Softball rolls across Strait and provides new path for cultural communication

JINGHONG, Yunnan province - The gaps couldn't have been more obvious on the field when college girls from Chinese Taipei faced adult opponents from Jiangsu and Guangdong provincial teams at the 2011 Strait Cup softball tournament over the weekend.

Although the visiting teenage players lost the game, they gained a lot from competing against mature rivals and learned more about the culture on the Chinese mainland during their visit to Xishuangbanna autonomous prefecture, Yunnan province, .

"They are all top players. Some of them have even played for the national team. As a student player, competing against them was a valuable experience for me to improve my skills and broaden my horizon," said Yang Yii-ting, a sophomore from National Taiwan College of Physical Education (NTCPE), who led her school team to third place in the tournament.

The event was jointly launched by the two sides' softball governing bodies last year to promote the sport and enhance cross-Strait cultural communication.

Each side sends two top teams to compete at a three-day event, which is held twice a year on both sides of the Strait.

Liaoning provincial team and Taiwan Normal University squad won last year's spring and autumn titles at Guangzhou and Taipei.

The Jiangsu team clinched this year's championship, stunning Guangdong 4-2 in the final on April 4.

Although her team lost both matches against mainland sides, Yang hailed the tournament as a "joyful trip".

"The game provides us with an opportunity to bond with mainland players and to learn more about local customs here. It gives us good access.

"It's my first visit to Yunnan province. I like the climate and plants here, and I finally got to experience the Water-Splashing Festival of the Dai ethnic group. I had a lot of fun," said Yang, who hit the event's first home run to seal her team's only victory, against Taipei Physical Education College (TPEC), anther team from across the Strait.

Yang's views were echoed by her opponent, Jiangsu outfielder Li Huan, who also praised this kind of sporting connection, citing "an opportunity to compete against different styles of play and to see how the sport is blossoming on Taiwan campuses".

While the Chinese mainland's state-support system allows athletes to assemble and train in a national program, talented athletes in Chinese Taipei emerge and flourish on campuses.

Major League Baseball pitcher Wang Chien-Ming, who was signed by the New York Yankees in 2000 when he was a TPEC student, wrote the script for this.

On the back of professional baseball's boom, softball has risen in popularity in Chinese Taipei in recent years. Although it was not included in the next two Olympic Games, it has attracted more attention on campuses, according to Yang Shien-Ming, coach of NTCPE.

"More and more students are learning about the sport's attractions and are starting to play it," said Yang. "Besides the TPEC and us, there are two more non-sports colleges with organized teams. We have a small university league right now. It's a big step.

"The Strait Cup is a perfect platform for exchange, both sporting and cultural. Every year, we have four teams competing fiercely for the two berths at the event. It's beneficial for the sport. We hope to see more cross-Strait events held in the future."

The coach's dream may come true as the governing body plans to add more legs to the tournament, after this year's second tournament in Chinese Taipei in November.

In addition, a plan to have a Chinese Taipei representative squad play in the Chinese softball league is also being considered, according to Pan Yii-Chuan, chairman of Chinese Taipei Softball Association.

"We're still discussing it, sorting through some of the difficulties. But we will try to make it feasible," Pan said.

China Daily

(China Daily 04/06/2011 page23)