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Sport | Baseball

Children of Torik use rice fields to improve baseball skills

The Care Cup baseball games is an annual event and this year it was held in Taitung. Te Kāea took a look at some interesting little players from Torik community who prepared themselves for the tournament by practicing in the rice field.

Barefoot yet happy to play baseball on the harvested rice field. They were so serious that every movement such as pitching, batting, base running, sliding, and catching looks just like playing on the official game.

Cilay says, “After harvesting, the field is so big and safe that you can base slide in whatever way you want without getting hurt at all!”

The equipment they used are very simple, for instance, wood sticks as bats, wooden planking for bases and paper balls as baseballs. They say in this way it wouldn't hurt when getting hit by the balls and the balls wouldn't go too far to chase.

According to Mayaw, “If there is no practice with the team, we come here to play. It's so fun and you can do base sliding!”

“It's bigger. And without the coach's watch we can play freely!” says Jheng.

The harvested rice field is the best playground for children. Despite a sport ground at school, they enjoy the unlimited fun of the Nature and what better way to prepare for the tournament.

Tosiko says, “Few days later the kids are going to play in the Care Cup Baseball Game. The kids said that they hoped to practice more and improve more of their skill. It's very good here. If their clothes gets dirty, then we old people just wash them. What else can you do!”

Farming is the livelihood for most people in the Torik community. Once the harvesting season is done, the rice fields become a childhood paradise.