2) Book Report on "Rookies, Fly Faster"

Liang-ying

After reading this book, I couldn't help but admire the spirit of perseverance demonstrated by the Deaf Women’s Basketball Team. The team members all shared a common dream- to become a national basketball player in the Deaflympics team and bring glory to the country. They were, however, unable to fully concentrate on the training for such reasons as work or study. Fortunately, few months prior to the Deaflympics, national famous twin coaches, Ms. Pi-cheng Teng and Ms. Pi-yun Teng, took over their training. Thanks to these two coaches, the Deaf Women’s Basketball Team was finally able to unite its power and shine.

Among the team members, I admire Pei Chou the most because she advanced toward her dream with firm determination. During the Deaflympics, she was injured because she was overloaded physically as a player for both the women's basketball team and the beach volleyball team. But she persisted until the last game, played with full force despite her injuries and helped the Deaf Women’s Basketball Team to secure the ninth place. Although these players suffer hearing loss, they still express themselves in silence. How admiring this is! I want to recommend this book to everyone and share the power of compassion.

En-chi

"There is no perfection in life, and it is up to us to add the exclamation marks to it." "We can accept failures, but not quitting." These are the phrases that strike me the most after reading "Rookies, Fly Faster". Although the Chinese Taipei Deaf Women's Basketball Team did not achieve the goals they set prior to the game, I believe that they had added a big exclamation mark to their lives. They surpassed themselves, which was more touching and worthwhile than winning any prize. In life, sometime you may fail even if you had worked hard. Although hard work does not guarantee success, hard work will definitely payoff.

As long as we could learn from the failures, stand up bravely and continue moving forward, one-time failure will not mean failure for life. Failures could enrich our life experiences and frustrations could make us stronger. So do not magnify or be afraid of any setbacks or failure, because they might well be a turning point on the road to success. Change your mindset can create endless possibilities. I am very grateful the book inspired and helped me understand the importance of reaching my potentials, sticking to my ideals and moving forward bravely.

Hsuan-yun

After reading the book "Rookies, Fly Faster", I was deeply moved and inspired. It helped me understand the meaning of "With firm determination, ordinary people could achieve something extraordinary." Only those who dare to take risks could reach their potentials. The players moved forward bravely without hesitation, even with the barrier of hearing loss and the problems of communication. Such a spirit is worth learning.

This book tells the process of tears and sweat these players went through for the training, as well as the conflicts caused by communication problem between the deaf players and the coaches. It portrays how the players overcame the struggles and the fears, and gives a detailed account of the mutual support between the players and their reflections. The book touched the deepest part of my heart. "We will not stop, just moving forward steadily." Life is rare and precious. Although it might be full of pain and trials, they are touchstones to stimulate the abundant potentials in life. This is a book that is worth reading over and over again.

Ting-yu

This is a book about the Story of Taiwan Deaf Women's Basketball Team. It is written by the members of the team for the purpose of getting more people to know and support them, so that they could achieve their dreams. It is not easy to establish a team. Apart from hard working players, great coaches and support from others are also needed to succeed. The players believe that they are just like ordinary people; they could do anything non-disabled people could do.

Basketball is a sport that calls for great teamwork. Some players, although hard working and enthusiastic, had to quit the team because of work or the need to engage in other sports. It was really a pity! I learn from this group of deaf players the real meaning of "Neither turned arrogant in victory nor despair in failure", and the true spirit of sticking to the end without ever give up.

Yun-jui

The moment I got the book "Rookies, Fly Faster", I could not wait to read it because I knew this was a touching story. From the establishment of the Chinese Taipei Deaf Women’s Basketball Team in the very beginning, to the time it was taken over by the two coaches, to the devilish training, etc., I found every detail about them intensely interesting and felt as if I were going through the training with them. They were deaf players, which meant that they would encounter more difficulties than regular players. For example, sometimes they might not be able to understand the orders given by the coaches immediately or communicate with other players on the court in a timely fashion. At times like these, good rapport between the players was especially important.

As described in the book, the deaf players underwent great stress. Moreover, they needed to work or study at the same time. As a result, some players would often consider quitting the team. At this time, the coaches would encourage them: "Don’t forget your advantages. The most important thing is attitude!" This inspired me a lot because when facing difficulties, I too often wanted to give up. But just like the Deaf Women’s Basketball Team, as long as we have the willpower and the sense of responsibility, all problems could be solved.

Yun-han

This book gives a detailed account of the Deaf Women’s Basketball Team from its establishment to the struggles the players went through during the Deaflympics. It described many touching scenes. For example, before the Deaflympics, Pei Chou was injured from the excessive training and unable to play in the games. It was a huge blow for a player who had been working so hard. For the Chinese Taipei Team which was already short of players, it also made things worse. At that time, Pei Chou joined hands with Hsuan-hsuan and told her, "Please work even harder for me." It was a strong and valuable friendship that they share.

The book also described how the coaches really cared for the players. Although they were very strict with the players during training and demanded that they have the "Three Meals" every day, underneath the strictness, they actually paid great attention to the life and health of the players. One time the coach saw the players eating bread in the dormitory, even if only for a meal, she got worried and reminded the players repeatedly to eat well. This reflected how they cared for the players. Although the Deaf Women’s Basketball Team was established for a short period and the chances of winning were low, they still practiced hard. Even if they did not achieve the best results, they were still the real champions in my eyes.

Fu-en

"Rookies, Fly Faster" opened my eyes to the hardships that the members of the Deaf Women’s Basketball Team went through during their training. The players had three regular meals every day, in addition to the "Three Meals" from the training. The players had to run a lot to improve their physical strength. Drenched with sweat, some players enjoyed the process while others chose to quit because they found it too hard. "Congratulations for leaving hell. But those who stay will rise to heaven!" Although the players that stayed in the team only secured the ninth place during the Deaflympics after defeating the Hong Kong team, they played better and better. They managed to overcome their fears and expressed themselves fully. This, I thought, was what it meant by "heaven".

I also learned from the book that the biggest difference between hearing persons and hearing-impaired persons lay in the means of communication. Since the hearing-impaired had to communicate in sign language and through lip reading, the coaches needed to explain things several times before the players could understand them. And sometimes, the players might not know what they had done wrong when the coaches got mad. Hence, they had to spend more time to develop a tacit understanding between the members and build up teamwork. This is a very inspiring book. It makes me realize that success is often built on experiences of failures. I hope that the Deaf Women’s Basketball Team could be the champion in the next Deaflympics.

Chieh-ting

After reading "Rookies, Fly Faster", I found all stories in the book inspirational. As a hearing person, I also began to understand that the deaf players had to work several times harder in their training than non-disabled people. The members of the Deaf Women’s Basketball Team not only had to deal with the problems in communication, but also needed to overcome the struggles and fears deep within. In order to play in the 2009 Deaflympics, they went through a devilish training, which was a process filled with sweat and tears. But with the spirit of "never give up", they completed this impossible mission in the end.

One thing I liked about this book was the collection of quotes from the players, which reflected their thoughts on life after the players went through the devilish training and numerous difficulties. I learned a lot from their experiences. After reading this book, I am motivated to set a life goal and work hard to achieve it. No matter how hard the process may be, I will overcome the difficulties and follow their spirit of "never give up".