Captain Wei-ling Hsu Current position • Captain of the Deaf Women's Basketball Team • Taipei Urban Redevelopment Center     Experience • Central Bank of the Republic of China     Education • Department of Recreational Sport, National Taiwan University of Sport Source: Double Pump

Q1: What prompted you to join the Deaf Women’s Basketball Team?
A1: Back in college, a senior student introduced me to Pei Chou, one of the founders of the Deaf Women’s Basketball Team. Because of her I became an official member of the team. At the beginning when there were only a few players on the team and we didn’t have a regular coach, lots of people joined and then left. At that time, the few of us who stayed had only one goal in mind, namely to prove ourselves with our passion for basketball. It is for that same reason we carry on till this day.

Q2：Apart from cheering for you on the court, what other ways can the general public help with Deaf Women’s Basketball Team’s development?
A2：Besides doing our best on the court, the Deaf Women’s Basketball Team is in need of more players who are also passionate about basketball to join us and help us be more competitive. Given the fact that there are not a lot of hearing-impaired people, it is quite difficult for us, simply through our social network, to identify the potential ones to join. Therefore, I think that the general public can help us by referring more suitable people to join and bring new energy to the team.

	Pei Chou Current position • Secretary-general of the Taiwan Deaf Women’s Sports and Recreation Association • Taiwan Deaflympics women's basketball playerr

Q3:  Why is your team called "Ling Yang Team"? Are there any special connotations?
A3:  The name "Ling Yang" was my idea when we were choosing a name for the team. I thought that although we, people with hearing loss, might not speak or hear clearly and live in a world of silence by ourselves, we could hope to be "heard" (Ling, signify listening or hearing in Chinese character) by the world and "develop" (Yang, signify promoting or developing in Chinese character) our potentials on the basketball court. I further wish that the Deaf Women’s Basketball Team could be the pride of Taiwan just like "Ms. Chi Cheng, the Flying Antelope" (Antelope in Chinese is pronounced the same as "Ling Yang").

Q4:  Being an athlete, what are you most proud of?
A4:  Enthusiasm and perseverance are two of my best qualities; these qualities enable me, who is seemingly plain, to bring glory to my country as a member of the national basketball team. Every time when I see my parents, relatives and friends cheer for me, I always feel moved by the pride in their eyes.

Q5:  We were among the audience at the 2015 Taoyuan World Deaf Basketball Championship. We were concerned to see many players got injured and had to receive temporary treatment on the court. How do you deal with sports injuries?
A5:  Besides staying in shape, an athlete should also have a positive mind. Since basketball is a sport that naturally involves many bodily contacts, injuries are inevitable. This being said, it is necessary for a player to be well prepared mentally if she wants to play well. In addition, the players should also follow coaches’ instructions exactly and protect themselves during the games. By keeping the injuries to a minimum, we can enjoy the sport.

		Bobbiehou Current position • Taiwan Deaflympics women's basketball player • Owner of A-zen Country Baking

Q6:  Among all the training items such as the basic movements, physical strength, defense, etc., which was the most difficult for you?
A6:  The most difficult part lies in the tactics training. Since the players’ hearing is impaired in varying degrees, sometimes they might not hear or understand the instructions given by the coaches. At times like these, all the players would have to stop and listen to the instructions again. That cuts into the team’s practice time, and makes it harder for us to learn and use the tactics flexibly within a short period.

Q7:  Apart from cheering for you on the court, what other ways can the general public help with Deaf Women’s Basketball Team’s development?
A7:  You are helping us by showing support! Sharing the stories of the Deaf Women’s Basketball Team is one form of support. You are getting people to see our effort. They will know that the Deaf Women’s Basketball Team has never stopped and is always improving itself and making progress!

	Hsuan-hsuan Current position • Chairperson of Taiwan Deaf Women’s Sports and Recreation Association • Taiwan Deaflympics women's basketball player

Q8:  What prompted you to join the Deaf Women’s Basketball Team?
A8:  At that time, I had just come back to Taiwan after I graduated from a university in the U.S. I had no plans or goals back then, and I learned from Pei Chou that the Deaf Women’s Basketball Team was recruiting players for the 2009 Deaflympics. Since I am tall enough to be a basketball player, she asked whether I wanted to be a member of the team. I thought it would be a unique experience to play in the Deaflympics and be on the national team, so I joined.

Q9:  In a basketball game, tactics execution is extremely important. Were there times when you could not understand the instructions given by the coaches because of hearing loss? And how do you develop good rapport between team players?
A9:  Of course there were times like that! However, if we couldn’t carry out a tactic successfully, we shouldn’t blame it on our hearing loss. It depends on whether the player is familiar with the tactics and the routes that she should take. If a team lacks understanding between the team members, the tactics won’t be carried out successfully. This is one area that our team needs to improve on.

Q10:  Since establishment at the 2009 Deaflympics, the team has participated in many games and won the championship in the 2nd DIBF Asia Pacific Cup. At this point, what should Deaf Women's Basketball Team do to achieve even better results?
A10:  In my opinion, the players should practice more to fully master the basic skills. With that, we will make fewer mistakes on the court. We should also better familiarize ourselves with the tactics and strive to use them in a more flexible manner. In addition, we should develop a greater understanding between the players to achieve better results.

Summary of the interviews

During the interviews with the players of the Deaf Women’s Basketball Team, we find that they all share certain common personal traits: the curiosity towards the unknown, the passion about basketball, and the spirit of perseverance and unafraid of hardships. We also learned that no one is perfect. We should learn to face our shortcomings and conquer them to reach our potentials.

The players of the Deaf Women’s Basketball Team have gone through strict physical and tactics trainings. They take in and absorb new concepts and new things in life, just like a sponge. Most importantly, they understand the meaning of going beyond the boundaries and challenging their limits in the training. As the teachers often say, success means trying one's best to do something meaningful, from the beginning to the end. Seeing what they have achieved, we know the players of Deaf Women’s Basketball Team have completed their mission successfully. They are great positive role models for us.