Ichiro Suzuki

A Key to Make Your Dreams Come True

Do you know Ichiro Suzuki? He is a Japanese baseball player that has been active in the United States for over 15 years and currently plays in Miami Marlins. Before coming to the U.S., he had a career in Japan, so he has been playing baseball for 25 years in the U.S. and Japan in total. Even though he is 43, apparently his physical age is in his mid-twenties. Some people call him “a natural born master.” Is that true?

Ichiro Suzuki was born and raised in Aichi, Japan in 1973. At age of three, he’s started playing baseball. What inspired him to start playing baseball? His father brought a toy bat and ball for him, and since that day, Ichiro was with those toys even while in bed. When he was 9 years old, he joined a local boys’ baseball team, however, the practice he had in the team wasn’t enough. Ichiro asked his father to be a training partner, and he accepted it on one condition. “Practice every single day whatever the weather.”

He kept making efforts, and eventually, he entered one of strongest prestigious high schools for baseball in japan. Usually athletes tend to not do good at study, however, Ichiro was a student of high scholastic standing. He has mentioned study and practice in an interview. “Of course, I really don't like to study and practice. But I’ve always liked to have a purpose in life and make efforts for it. Who don’t love to be repaid for the efforts?” Ichiro said.

After graduation from high school, Ichiro has become a professional baseball player naturally. He had played in professional baseball league in Japan for 8 years then decided to demonstrate his ability in the U.S. In 2001, he has started belonging to Seattle Mariners as a position player. He was traded to New York Yankees in 2012, then traded to Miami Marlins in 2015. On June 15^th 2016, Ichiro collected 4,257 career hits and broke Pete Rose’s all-time record of 4,256. This was such a big news for all Japanese people was on media each and every day in Japan. However, Pete Rose didn’t accept it because 1,278 of the career hits came in Japanese baseball league. But Ichiro had a perfect response for Pete. “For me, it's not about the record, it’s about my teammates and the fans,” Ichiro said. Also he said, “I was actually happy to see the Hit King (Pete Rose) get defensive. I kind of felt I was accepted.”

It seems like everything was smooth and went well for him, but it wasn’t a case. But he doesn’t like to show off that he makes a lot of efforts to be active in the front lines or how much he has suffered. He was just a boy like others but there’s one thing that’s totally different from others. It’s that he had a specific dream and went for it even though he sometimes felt he doesn’t want to practice. It’s great to have big dreams but in order to make them come true, you need to have faith in yourself and keep making efforts.

大きな夢を持ったチアリーダー

東京からカンザスシティへ

留学生としてアメリカにいると、なぜここに来たのかよく聞かれることがある。アビラにいる留学生にもそれぞれ、留学する理由がある。正直言って 家族や友人なしにここで生活するのは簡単ではないし、特に留学し始めの頃には英語を流暢に話せない分、アカデミックのクラスに追いつくので精一杯だ。今回はそんな環境の中で、さらに部活に取り組む日本人の女の子にインタビューをした。

神田優帆さんはアビラ大学の新入生で1月にフロリダ州オーランドで行われた、UCAナショナル・チャンピオンシップに出場したチアリーディングチーム、イーグルスの一員。イーグルスはオープンオール・ガール・チア部門で3位に輝いた。優帆さんは19歳で東京都出身、高校に入ると同時にチアリーディングを始めた。 「お姉ちゃんがチアをしてたので、私も始めました。」 高校時代に日本でチアリーディングの大会に出る機会はあったが、何かを受賞をするということはなかった。高校卒業後、優帆さんは海外で勉強しながらアメリカでチアリーディングを続けたいと思うようになる。

この間の秋学期にアビラ大学へ入学して以来、チアリーディング部に所属している優帆さん。女子だけのチーム、それに3段ピラミッドをしているチームを探していた優帆さんにとって、これらに条件を満たしているイーグルスは完璧だった。チアリーディングを通して日本とアメリカの間にとても多くの違いがあることに気づいたそうだ。日本では自分たちでダンスを振り付けなければいけなかったけど、ここではコーチたちが振り付けしてくれる。技のやり方、演技の仕方も違う。また、チーム内の女の子同士の関わり合い方も全然違う 。日本の文化では年上に常に敬意を払う必要があり、年齢差がわずか1年であっても敬語で話さなければならない。 「シニアの生徒も私にタメ口でフレンドリーに話してくれるのには驚きました。」

UCAナショナル・チャンピオンシップは、優帆さんにとってアメリカで初めての大会だった。とんでもなく緊張していたという。しかしすべて上手くいった。チームワークのお陰だ。「私がとても緊張していたとき、チームメイトとコーチが私に勇気をくれました。いっぱい練習したから大丈夫大丈夫！って。 」優帆さんはイーグルスが3位入賞したときの気持ちを語ってくれた。 「日本で賞をもらったことがなかったので、めちゃくちゃ嬉しかったです。」

個人的に私は、優帆さんが第二言語として英語を勉強しながらアカデミックの授業に出席し、毎日練習しなければならなかったことがどれほど難しいか知っているので、彼女をとても誇りに思う。彼女の挑戦は始まったばかり。これからどんどん成長していく彼女を見守りたいと思う。

A Japanese Cheerleader Who Has a Big Dream

Her Journey from Tokyo to Kansas City

As an international student, I’ve been asked so many time why I came here. Each international student has own unique reason to study abroad. I’m not going to lie, it’s not easy to stay here without family and friends. Especially in the beginning, if you can’t speak English fluently, it’s very hard to keep up with academic classes. There is a Japanese girl who is in the Avila cheer team, the Eagles.

Yuho Kanda is a freshman at Avila University and was a part of the team when the team competed at the UCA National Championships in January in Orlando, Florida. The Eagles brought home their third consecutive top three finish in the Open All-Girl Cheer division. Yuho is 19 years old and from Tokyo, Japan. She has begun cheerleading when she was 16 as she entered high school. “My big sister used to be in the cheer team so I guess it was natural for me to follow her steps,” Yuho said. She had opportunities to enter some cheerleading competition in Japan while she was in high school, however, she had not been awarded a prize unfortunately. After graduation from high school, she’s decided to study abroad and continue cheerleading in the United States.

Since she started her freshman year last semester, she has been in the cheer team.

Yuho wanted to be in all-girl cheer team and also was looking for the team that does three high pyramid. The Eagles was just a perfect match for her. She realized there are so many differences between Japan and the U.S through cheerleading. In Japan, students had to choreograph dance by themselves, but in here, coaches choreograph and she just needs to remember the number. The way they perform, how they practice are different. Also how the girls in the team interact each other is totally different in between Japan and the U.S. In Japanese culture, you need to show respect to older people always. You have to talk in a polite way to others even if the age difference was only one year. “I was surprised that how senior students were friendly to me,” Yuho said.

The UCA National Championships was the first big competition for Yuho in the U.S. She got nervous and shaking. But everything went perfectly. It was all because of team work. Yuho said, “when I was so nervous, my teammates and coaches gave me courage. They told me that I would do great.” She told me how happy she was when the Eagles won third prize. “I never had been awarded a prize in Japan, so I was filled with a feeling of accomplishment!” Yuho proudly said.

Personally I am so proud of her because I know how hard it must’ve been for her to study English, attend academic classes, and practice every day. Her journey has just begun, and I know she will accomplish something great more in the future.