by Vovo Chen
Have you ever wandered around the baseball field wishing that you were one of the players? But don’t think you’re qualified to be on the team? Or maybe you already play but are depressed by your poor performance. Don’t worry! Try softball, and you’ll find all the pleasure of playing this wonderful game. In Taiwan, softball is still not very prevalent, but it’s already popular throughout Canada, Cuba, Japan, and the U.S. According to the American Encyclopedia, the total number of softball players and fans in the U.S. has reached 120 million. Most people in Taiwan are not very familiar with softball since it’s still not very popular. In fact, softball is similar to baseball in many ways. It was originally an indoor baseball game, commonly played in winter by people who wanted to keep in shape. It was first introduced in the U.S. in the early nineteenth century. One can enjoy it as much as baseball regardless of one’s age or gender. It had many different names at the beginning, such as army ball, kitten ball, recreational ball, playground ball, and was finally given the name softball in 1926. Later on, in the 1950’s, softball became an international sport. If you are familiar with baseball, you already know how to play softball. The rules are basically the same; only the way of pitching is different. In softball, the pitcher throws in an under-handed motion while a baseball pitcher throws the ball over-hand. The softball is also bigger and softer than a baseball, and the ball field is smaller. As a result of the bigger size of the ball, it is much easier to hit, and the average player won’t be so frustrated about not being able to hit the ball. The ball size also reduces the possibility of finger injuries when catching a ball without wearing a glove. Since the distance between the bases is much shorter than on a baseball field, a runner can more easily touch base without being considered out so often. Compared with baseball, softball might appear to be too easy not not enough of a competition. But you’re wrong to think so. It seems that hitting a bigger ball is easier, but unless you hit the very center of the ball it won’t fly as far as you might expect. You might not need a strong arm like that of a baseball player, but you do need skills, which require frequent practice. Furthermore, softball is a team game. It takes every player’s effort in order to win a game. An outstanding player will not be successful if he or she cannot cooperate with the whole team. I’m a baseball fan, too. I enjoy watching it as much as playing it, though I’ve never really had a chance. Not until I joined the softball team did I finally realize the fantastic magic about baseball. Sitting in the stands watching the ball is one thing but playing is another. If you enjoy the spirit of teamwork like me, you might just as well join a softball team. Get out of your seat and get started! Then my friend went on: “Cram school is crowded with so many different kinds of people. You have to see the same faces the whole day for an entire year. It’s better to get along with everyone as soon as possible, but sometimes the person next to you happens to be a little weird. I guess there’s nothing to do about it. One of my friends in a cram school happened to have a classmate who had really stinky feet. The girl’s feet stank so much that nobody could put up with it. Sometimes she would even take off her shoes, and the rest of the class would just have to suffer or to buy deodorizer to keep themselves alive.” I shrugged a little, but I was not surprised. This could happen to anybody, anywhere, I thought. “I am not exaggerating, and that’s not the worst thing! It’s impossible to ask people just to change something they have been doing for so long. The only thing you can do is to accommodate yourself to the class and the sooner the better.” After he finished his story, he went right back to his studying. He had too much homework for tomorrow’s class so he couldn’t tell me another tale. Inevitably he’d complain a little, but the thought of entering college would always sustain him to go on. a
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Authors
The Taida Student Journal has been active since 1995 with an ever-changing roster of student journalists at NTU. Click the above link to read about the authors Archives
May 2024
|