Thank you! Shortly after I returned from Paris, there was an alumni match for the Aogaku Women's Volleyball Club, where I met Takahashi's mother for the first time in a long time and had a fun conversation. Takahashi is the vice captain, isn't she? Congratulations on winning the Kanto University Women's Division 1 League this fall and coming in second at the All Japan Intercollegiate Championships.

I always had the thought, "I want to win!", and I worked hard at practice and matches throughout the season. Spring and fall league matches, the East Japan Intercollegiate Championships, and the All Japan Intercollegiate Championships, which is the championship for the top university in Japan. Every year, I fought to win every single match to get there.

At that time, we were not a training club, and there were only three or four members from each grade. But each member had their own personality. Some were very competitive, while others didn't care much about losing. Although we all had different personalities, I think we were a team that accepted the personalities of the other members and moved forward toward "winning." We were able to communicate with each other regardless of grade, and the atmosphere was good.

Great! It's the tradition of Aogaku Women's Volleyball Club that the desire to win of each individual makes the team stronger, not the relationship between seniors and juniors. When I was a first-year student, our fourth-year ace attacker played a great role and we won the spring league. From the following year, we had to work hard so that people wouldn't say, "We're weaker now that our ace is gone," but when a dozen or so members of the club came together with the desire to win, before we knew it, we were known as the "ever-winning team."

That's right. How to spend these two days off was up to each individual, and they spent it in various ways, such as studying, working part-time, or practicing on their own. This may be unthinkable at other strong universities, but it is also a tradition at Aogaku.

That hasn't changed at all. Even in my time, the director and coaches valued independence. On top of that, we not only worked hard at our studies as students, but also went out and worked part-time, doing things that college students do. We won at volleyball while enjoying college life. There was a unique "culture" that made people think, "Isn't this really cool and stylish?" In fact, I realized this after I graduated, but at the time I thought it was normal.

Of course I did. Simply put, in university volleyball, you can win depending on the enthusiasm of all the players. Although each individual player's technique is important, if your desire to win is stronger than your opponent's, you can beat teams that are slightly more technically skilled. However, in the top league, enthusiasm alone is not enough. Each individual must hone their playing technique and mental strength, and constantly compete with each other to improve. It may be said that making an effort is the minimum standard for a player.
It's such a tough world, so in the top league, it's important to first raise the level of your own play. In my university days, I played with the team's victory as my top priority, so I was confused by the difference in thinking.

Of course, it is important to hone your skills, but in the end, volleyball is a sport where you pass the ball to your teammates to score points, so I wondered what it would be like to be a player who only thinks about himself.

Although it is not good to be self-centered, I think that looking closely at yourself and striving for self-understanding is an essential skill for a player. However, on top of that, only those who can think about the impact of their play on their teammates, the audience, and even more broadly, on society, can be called professionals.
People who only think about themselves have no influence on those around them. People who can play for others while setting their own goals can influence the team and build a strong team, which will result in a higher win rate.
Even if you make it to the top league, please never forget the "joy of fighting as part of a team" that you are feeling now. And I want you to become a player who fights with the feelings of not only the other players on the court, but also the managers, coaches, staff, players who couldn't play in the game, and the people who support you.

In beach volleyball, which is the sport I play, there are only two people on the court, so it may be even more important to play as one. If one of us is not doing well, everyone else will be targeting that person, so the pressure is intense (laughs).

I think that it is inevitable for any player to have ups and downs in their play. In my case, I first think about why I'm not doing well. Is it because I'm not concentrating enough, or am I straining myself? First of all, it's important to accept that I'm not doing well and look at myself objectively. If you know that you will be like this in a certain situation, such as getting nervous in an important game or getting fired up in a close match, you can find a way to deal with it. There are many ways to deal with your teammates so that they can cover for you because you might be like this, even if you're not doing well, so that the team can win.

I focus on practice so that I don't overthink it and make it worse. Sometimes, when I touch the ball and coordinate my play with my partner, I start to enjoy it and get back on track. If you feel like you're at a dead end, it's a good idea to get someone involved and confide your worries to someone. It can be a teammate, or even a friend who has nothing to do with volleyball, and you might get some surprisingly good advice.

Right? Many of the players at Aogaku are good at thinking for themselves, so they tend to try to solve problems on their own without consulting others. That's not a bad thing, but expressing your worries and doubts in words often helps you organize your thoughts and clear your mind. Even now, I still have ups and downs in my condition, but I change my mood by meeting up with friends and chatting, or going out somewhere to get inspired. Oh yeah, I recently started yoga and got certified as an instructor.

At first, I had no intention of continuing playing after graduating, but as I continued to win, I naturally began to think about continuing volleyball. However, at that time, I was just vaguely thinking about getting married and retiring after playing in the top league for four or five years. For women, there are probably many concerns about how long they will play because of the issue of childbirth. Do you ever discuss your future with other members of the team, Takahashi-san?

That's great! Shohei Otani, the MLB player, also made a concrete plan for his life when he was in high school. I think it's very important to think about things like that.

I still had confidence that I could play in the top league, but the big turning point was that I gradually began to feel like I wasn't growing any more. I was no longer motivated to play, so I decided to just retire.
After I retired, I continued to work as a full-time employee at NEC for about six months, which was a good experience, but I gradually became dissatisfied with just desk work and could no longer suppress the desire to "move my body!" (laughs)...
At that time, a friend from my days as a player invited me to a beach volleyball match. I participated without much thought, but I won the match and had a lot of fun. In fact, my husband, who I married while I was still a player, was also a beach volleyball player selected for the Japanese national team, so after that, I naturally started to take beach volleyball seriously.

Yes, I'm still old enough to play, and I feel I can still improve my technique, so there's no reason for me to quit now. In beach volleyball, which is played by two people, I'm always involved in the game, so there are many things I can do to improve. I sometimes thought about quitting during the 10 years between switching to beach volleyball and the Paris Olympics, but I continued because I felt that there were things I could improve every day. I think I'm playing better indoors now (laughs).
However, in my life plan, I really want to have a child, and after giving birth, I would like to return to competition and aim for the next Olympics.

I think that's true! In my case, I also used the method of freezing my eggs to prepare for giving birth at an older age. Giving birth was always something I was worried about while continuing my sport, but after freezing my eggs, I felt more at ease and was able to concentrate on my sport.

Of course! I'm looking forward to it. I was also encouraged by seeing my juniors working hard today. Thank you very much!