Take Off 2009

Cha Heon-tae, a Korean-American whose English name is Bob, was adopted with his sister by American parents. He appears on a Korean television program in search of his mother.

Since he is a trained alpine skier, Coach Bang approaches him with an opportunity: recruit members for a new national ski jumping team for the looming 1998 Winter Olympics.

Other hopefuls join: Choi Hong-cheol, a night club waiter who quit being an athlete for drugs; Ma Jae-bok, who works at a meat restaurant and has a strict father; and Kang Chil-gu, who lives with his grandmother and autistic brother Bong-gu.

Bob initially refuses to lead the team, but after meeting Bang su-yeon, the mysterious scam artist who is the daughter of Coach Bang, and seeing his mother still subjected to insults from a wealthy family, he decides to prove himself through the team project.

All of them become good skiers, though they are out of practice. To gear up for the qualifying match at the World Cup, they push beyond fear and train in unusual places— from the tops of cars to amusement-park roller coasters.

After nearly getting disqualified because of a fight the night before, they manage to qualify at the World Cup. Yet the victory feels bittersweet when they learn the IOC opted for Salt Lake City over Korea’s Muju County.

Due to deep fog, Chil-gu injures his leg and cannot compete. Bong-gu steps in as a substitute, but does not reach the required distance for a gold medal and nearly loses his life.

Despite the setback, the team rejoices because Bong-gu survives, and people back home in Korea are proud of them.