The Gwangju Bombers: Making Waves in the Local Baseball Scene

The Gwangju Bombers are the latest addition to the vast array of international-led clubs and organizations in Gwangju. They are the first foreign team to participate in a local Korean baseball league.

The team started as a group of people looking for a bit of fun who played irregularly at Chosun University. On occasion they would play informal, friendly games against Korean teams, mainly on public holidays.

Eventually, it was decided that the next logical step would be to officially form a team and begin entering tournaments and leagues around Gwangju. The Gwangju International Baseball Team was formed, but rules governing the local baseball league unfairly prevented non-Korean teams from entering competitions, an early hurdle that was frustrating for all involved. The team continued to train together and play the occasional friendly game while it waited for something to change.

Due to work commitments, the team’s founder Tony Warren was unable to develop the team any further. Three other members of the team decided to take the reins. Through the joint efforts of a Korean named Jackie Choi, an Australian named Darrell Slater and an American named Shawn Roe, the Bombers were able to come to an agreement with league organizers, and have been included in the league for the new season. Since a catchy and memorable team name is practically a prerequisite in a league setting, the team changed its name to the Gwangju Bombers.

Currently the team consists of about 20 members, most of whom are English teachers at academies, public schools and universities. Scheduling regular training sessions is often a challenge as team members have varied schedules during the week. However, the team still tries to meet as often as possible on weekends to put in a few hours of hard work and have a good time on the field.

The team has come a long way since it was first established and has even managed to secure the support of a few generous sponsors, including Dr Choi’s Oriental Medical Clinic, Tequilaz and The First Alleyway. The Gwangju Bombers have made an early positive impact on the local league in this, their debut season. At the time of writing, the team had completed three league games, notching two wins and one narrow loss. They scored 43 runs in the process.

When asked whether the main purpose of the team was serious competition or simply just to have a bit of fun, Slater said, “It started out as just a bit of fun when we played at Chosun, but the competition has increased for sure. We want to win every game of course. I feel like we do have a lot of fun though.”

He also added, “As Gwangju’s only foreign baseball team there has been a lot of interest from people wanting to get involved. We have guys who can hit the ball, but we have some issues on defense and sometimes we don’t have enough pitchers.”

Currently there are no tournaments scheduled for the next few months, but league games take place every Saturday in Buk-gu’s Oryung-dong. The field is next to the river, close to the Cheomdan Bridge near the Lotte Mart. Anybody with a background in baseball who is keen to get involved, as well as anyone who wants to come out and support our local boys at one of their league games, is encouraged to contact either Darrell Slater or Jackie Choi via Facebook. You can also contact Jackie Choi at 010-2002-7676.