Playing sport together keeps Christchurch franchisees on the ball
Sunny Yang and Leo Li are a team both on and off the court.
The two Christchurch men have both owned CrestClean businesses for more than a decade and have been playing in the same basketball team for almost as long.
They say the flexibility of having their own businesses means they can continue to enjoy a sport that they have been playing since their teens.
“I try and organise my work around family and sport, it’s a good balance,” says Sunny.
“Basketball is a good stress reliever. No matter how busy your life is, you need sport because it’s not only good for your physical health, it’s good for your mental health.”
Leo agrees: “Basketball’s not about one man playing, it’s all about a team. Teamwork is a lot more important than whatever skill you have. We train and play together, and if either of us has a problem, we sit down afterwards and work it out together. That’s the biggest thing I like about sport, we talk about everything.”
Years later, Sunny introduced Leo to CrestClean and in the same year they started a basketball team together.
Having played first division basketball in the past, they now play in a social league, with friendship and camaraderie taking priority.
“I can’t jump as high anymore! Now I play more casual, relaxed games,” says Sunny.
“My main reason for playing now is to stay healthy and to have balance in my life.”