Where are they now?
This is a question that is often asked about former sports stars.
In a three-part series this month, we will visit three former athletes who took the nation by a storm with their stellar performances while at the pinnacle of their athletic careers. Each of them then found an equally rewarding career after their competitive days were over.
PHOTO: RICHARD CHANG
Richard Chang (
He then returned to Taiwan to play on the national basketball team for several memorable seasons before heading back to the US to pursue a career in commercial real estate and subsequently in the wholesale-warehouse industry.
With his American style of play and an uncompromising approach toward the game, Chang set a new standard for how basketball was played here in the mid-1980s as he led Team Taiwan to memorable tournament sweeps of the Japanese and South Korean national teams in the 1985 and 1988 Jones' Cup, respectively, making Chang a household name in Taiwan.
PHOTO: RICHARD CHANG
Chang says his secret to success in the business world is related to the work-ethic that his college basketball coach, Lou Campanelli, instilled in him some 20 years ago. Chang says that he has applied the same work ethic to building Costco into a market leader in the local wholesale-warehouse sector.
"The dedication and discipline that it takes for a young athlete to excel in his game exceed those of any typical seasoned business associate by far," Chang said. "There is no reason why a successful athlete couldn't do well in any career after sports."
While former athletes may not have problems with mustering up a desire to succeed, they are, nevertheless, not always given the proper training when deciding to pursue another career.
This is why Chang has organized an initiative called "Life after Athletics" as a way of providing young athletes with valuable work experiences and a viable strategy in preparation for life after their sports careers have ended.
The program invites qualified local athletes to participate in an internship program with corporations to gain work experience in the corporate world.
Companies participating in the program include Proctor & Gamble, Taiwan Cellular Corp, American Express, Nike and UPS.
"It's a way for me to give back to the community and the young athletes who have committed much of their lives to a sport that they love," Chang said.
Chang also recognizes the challenges involved in getting athletes to put aside their celebrity status to "really learn the ropes" in a brand new vocation.
And while many athletes may dream of becoming a coach after they're too old to compete, such an option may not be available or desirable for everyone.
"Becoming a coach in the sport you love is a great way to transition into another career after athletics, but not necessarily the only way," Chang said.
Marloon Herrera was crying — happy tears. With Cuba trailing in the fifth inning of its Little League World Series (LLWS) opener on Thursday, Herrera lined a two-run double to give his team the lead. When the Czech Republic, representing Europe-Africa, made a pitching change, he ran over to give his third base coach a hug. Cuba went on to win 4-1. It was the first game at this year’s tournament for both sides, but it was also the beginning of Cuba’s second appearance in the series ever — and it was emotional. “You breathe baseball in Cuba,” manager Everaldo Machado said on
Taiwan on Friday beat Australia 11-0 at the Little League World Series in South Williamsport, Pennsylvania. Taiwan are represented at the tournament by Taoyuan’s Gueishan Elementary School, who won the Asia-Pacific regional tournament to earn the trip to the US. Australia are represented by the Hills Red team from Sydney. Taiwan advanced to a game tomorrow against Santa Clara, representing Cuba, who won 4-1 against the Czech Republic’s Brno, the Europe-Africa regional qualifiers. Australian starter Sayre Howick had a tough time controlling his pitches at Volunteer Stadium, one of which allowed Taiwan to open their account. They scored six in the inning and
World Boxing, an international amateur boxing organization formed last year after a breakdown in relations between the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the International Boxing Association (IBA), has announced the admission of Taiwan, along with four other nations, into its growing list of members. In a statement released on its Web site on Friday, the Swiss- based organization said that in addition to Taiwan, admitted as Chinese Taipei, Bhutan, Ecuador, Fiji and Pakistan have also become members. The new members all have well-rounded national and international boxing programs as well as transparency in the leadership and management of their national boxing programs,
COOLED DOWN: Du Plessis apologized after the fight for comments about his Nigerian-born opponent, after Adesanya said he planned to take the belt back to Africa South African Dricus du Plessis yesterday took a flurry of body hits across four rounds before defeating Israel Adesanya by submission to retain his middleweight championship at UFC 305. After scoring some early takedowns, Du Plessis (22-2) had to withstand a flurry of body strikes from Adesanya through the middle rounds, which appeared to be taking a toll on the 30-year-old South African as the fight progressed. However, a left hook followed by three rights helped bring Adesanya down, giving Du Plessis the opening he wanted as he swiftly got the choke hold that forced the Nigerian-born New Zealander to tap out