started when i was 6 years old

How I fell in love with hockey, a sport that not many people play or even know of in Taiwan was totally unexpected. When I was 6, still in kindergarten, my mom showed me a flyer and asked me if there’s anything I wanna learn or classes I wanna go. Little did she know that her question would end up costing her so much money (hahahaha). I started playing the sport at the age of six and continued until I was almost 18. She could have saved that money to buy herself more bags, clothes, or anything else she wanted. This is why I’m so grateful for my mom and see her as my role model.

Since I was a kid, she’s always given me the autonomy do make my own choices, supported me, and pushed me along the way. Most importantly, she’d let me know that I have to take full responsibility of my own decisions, but at the same time, be there for me when I had to deal with the consequences. My mom, like all parents, isn’t perfect. But I wouldn’t trade the life lessons she have taught me for anything. Those lessons made me who I am.

“I want to be more than an athlete.”

The reason why I quit playing hockey, a sport that I had played for more than half of my life at that time, was quite “interesting”. Especially considering that it was a decision made just a few weeks after I was selected for the Taichung Team to play in the national game and was on track to make the Chinese Taipei Team. Besides the numerous injuries, the main reason was that “I wanted to be more than just an athlete. I felt like I could do more.”

Spending my whole childhood playing hockey, I witnessed a lot of the young assitant coaches that share similar life/career paths. When becoming a professional hockey player was basically not an option in Taiwan, they seemed to always go to Sports University and try to become coaches to give skating, hockey lessons to kids after graduating. It seemed like there was no other routes. Not saying it’s a bad career plan, but I just felt like I have the potential to do more. That’s why I quitted, after 12 years. But it wasn’t for nothing. I did accomplished more, telling my story now, and still living in one.

Growing up playing hockey, I observed many young assistant coaches who shared similar life and career paths. Since becoming a professional hockey player was not a viable option in Taiwan, they often pursued education at Sports University and aimed to become coaches, teaching skating and hockey to children after graduation. It appeared that there were no other alternatives. I don’t mean to criticize this career plan, but I just felt like I have the potential to do more. That’s why I decided to quit after 12 years. But it wasn’t for nothing. I did accomplished more and now I am sharing my story while still living it.

Introduce yourself without mentioning your professional/academic career…

This is a question I was asked during one of my internship interviews. I believe that many people, especially those who grew up in Asia, would struggle with answering this question. We are often solely focused on achieving good grades in school and finding prestigious companies to work for after graduation. While these are important aspects, I believe that it is equally important to include other dimensions, beyond grades and career, to define who I am as a person.This is also why I decided to include this “Who Am I?” section instead of just putting my professional/academic career like what people usually do with their personal website.

So…this is my hockey story. Something made me who I am.