The Maple Leave Inspiration

　　Maple Leave, the team that practiced with rocks and wooden sticks and beaten the visiting Wakayama Team of Japan in 1968, blasted off the era of Taiwan Little League baseball sport. The victory was also the harbinger of Taiwanese teams entering the arena of U.S.A Little League baseball tournament and winning champion after champion.

The World LLB in Williamsport

KCH in Williamsport (Photo by Wang Ron Chi)

　　The U.S. Little League establishment and held in Williamsport, Pennsylvania every year in summer.
　　In 1968, the Kansai leader of Japan told Mr. Hsieh Kuo-Cherng their past experiences in Williamsport. That triggered Taiwanese players’ active role on the turf of Williamsport. Within 27 years, Taiwan team had achieved 17 championships. The world little league alliance called Taiwan as the “dynasty of the east”.

In 1969, a Taiwan all-star team were sent to Japan to compete in the Pacific Regional Championships.

Golden Dragon with trophy in 1969 (Photo by Wang Ron Chi)

　　In 1969, DaTung Elementary School of Jiayi won the Student Cup, yet it was beaten by the visiting Wakayama Team from Japan. The authorities decided to select some other outstanding players into the team to compete in the Pacific Regional Championship.
　　They won the game by 3 to 0, and got the qualification to go to the US.

In 1969, the Golden Dragons marched towards the Williamsport

In the newspaper of 1969.9.8 (Photo by Wang Ron Chi)

　　According to the rules, the teams to the championship game must be from local areas not all-star teams. However, Taiwan did not know that until we got the representation of the Far East region. Mr. Hsieh Kuo-Cherng decided to change the team name under Japan’s understanding. Since the team was trained in Taichung, and all the players’ names were listed in the Zhong-Xiao elementary school in Taichung, the team was renamed as the “Golden Dragons Little League Baseball Team in Taichung”.
　　Under the Mr. Hsieh Kuo-Cherng efforts and the donation from each field and the US Military Advisor Group in Taiwan, they raised enough money to take the little players to the world Little League championships. Those little national heroes won the first world championship in Williamsport for our country.