“Taiwan Home-Run” (THR) Beep Baseball Team is formed by TKU alumni and blind students. After they won the championship of the National Beep Baseball Association World Series for the second year in July 2005, the TKU team, temporally named “Brave New Sight”, actively recruit new players for the third championship next year.

THR Beep Baseball Team, formed mainly by TKU alumni, got the first prize again in the National Beep Baseball Association World Series held at Taxes, America in July 2005, which encouraged many blind people. Because of the lack of manpower and material resources, the average age of THR players is over 30 years old, and the oldest player is 42 years old, whose physical strength is limited by their age. Suggested by their coaches Liao Wei-ho and Chen Chi-tang, THR decides to recruit younger players, so that they can maintain the championship in the following year.

Chiu Wei-sheng (junior, Dept. of History), the captain of THR, indicates that their triumph is attributed to the sheer tenacity, high stability, and strong solidarity with their team. If they can recruit several younger players and divide the team into two groups to practice, Chiu believes that their level will be advanced. At present, Chiu actively persuades two blind students who were Goalball players to join THR. He also hopes that all the blind students who love sports to participate in beep baseball. “There is no limitation of sex, age, or school to join our team. As long as you have time and interests, and do not fear to bask in the sun, you can be one of us!” said Chiu.

Having participated in the beep baseball game in America for eight times, THR now has 10 formal players, six of which are members of the Center of Resources for the Blind. Although there are not many players in THR, they spend much time practicing. Every Saturday the players of THR will go to Dahan Riverside Park at Banchiao by car to practice from 7:00 a.m. to evening. Because most blind students are more conservative toward playing sports since it will consume a lot of strength, not many blind people like to join THR. In addition, the beep baseball team also requires non-blind volunteers to pick balls and arrange communications as well as board and lodging, it particularly needs “candy stripers” to enroll. Chiu praises Black Bear Beep Baseball Team of Providence University because it has plenty of manpower which includes a volunteer group called “Family of Cub” to be the backup support. Therefore, Chiu especially expects the non-blind to join THR.

Hung Hsi-ming, Executive Secretary of the Center of Resources for the Blind, expresses that the purpose to establish the second team is to promote beep baseball, providing blind people a recreation, helping them in self recognition and growth by exercising. To further the interaction between the blind and the non-blind, the team are designed to have six blind players and three non-blind players (which include a pitcher, a capture, and an observer) in a beep baseball game. Hence, THR welcomes everybody’s participation. Moreover, the Center of Resources for the Blind also asks for kindhearted volunteers to type or read newspaper for visually-impaired students. Anyone likes to sign up please call (02)26293337 to Miss Hung Chien-hui. (~Shu-jun Yen )