Player, coach, umpire: You Hyo-Sik is up for every challenge

You Hyo-Sik, a three-time Olympian, decided to take on a bigger challenge by becoming an elite umpire in hockey. He initially took the more traditional route of coaching, but his curiosity and love of travel led him to umpiring. He has had an amazing life, and still keeps in touch with his former teammates. He is open to playing in the masters tournament if he gets the time. He never says no.

Across sports, worldwide, players often graduate to coaching or managerial roles as they try to stay involved with what they know best. You Hyo-Sik, however, decided to go for a bigger challenge — he became an elite umpire, in one of the fastest team sports.

You, one of the most decorated and skilled Korean players ever in hockey, turned to umpiring four years ago — just like that. He did initially take the more traditional route though. Having stopped playing after the 2014 Asian Games — where Korea finished third — You turned to coaching, a natural progression for the son of Young Chae You, who coached the Korean women’s team to two successive Olympic silver medals in 1992 and 1996.

“But after working with women’s university hockey for four years, I wondered about umpiring. That’s just my style – I want to challenge everything. So I started thinking how to do it and did the umpiring courses and just made the switch. No specific reason but yes, I have had an amazing life,” the three-time Olympian laughed speaking to The Hindu.

His curiosity, and his love to travel, are also largely responsible for his ability to speak good English, a rarity in Korean sportsmen — he has learnt the language mainly from reading books and has plied his trade all over, including the top European leagues.

Interestingly, his teammate from the 2014 Asiad, Jang Jong-Hyun, at 39, remains a key member of the Korea side here and You admitted being an umpire while his teammate is still playing feels a little awkward.

And as umpire, You has had reason to keep himself fit enough for the gruelling conditions on the pitch, making him often wonder if he quit too soon. “I like to run and I still love hockey and even though I am on the pitch now as an umpire, my eyes are always seeing tactical stuff and individual skills. Sometimes even I am confused and have to tell myself, ‘I am an umpire now, not a player any more!” he laughed again.

While he didn’t play the 2007 Asia Cup — he broke his feet two weeks before the tournament — You has been part of the defunct Premier Hockey League in 2007-08 and counts Tushar Khandker, Arjun Halappa, V.S. Vinaya and Shivendra Singh among his friends.