十二樓交誼廳的門被推開，陳詩欣探出頭來，一雙大眼睛掃視了四周一圈，才走進來說：「哇！搬來這麼久，我都還沒上來過這裡耶！」穿著紅色上衣、黑色運動褲的陳詩欣全身散發著精神，像是全身的細胞都在活蹦亂跳。這就是奧運跆拳道金牌得主給我的第一印象。

2004年是令許多台灣人難忘也引以為傲的一年。中華台北隊在雅典奧運締造了台灣從未有過的佳績：除了中華職棒在等待多年後終於重返奧運舞台，女子射箭隊勇奪銀牌，最振奮人心的，便是朱木炎和陳詩欣分別拿下男、女跆拳道金牌的精彩表現。 在擊敗對手的那一刻、在勝利的那一刻，全台為陳詩欣鼓掌、歡呼，那陳詩欣自己心裡當時第一個浮現的想法又是什麼？她說：「我那時腦中第一個想到的就是『我終於為台灣爭光了！』我們告訴了全世界，台灣雖然很小，但是我們很團結。金牌是因全台的努力而得到的，我想跟所有的台灣人分享。另外，我想到我那三年離開跆拳道界的經驗沒有白費，證明了我陳詩欣靠著自己的力量又回來了。」

說到「那三年」，大家一定很好奇到底發生了什麼事情。其實，陳詩欣的跆拳道之路並不是一路順暢的。

陳詩欣的爸爸在家附近自己開了一間道館，擔任教練，也訓練出幾個世界盃冠軍得主。陳詩欣從小就喜歡往道館跑，爸爸也看到她可能有這方面的天賦，加上不服輸不怕練習的個性，四、五歲開始就讓她到道館練習。陳詩欣也不負爸爸的期望，常常參加比賽並且得了大大小小的獎。到了國中時，她選上了國手，第一次離家，到左營集訓。因此，她跨入了人生中的下一個階段—每天除了讀書就是專心練跆拳道。

2002年，陳詩欣贏得了亞運金牌，在跆拳道界叱吒風雲，看起來是她事業的高峰。她卻選擇在這時從左營出走，在外頭自己住、打工，除了會跟妹妹聯絡向家裡報平安外，完全離開了原本的生活圈，更離開了跆拳道界。

陳詩欣說：「我覺得我是受好奇心驅使吧，也有一點叛逆的味道。我從很小就開始接受跆拳道的訓練，幾乎沒什麼童年，沒有玩到。所以我想要去享樂，不讓青春留白。我就是想玩，但是我也是一個很有原則的人。」她提到這三年獨立生活的經驗，讓她能夠充分的準備自己面對人生未來的道路，在許多為人處事的方面都更為成熟。她接著說：「不過，我很高興我出走後有回來。我努力補回我三年漏掉的訓練，雖然剛開始很辛苦，大家都覺得我不可能再回到我之前的程度，但是我做到了。我得了奧運的金牌，可以光宗耀祖，更要獻給爸爸和家人。我爸他訓練出很多個世界盃金牌，但是就是沒有奧運金牌。他的夢想就是要訓練出一個奧運金牌，他說這樣他就『不枉此生』了。現在他的道館真的出了一個奧運金牌，又是他的女兒耶！這樣的機會有多少？他對我來講是一個嚴父，而我成就了他的夢想。」談到爸爸，陳詩欣臉上露出了大大的笑容。 最令陳詩欣難忘的一場比賽，除了奧運，就屬越南世界盃了。她說：「那一次的比賽，是我狀況最好的一次，甚至比我打奧運時的狀況還要好，而且我都有把我的水準發揮出來。更重要的是，當時我正在低潮期，我用那一次的世界盃來評斷自己能不能再走下去；而那一次的比賽讓我又有了成就感，對自己有了自信心，我也更確定自己能夠繼續向奧運邁進。」所以，可以說：沒有越南世界盃的陳詩欣，就不會有後來雅典奧運的陳詩欣。我們問她還會不會想再挑戰下一次的奧運？她回答道：「我會衡量情形。如果我到時候狀況很好，我當然會想再打，但是我想也要留機會給後生晚輩，這樣才會形成一個良性的循環，而不能是老手一直霸佔位置讓新人沒有機會嶄露頭角。」

面對辛苦的跆拳道訓練，我們請陳詩欣分享她在練習過程中的最苦與最樂，碰到困難時又是如何克服。她想了一下，給了令人出乎意料外的答案：「好像沒有苦的地方耶。」她又進一步解釋道：「我覺得練習就是把不可能的事情變成可能，這已經變成生活中的一部份了。我會替自己設定近程和遠程目標，遠程目標當然就是要拿奧運金牌。平常我也會寫一些『激勵小語』鼓勵自己達到預定的目標。而遇到困難，只要化阻礙為良機，就會離成功很近。不管做任何事情，練習或讀書之類的都一樣，大家都在同一個起跑點，但是要看誰能夠吃苦，誰就會成功。因此，我都會比別人加倍練習，別人踢一百下腿，我就踢兩百下；別人讀書讀三個小時，我就讀五個小時。其實換個方向想也沒什麼是讓人覺得苦的。就像是在比賽的時候，被對手打到了很痛，我就會更用力還他一擊。」

「如果真的要講最苦與最樂的話，我覺得全都集中在頒獎台上短短的兩分鐘。最樂的是，你知道自己終於超越並達成期望。最苦的是，頒獎完，一切都歸零。我覺得『歸零』這個想法很重要，因為不管你之前得過多少金牌，下一次的比賽就是一個全新的開始，你必須調整心態，重新開始。」 陳詩欣的運動哲學發人深省，我們也漸漸看到一個成功者擁有的不只是功勳擁戴，而是目標明確，加倍努力，並以積極的態度面對下一次挑戰。陳詩欣在面對隨著贏得奧運金牌而來的名氣，也以平常心看待。

「成名後的生活跟以前有很大的差別。以前我只是普通的學生，現在還要跑活動、代言。不過也很方便耶，像如果我去買東西都可以有discount！」陳詩欣笑著說道。「當然，也因為大家都認識你，出門時，連去吃個東西都會聽到有人小聲的說：『那不是陳詩欣嗎？』『對呀！對呀！她點什麼飲料啊？』還挺麻煩的呢！」

「我會被邀請去演講，也會為癌症或其他公益活動代言，這些經驗都讓我更懂得珍惜我所擁有的。不但影響我的人生態度，也提升我的人生高度。面對成名這件事，我還是抱著平常心，希望從絢爛回歸平淡。回到校園、重拾學生生活，我認為我應該要放低身段，絕對不能以高身份對待別人。我父母一直都教導我『驕者必敗』的道理，所以我知道我不能為所欲為，不能驕傲。」 陳詩欣除了是傑出的運動員，更是「讀書人」。她現在是台北體育學院研究生，主修運動生理學，正在撰寫碩士論文。她對體育行銷也非常有興趣。她說：「我會選擇讀運動生理學的原因是因為這可以幫助運動員瞭解自己的身體狀態，並提昇技術。我就是靠著運動生理學的知識，在停練三年後幫助自己調整身體狀況。而我對大眾傳播也有很大的興趣，因為我很喜歡講話，小時候也會參加演講比賽。我覺得不論是找贊助或是推廣運動風氣，行銷跟大眾傳播都將扮演重要的角色。就推廣運動方面，我很佩服紀政女士並努力向她學習，但是我還要超越。我也才二十六歲，還很年輕，學東西很快，而且也有不錯的外語能力。」 談到陳詩欣對紀政女士的尊敬，我們也很想知道她的偶像是誰。她說：「偶像可能沒有。對我來說，應該說是我希望成為怎樣的人，也就是我的『典範』。我很欣賞踢足球的貝克漢。我喜歡看他踢球時的自我肯定，以及在場上的架勢。他在球場上非常有自信，因此全場的目光都會在他身上。另外一個我很佩服的運動員：自由車賽的冠軍Lance Armstrong。他的鬥志展現在比賽中，更展現在他抗癌的過程。他在面對生與死之間，還是秉持著堅毅的意念和精神。還有，我超喜歡看賽車的！我除了看他們的技術，我最注意的是選手開車時專注認真的眼神。賽車選手在頒獎台上也很有親和力，不分彼此。這些都是我要向他們學習的地方。」

閒暇的時候，陳詩欣喜歡安安靜靜地待在家裡上網、跟朋友聊天或是看看電視。除了打跆拳道，她也會做做其他的運動，像是游泳、打撞球、保齡球、有氧運動和跳舞，除了是興趣，同時也順便訓練反應和協調的能力。她也喜歡出外踏青，她說：「我很喜歡大自然，到了野外有一種心胸開闊的感覺。所以，我們家原本住在鬧區，很吵雜，我才會想要搬到現在這裡」。我們往窗外看，綠色的山丘環繞著住宅區，清靜幽然。在閒聊之中，陳詩欣還跟我們說：「我平常沒事的時候就會擦玻璃，把東西收的很整齊…因為我有潔癖，一點髒亂我都要收乾淨。但是我收完之後，就忘記東西放在哪裡了，所以我媽都說我有選擇性健忘症！」 陳詩欣為了比賽，足跡遍及了世界各地的體育館，也認識了許多其他國家的選手。她說：「通常比賽完，我們都會和其他的選手聊天，互留e-mail，所以都還保持聯絡。去國外比賽要適應天氣和當地的食物、風俗，而且各國的觀念都不同。不過，我最大的優點就是大而化之、開朗、幽默，而且不會計較，所以適應的都很不錯。但是，去了那麼多的地方，我還是最喜歡台灣。台灣到處都有便利商店，多方便呀！再加上台灣的小吃是哪裡都比不上的！當然，最重要的是，我的朋友和家人都在這裡。我也覺得台灣的人最熱情、隨和。」

在言談之中，陳詩欣常常會提到家人，她最希望可以好好照顧父母，不讓他們傷心失望。至於妹妹們有這樣一個優秀的姊姊，她們的壓力會不會很大？ 「其實不會耶！我妹她們課業方面都很厲害，高中都讀北一女。每一個人擅長的都不一樣，而我是選擇走跟她們不一樣的路，我們可以說是互補吧。」 不知不覺中，訪問也接近尾聲，我們拿出陳詩欣的自傳《勇敢》請她簽名，並問道：「為什麼您將自傳名為勇敢呢？」陳詩欣回答道：「是因為我覺得我是一個『勇於表現，敢於承受』的人。我很有自信，不愛哭（除非是為父母親的事情擔心），面對外來的壓力也會用自己的方法調適。」她又接著說道：「我很幸運，一路走來都沒有受到什麼傷害。我訓練的份量夠，也很懂得保護自己的身體。在碰到新的事物和比賽時，我都盡量多吸收、多學習，也會充實自己的內涵。畢竟在打跆拳道的時候，準備比智慧還更重要。」

訪談結束後，我們還意猶未盡地在車上討論著，發現所有成功的人都有一些相似地不得了的特質：他們有自信卻不驕傲；面對困境毫不退縮，又有自己的一套幽默，看待生活；最重要的是，他們很清楚自己想要做些什麼，來讓小小的台灣島更美好。

Building a Pyramid and Covering It with Gold: Ms. Chen Shih-hsin and Her Road To Success

--- Interview with the Tae Kwon Do 2004 Olympics Gold Medalist

◎ 11B Natalie Lin and Tiffany Kuo

Introduction

Chen Shih-hsin stood on stage. Being only twenty-six, she proudly stood on the highest step. Lights shone on her. The sound of applause filled the air. Tears of happiness were shed. She had accomplished her dreams of earning a gold medal for Tae Kwon Do in the 2004 Olympics.

The Process

“It was a glorious ten minutes on stage, but it took twenty years of painstaking hard work to get there,” Chen Shih-hsin said, who appeared to have worked harder than anyone else for those ten minutes. Speaking about her life over the twenty years, Chen said, “When people are playing, I am practicing. When people study for one hour, I study for three. When people kick once in practice, I kick twice.”

 Ms. Chen started practicing Tae Kwon Do when she was five, with her father being her coach. When she first started, she never gave a thought to becoming world champion, and winning the Olympics. But, nevertheless, she still practiced hard. She observed her physical limit and set challenging but reachable goals for herself. Once she reached a goal, she would be happy that she had improved, and then set another higher, but still reachable goal. Each time she reached her goal, her self-esteem would be boosted up a notch. “It was a process. Everything builds up like a pyramid,” she says. Eventually, through gradual self-improvement, she received the gold medal for World Cup for Tae Kwon Do. It was then that she decided her next challenge was to win the Olympics.

There were many times when Tae Kwon Do was hard on Ms. Chen, when she felt like giving up. But being extremely optimistic, she turned whatever challenge she faced into an opportunity to improve.

“There are obstacles in everything,” she says, “but the people who succeed are those who can stand the pain, who can fight on. By improving yourself through overcoming obstacles, you have gained experience that other people have yet to gain; and this is what can bring you to the finish line first.”She began to like challenges. “Obstacles,” she says, “spark my inner motivation.”

 For a period of time before the Vietnam Cup, she was in the depths of despair. She was no longer sure if Tae Kwon Do was her thing. However, because she was still willing to challenge herself, she stayed in the competition. Winning that competition made her realize that she was in the best physical state, and it gave her confidence to go on. Even though she was in the depths of despair, she still accepted the challenge, fought, and won. Challenge yourself, she says, and you will succeed.

Success

Ms. Chen won the 2004 Olympics gold medal in Tae Kwon Do. She says her dad is the one who made it possible. Her dad was an extremely strict coach, but his attitude of demanding the best paid off. Her dad always wanted to train an Olympics Champion. It was a dream of his. When Ms. Chen Shih-hsin received this award, her dad’s dream came true. “And it’s isn’t just one of his other students that fulfilled this dream for him, it was his own daughter,” she told us with a proud smile. But she and her father weren’t the only people feeling proud. Taiwan was proud of her. She was on stage for all the Taiwanese people, she said. She showed the world that Taiwan, though a small island, has the ability to train the greatest athletes.

After Success

People always wonder what it’s like to be famous. For Chen Shih-hsin, there was a huge difference in how people treated her before and after the fame. Before the Olympics, she was just a regular college student. After the Olympics, she receives discounts when shopping and she gave speeches. One of the biggest changes has been her realization that she actually could make a difference in people’s lives. When she gave speeches, people listened. When she donated money for a cancer cause, people actually thanked and remembered her. But to her, it made no difference. Ms. Chen said that she always had donated and helped the needy. But now, people are more grateful for her generosity because she is a celebrity. She has always wanted to make the world a happier place. Nnow, people are extremely happy when she just signs her name for them.

Yet today, even though she is considered famous, Ms. Chen claims to be “just a student” pursuing her master’s degree back at school. She doesn’t feel that fame has set her above everyone else, and she knows that she can’t treat people differently.

For someone who has achieved as much as Chen Shih-hsin, people would think that she would be content. However, she has more goals for herself. She says, “I’m only 26 years old right now, and I’m a fast learner. My energy and enthusiasm can lead me to surpass and excel others.” Now, she wants to train new Tae Kwon Do players that can win more glory for Taiwan. She wants to continue to make the world a better place. And the future goals she will set for herself are infinite.

During her free time, Ms. Chen likes to just simply stay home, for she can be relaxed and free to do whatever she likes in whichever way she pleases. Lying in bed watching television, chatting online, she does what every regular person does. In public, she says, people notice little things, even her eating habits, and thus she cannot do things as spontaneously as before. Although she feels that her fame restricts her at times, she sees this as another challenge. She learns to be subtler in her feelings in public, and not to throw tantrums easily like before. She has learned to be a calmer and steadier person.

More about Ms. Chen

Ms. Chen thinks that she has been very lucky throughout her life. She has been careful and has never had any serious injuries while practicing Tae Kwon Do. Although her two sisters are both top students, she isn’t jealous because she knows that they can all excel in different fields. She loves having a wide variety of friends, not just Tae Kwon Do people. She says she can learn much more and learn to be more open-minded by being with different people.

Of all the places in the world, Ms. Chen’s favorite is Taiwan. She can’t stand being away from Taiwan for more than a week. She is humorous and outgoing, and never gets jealous, because she only competes with herself. She laughs a lot, and if she doesn’t smile, people can tell that she’s really concentrating on something. Her “worst” virtue that backfires all the time, she says, is that she is a neat freak, and yet also extremely forgetful. She likes to put everything away, and everything has to be organized. But she then can never recall where she puts her stuff. This is where her mom comes in -- her mom remembers everything for her. She says she wouldn’t know what to do without her mom!

Other than Tae Kwon Do, Ms. Chen plays many other sports, including swimming, aerobics, pool, and ballet. She seems to be a very balanced person, doing a little of everything.

Conclusion

Ms. Chen’s motto is “Your greatest competition is yourself.” She has no idol, but she knows what type of person she’d like to be. Her model used to be David Beckham, because he appears to be so self-assured that the crowd can not take their eyes off him.” She says, “We should learn to focus,” She syas, “to always have perseverance, and to be confident and self-assured regardless of winning or losing.”

Afterthoughts

This interview was very different from the interview with Mr. Silence Hsu in the last issue of the NEHS newsletter. Mr. Hsu liked to talk and elaborate on many small details, whereas Ms. Chen seemed to know everything she wanted to say and how she wanted to say it. But one thing seems clear about these people who have succeeded -- they know their past, they know how to overcome difficulties, they know exactly what they want and how to reach their goal, and most importantly, they know to keep a positive attitude towards anything, especially the “failures” in their life.

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