ID :
21574
Sat, 09/27/2008 - 17:51
Auther :
Shortlink :
http://m.oananews.org//node/21574
The shortlink copeid
Korean-American girl pursues dream of playing baseball with men
SEOUL, Sept. 26 (Yonhap) -- She has stood out among her fellow players ever since she began playing baseball -- dominantly a men's sport -- at age 11.
Seven years later, Jane Uh, an ethnic Korean and member of the U.S. national
women's baseball squad, is betting it all to find a team that will allow her to
pursue her dream of playing professional baseball.
"Playing with guys feels more actual. Otherwise, it does not feel as competitive.
I know I can play with them," Uh said Friday in a telephone interview following
her special two-day workout with the Kia Tigers in Gwangju, a city about 280
kilometers south of Seoul.
The Tigers, a prestigious club that has captured nine Korean Series titles since
the league came into being in 1982, decided to allow Uh to train with its
players, hoping to "examine" her skills.
Playing down media reports that the workout served as a tryout, Tigers spokesman
Lee Seok-bum said Uh has excellent skills but currently lacks the muscular
strength necessary to bear the brunt of men's baseball.
"She is aggressive and has a strong determination to win," Lee said, quoting a
batting coach who has overseen her. "But considering her muscular strength, it
would be difficult for her to be allowed into the South Korean league."
Uh, who was born and raised in California and recently started training with male
players at South Korean university teams, said the workout was a good opportunity
to learn where she could improve.
"They told me I was pretty good, but they also told me I need to strengthen my
muscles a little bit more," she said.
Uh, who batted an impressive .500 and played as a staple infielder for the U.S.
squad at the Women's Baseball World Cup tournament in Japan last month, said she
was willing to forgo her university education for the next several years to play
baseball.
"I'm not going to back to the United States. I'm going to stay here until I'm
25," she said. Uh was recently admitted into the University of California Santa
Barbara.
"If no team allows me to play here, then I'm going to go somewhere else where I
can find a team," she said. "Baseball is my life. I've always loved to play it
and will continue to reach for my dream."
Seven years later, Jane Uh, an ethnic Korean and member of the U.S. national
women's baseball squad, is betting it all to find a team that will allow her to
pursue her dream of playing professional baseball.
"Playing with guys feels more actual. Otherwise, it does not feel as competitive.
I know I can play with them," Uh said Friday in a telephone interview following
her special two-day workout with the Kia Tigers in Gwangju, a city about 280
kilometers south of Seoul.
The Tigers, a prestigious club that has captured nine Korean Series titles since
the league came into being in 1982, decided to allow Uh to train with its
players, hoping to "examine" her skills.
Playing down media reports that the workout served as a tryout, Tigers spokesman
Lee Seok-bum said Uh has excellent skills but currently lacks the muscular
strength necessary to bear the brunt of men's baseball.
"She is aggressive and has a strong determination to win," Lee said, quoting a
batting coach who has overseen her. "But considering her muscular strength, it
would be difficult for her to be allowed into the South Korean league."
Uh, who was born and raised in California and recently started training with male
players at South Korean university teams, said the workout was a good opportunity
to learn where she could improve.
"They told me I was pretty good, but they also told me I need to strengthen my
muscles a little bit more," she said.
Uh, who batted an impressive .500 and played as a staple infielder for the U.S.
squad at the Women's Baseball World Cup tournament in Japan last month, said she
was willing to forgo her university education for the next several years to play
baseball.
"I'm not going to back to the United States. I'm going to stay here until I'm
25," she said. Uh was recently admitted into the University of California Santa
Barbara.
"If no team allows me to play here, then I'm going to go somewhere else where I
can find a team," she said. "Baseball is my life. I've always loved to play it
and will continue to reach for my dream."
