. After a while, he raised his head. “Coach Song, why has he come all of a sudden? I didn’t hear anything about him before.”

“I have inquired about him. This new coach is a young man around twenty. Coach Zhongyi Xu recommended him to the provincial department himself. The Party Committee has already proved,” Coach Song explained.

“Coach Xu recommended him!” Coach Ma’s face turned deathly pale. He felt detested about the new coach, but he could do nothing to change it.

Coach Song comforted him. “Ma, don’t you worry. Let me see if there is any way out. Worst case scenario, your nephew becomes an assistant coach for a while. Even though assistant coaches are contract employed, he will be given priority once we recruit authorized coaches.”

“Thank you Coach Song. Please allow me to discuss it with my nephew.” Coach Ma thanked Song, then stepped out of his office. His face was filled with sullenness.

“Come register next Monday? I don’t care who you are, but ‘the mighty dragon is no match for the native serpent. You are in my place now. You’d better be a good boy, otherwise I will let you know my power! You dare grab my nephew’s position? Just wait and see!” Coach Ma thought to himself viciously.

…

Ma’s nephew was also an athlete, but not a gifted one. It would be difficult for him to come up with some outstanding performance, so he decided to retire this year. Athletes like him had to look for jobs by themselves, so Coach Ma wanted to put him on the weightlifting team as a coach.

Being a coach was the easiest path for a retired athlete. The recruitment of the Provincial Department of Sports was not very strict—participants were only required to submit their work experience and others’ recommendations. As for job hunting for a coaching position, a recommendation from the national team was more persuasive than a Master’s Degree.

Unfortunately, however, Coach Ma was only a vice-chief coach for the weightlifting team. Even though he was at the top of this team, he was nothing in the eyes of the Provincial Department of Sports. That was why Ma had asked Song to help him. Song had promised to recommend Ma’s nephew. After all, Ma was his assistant. He would help Ma without hesitation.

A few months ago, Song began telling people that the weightlifting team was in need of a new coach. According to Song’s original plan, he would propose the idea first, this way when he recommended Ma’s nephew as a new coach, it would not be so out of the blue.

As this was going on, Ma’s nephew began to apply for retirement. The whole procedure was very complicated, and he could not get everything done all at once. Unfortunately, in the meantime, Coach Xu had recommended Dai Li to the department, and the leaders recalled that Coach Song had been complaining every day that their team needed a coach. Therefore, the leaders made a quick decision: send Dai Li to the weightlifting team.

But this meant that Li had taken Ma’s nephew’s place. Because there was already a new coach, if Song kept asking for another position, nothing would come of it. Song was not so stupid that he would offend any of the leaders just for a little boy, so he had just given up.

…

On Monday, Dai Li went to the Provincial Department of Sports for registration.

“Li, you are all set here. According to our stipulations, your first year here would be an internship. At the end of the year you can come back here, follow the necessary procedures, and become a regular employee. Here is an information form for you. Bring this to the canteen and get your meal card. The card is effective in the departmental canteen and all the other sub-canteens that belong to our training teams,” the official said as he signed the form.

“Thank you, Director Liu.” Dai Li took the paper with two hands to show his appreciation.

The newly employed workers in governmental institutions had to go through an internship. The internship was one year for undergraduates, and three months for post graduates. As for the other regular workers who transferred from other institutions, they did not require an internship.

Li already knew that the so-called one year internship was nothing threatening. As long as he didn’t make any mistakes during the year, he would definitely turn into a formal worker at last. As a new employee, he wouldn’t have much power. Even though he wanted to be able to make a big mistake, he was not qualified to do so.

After he got his meal card, Dai Li headed to the Provincial Weightlifting Team Training Center.

“Luckily it is a fitness coach. I have never trained any weight lifters before. If I was about to be a training coach, I could not make it.” While he was thinking, he arrived at the gate of the training center.