Life's Seven-Metre Throw—Do You Dare?

Translation: Ale Tang

Resigning from your job is not one step backward or halted. It is, indeed, one step forward towards your dream—proven by HK Men's National Handball Team.

It's either an income, or a ticket to your dream.

Dubbed as "the best line-up in 55 years", the HK men's handball team made it to historic 4th-place at the 15th National Games. They won not only by techniques, but by the union as one.

Not a HKSI Tier A Sport funding, no handball court, no say in training schedule due to practice venue availability—so the team made a choice. A collective choice by 15 out of 16 players, aka resignation or LOA from work—the remaining one is a firefighter.

A fast and high-scoring sport, handball is a team sport in which two teams of seven players each pass a ball using their hands with the aim of throwing it into the goal of the opposing team, played on a court of 40m x 20m. Each match is a kaleidoscope of dazzling skills: basketball-ish passing and dribbling, football-ish physique for running around, ever-changing formation and tactic team co-ordination, and, of course delicate and smart play by hands.

But no one would deny the most thrilling, adrenaline boosting moment is a seven-metre throw.

A 7m throw is awarded when a clear chance of scoring is illegally prevented anywhere on the court by an opposing team player, official, or spectator. The thrower steps with one foot behind the 7m line with only the defending goalkeeper between him and the goal. It's a PK (penalty kick), and a PK (player kill) between you and your enemy. The ultimate test to your mental strength under ultimate stress, a "do or die" gamble.

And the HK Men's Handball Team decided to throw themselves to the 7m line, of life—your job, or your dream?

Today, I also threw myself to the 7m line of life. I resigned to prepare for the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games.

I didn't make the choice easily. It's countless sleepless nights and self-talk. The Hong Kong society taught us to be pragmatic and money-sensitive. I've been struggling between salary and passion for softball. Thanks to my fellow athletes (I started from handball, btw), I realised that what worths calculating is not some figures on my bank account. It is whether I could afford the regrets of NOT TRYING HARD or not if I didn't go all in. The HK Men's Handball Team didn't give up a job, they gave up stability, a token of future in the eyes of "most people". But now I finally understood that you shouldn't weigh dream against money. Some may question: is it worth it? I'd confidently say: YES! Just like my handball fellows.

They don't have money or resources, but they kill with their determination. That's why they are the BEST line-up in 55 years.

To Every Struggling Athletes in the dilemma of choosing between Stability and Passion

The weight of a dream is not about what it gives you, but about what you give up for it. There's no standard answer to your choice—the answer is within you and always have been.

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