Two respected figures in US women’s basketball yesterday met university students in Taipei to inspire them to find courage and build self-confidence through sports.
Former University of Tennessee coach Holly Warlick and Chapman University coach Carol Jue met the students in a forum at National Taiwan Normal University (NTNU).
The forum, titled “The Transformative Nature of Sports on Women and Girls,” was organized by the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) as part of its year-long series to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Taiwan Relations Act.
Warlick told the more than 100 students in attendance that women should be given equal opportunities to men in sports, while many things can be learned from sport, such as discipline, work ethic, confidence and leadership.
“Take the opportunity to be a leader, take the opportunity to make a difference,” she said, adding that leadership is built from personal strength and personality traits, regardless of gender or race.
She shared a story about how a hearing-impaired player regained her confidence through basketball and even became an Olympian.
“She let basketball do a lot of her talking,” Warlick said.
Jue, who used to work a day job as an accountant, said that she was able to coach thanks to the support of her parents, husband and the rest of her family.
Acknowledging that there are barriers on the road to success, Jue said: “It is up to you, as you guys are students here, to take that chance.”
She reminded them to hug their parents to express their love when they got home, as parents are the ones who support them on the road to success.
AIT Cultural Affairs Officer Eric Aldrich and NTNU College of Sports and Recreation dean Chi Li-kang also attended the forum.
Warlick was a member of the 1980 US Olympic basketball team and is in the US Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame, while Jue is the only Chinese-American head basketball coach in the US National Collegiate Athletic Association.
The two women are visiting from Tuesday to Monday next week to attend a series of forums, workshops and basketball clinics, as well as to watch the William Jones Cup international basketball tournament and the BLIA Cup university basketball tournament.
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