"Sisters are back" has set out to recreate the emotion of "Forever the Moment."
On the afternoon of the 16th, KBS1's sports documentary "Sisters are back" held an online production press conference that was live-streamed on YouTube. The production press conference featured Son Seong-gwon PD, singer Yeongtak, and former handball player Oh Seong-ok Korea National Sport University professor grants who appeared to talk.
It is a sports documentary that rekindles the emotions of the greatest moments that were heated at the 2004 Athens Olympics and the 2008 Beijing Olympics. It tells the story of the "Forever the Moment" members, who put down their national team uniforms and walked completely different paths as someone's wife, someone's mother and as coaches, coming together again as one team after about 20 years to compete.
On the day, Son Seong-gwon PD said of "Sisters are back," "It is a handball documentary. It's not simply a story about handball but a program that talks about the direction of Korea's sports development as seen through handball. In fact, it started with the question of why, although the 'Forever the Moment' sisters were so good back then, results haven't been good lately. What are our sisters doing now? If those women gather, can they show the same skills as before? The program started from that curiosity. As we worked on the program, we found we could also talk about Korean society. For example, people who married and gave birth returning to sports. It's a program that wants to discuss, through the 'Forever the Moment' members, what methods might allow Korea to develop through sports," adding, "These sisters can offer stories not only to the handball team members but to all the sisters in Korea."
Oh Seong-ok, a professor who is one of the "volleyball legends," was asked what prompted her to join "Sisters are back" and said, "When the PD first proposed it, I honestly worried and hesitated a lot, thinking, 'Is it possible to play as a player again?' But when I thought about it, I missed the times sweating and running with my juniors at the Athens Olympics. After retirement, we really never had a time to gather in one place. I thought this opportunity would make good memories. Above all, as a handball person, Korean handball has become much more stagnant than before. I decided to appear because I wanted it to regain vitality."
About persuading the members to join, she said, "It was actually a bit difficult. It was hard and I worried a lot. The reason was that many juniors had left the handball world. It had been so long since we had contact, so I worried what reaction my juniors would have if I suddenly called, and I was cautious. But the juniors were happy and immediately said let's reunite without hesitation, so I gathered my courage and contacted them one by one to recruit them," and added an episode, "Lee Gong-ju had been away for so long that I really worried, 'Will this player do it?' but without hesitation she gave a positive message, 'If it's with the sisters, I'll do anything,' which made me proud."
When asked how it felt to play again, she said, "When I participated in recreational sports competitions, I was mainly worried about injuries. I worried that my juniors' competitive nature was so strong they might overdo it and get hurt. Also, it was amazing and unbelievable to return as a player after 20 years and reunite with that lineup to play. I felt like I was moving briefly between past and present. It was very good. I was happy," she confessed.
Singer Yeongtak took on the narration. When he first received the offer, he said, "There was no need to say more. The lives of truly legendary players are woven into it. Overall, it is a beautiful drama that many people can relate to and be motivated by, and it was an honor that I could be part of it with my voice, so I immediately said, 'If I won't be a burden, I'll do my best.'"
Asked about the most impressive moments while narrating, he said, "In terms of matches, the final game was probably the most impressive. Also, the various emotions of a player who found it difficult to decide, like 'Can I do it?', 'Will it work?' Because as you live, bravery tends to lessen. The many emotions shown in the process of summoning that courage struck me deeply. I kept clearing my throat and drinking water often while doing the narration," he said, moved.
When asked about the viewing points of the program, Son Seong-gwon PD said, "Sports fans might imagine, 'If this team meets that team, who would win?' For example, 'If a team of elite female players played against male elementary and middle school teams, who would win?' The sisters who once dominated the world and were the best at handball retired 20 years ago, so it's very curious who would win if they faced the strongest recreational players. There is an answer to that. Then, going further, who would win against junior players? That's also very curious. In this process, there are many interesting parts where we can receive certain messages. To be specific, I might reveal too much, so please watch the broadcast to see your fun imagined scenarios become reality," he urged.
Regarding the "division league" appearing in the broadcast, he explained, "In trying to understand why sports results at international competitions are not as good as before, we found several causes. The division league has been suggested as one of the methods that can change those causes. We asked people currently active and those who haven't left the handball world for their opinions. We asked what's most difficult and how to make handball better. There were difficulties in many areas, and the division league seemed like a way to help address those."
He said, "It is being implemented in 11 events led by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and, simply put, links promotion and relegation from amateur and recreational sports to professional levels. Parents fear putting elementary school players into elite sports. In the past, sending children to sports was seen as leading a life separate from studies, so there is that burden. Conversely, in high school and university, rookie or less experienced players have fewer opportunities to play. The division league can be a new alternative to compensate for those shortcomings. Students can easily start through sports club activities, and elite players can gain practical experience through more competitions. Players who actually participated in the division league spoke a lot about its advantages. It can motivate people who think sports are someone else's story or just for watching to try it themselves," he said, outlining the benefits.
When asked how many episodes there are, Son Seong-gwon PD said, "Unfortunately, it's a short piece. It airs as a single episode. Editing was very difficult each time. I felt like I had to cut a lot that would have shown the sisters' charms if it were a three-part series; trimming the footage felt like cutting flesh and was hard. I thought it would be wonderful if this does well and many people watch it so we might get a chance to produce a sequel," adding, "I guarantee there is tremendous emotion. I think it would be good if you watch the program with my youthful perspective mixed in."
Yeongtak emphasized, "Everyone will remember the emotions of that time and may have seen 'Forever the Moment' as a movie, but you can think of this as a film in which the actual protagonists appear. The protagonists' real lives are woven in, various sentiments similar to ours are all intertwined, and the games are dynamic."
Finally, Professor Oh Seong-ok said, "The players really returned after 20 years and made this broadcast together. In fact, many bodies had aches and pains. In my case, my ankle ached, so I wanted to see the plays I used to make, but my body and mind didn't cooperate so I couldn't run properly and felt a lot of regret. Instead, I was deeply moved when my juniors executed plays I had seen at the Olympics successfully. I cried. Although I couldn't run, I felt vicarious satisfaction and cheered a lot from the bench," highlighting the emotional points and raising curiosity.
Meanwhile, "Sisters are back" will air at 8:10 p.m. on Dec. 21.
[Photo] KBS1
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