When you start snowboarding and enjoy your youth while skiing with friends, it's hard to remember the kids lessons, and few young snowboarders will remember.But when you have a boyfriend or girlfriend, have a family, and have kids, if you want your kids to snowboard, you'll find that there are fewer kids lessons and schools than you might think.And when it comes to the fulfillment of lessons, I think it's even less.
This time, we started KIRARA KAMP, which focuses on developing children's ability to voluntarily do fun things through snowboarding, Michiyo Hashimoto, who has participated in the Olympic Games, and KIRARA KAMP. I was able to hear that.
2002) Mr. Hashimoto, who participated in the XNUMX Salt Lake Olympics, could you tell us your path and career to get there?
He started skiing at the age of 24, decided to love skiing, became famous for skiing, saved money after graduating from college, got a working holiday visa at the age of XNUMX, and went to Whistler, Canada alone. rice field.
Let's participate in the Extreme Tournament and become famous!I thought, but due to the surrounding environment, I switched to snowboarding after only three days of skiing there.At that time, I set my goal to become a world-class rider if I turned to snowboarding at the age of XNUMX.
I used to ski with basic skiing and moguls, so I also liked jumping, but I was scared of jumping on skis.But jumping on a snowboard felt easier than skiing, and I used to ski with my snowboarder friends a lot, so it felt like I had an image.I was happy to switch to snowboarding and be able to do a lot of my favorite jumps.
Also, when I was a skier, I think that in Japan, I felt that there were many trends in which I went to the tournament after I got better, went abroad after I got better, and challenged to jump after I got better. When it becomes possible to ski, it is normal for anyone to challenge in the pipe or in the park, and skiers and bogens often try to jump, and such an atmosphere was perfect for me, so XNUMX I learned turns and fakies on my own in a week, and after XNUMX weeks I was able to get into the pipe and get out of the lip a little.
At that time, a snowboarding professional who was staying in Wisler said, "Isn't it still possible to go to the district tournament?" I thought I could go (laughs)
I thought I wouldn't have much time since I was 24 years old, so I skated for about 3 months while working as a dishwasher at a Japanese restaurant. I was in XNUMXrd place in a row, and in the summer of that year, I was introduced to a magazine called Snowing, which was at that time as an upcomer, and at the end of that year, Burton became a sponsor, and it was a year that somehow responded preeminently. It was an eye.
Perhaps I was snowboarding while speeding up on a big mountain called Whistler, so I think I was able to cope with the speed on the pipe immediately.After all, the height changes depending on the speed at which it plunges into the wall of the pipe, so I think it was my advantage that I wasn't afraid of that speed.
In the second year, I had to get a professional qualification to stand on the world stage, so I decided to go to the tournament while slipping in Japan and entered as an instructor at Iwatake Snowboard School, where I was not good at it. Understood, I practiced carving turns, hump slopes and short turns without doing pipes or parks, and practiced the basics firmly while being taught.But I couldn't get the result at the district tournament in the second year because I couldn't get on the board yet and felt like I could fly.
However, in the third year, I was able to get on the board firmly, I could not fly even if I flew, I won the professional selection that was recommended by a professional and got a professional qualification, I won the FIS tournament and I got XNUMXrd place in all Japan and became a national team I was able to enter.
She started snowboarding and already 2nd year, she was flying like this.
XNUMX) Did you already have the Olympics in mind from that time?
Actually, I didn't really think about the Olympics, but when I was in my second year of snowboarding, there was the Nagano Olympics, and I joined the national team the year after the Olympics, which is just right for the next organization. It was time.
At that time, there was no Japanese female snowboarder who could raise the height, so it was easy to enter, and it was very difficult to go around the X Games at that time, but the national team was accompanied by a coach. On the contrary, it was easy to set the standard for the Olympics for financial reasons and various other reasons.Also, there was a person who was a member of the Nagano Ski Association at the Iwatake Snowboard School at that time, so it was great to receive advice on how to move and what is the shortcut.
XNUMX) How was it when you actually participated in the Olympics?
It was a really brilliant day.Actually, I should have made it my number one goal to win a medal, but for me, I had the greatest desire to move people's hearts with my own slips.Of course, I answered "medal" in the interview, but I wanted to remain in people's hearts and afterimages.
There were a lot of people in the venue itself, but the fact that 9 million people could watch it on TV also raised my feelings.And the heat of the venue was also amazing.With the enthusiasm I had never experienced before, I was so excited that I was talking to Burton's Shannon Dan, who I was close to at the time, at the venue, and she said, "The Olympics are world peace. No matter how much war or anything. Even so, we are doing our best as one with a pure feeling for the same competition, so let's send the peace here too. "
She had enjoyed the Olympics.
XNUMX) After the Olympic event, did you have any new goals?
Originally the Olympics weren't the ultimate goal, but it happened that there was a standard there and I couldn't see anything after the Olympics.I think that the goal of being a world-class rider has somehow been achieved.The result was only 12th place.
Another thing I made a mistake was thinking "I have to give back" to the people who donated and helped me, and I was just thanking them right after the Olympics.
Actually, I should leave the result and give back with the grade, but I was really stupid.Then I felt that my heart was completely dry, and it became difficult to hear the "Olympic" "O", I couldn't laugh when I talked to people, and I cried every day.I thought this was unusual, and when I went to see a sports doctor, I was diagnosed with burnout.The Olympics in 6 years since I started snowboarding.I think that my own dreams quickly became the dreams of many people, and I think they were too tight.
So, thinking of nourishing my heart, I set out to escape to my favorite Whistler.After that, I hadn't slipped for a few months, and I had a job at a high cascade camp, so I went there. When I fell from the ground and noticed that I wanted to get up, I was paralyzed with the feeling that my right half of my body had disappeared, and although I moved for a while, I had gout-like pain in both hands and was carried by an ambulance.
When I went to a Japanese hospital, I had a major surgery for cervical disc herniated disk because I was in a place where I had general paralysis shortly afterwards.However, when my mind and body stopped, the troubles of snowboarding disappeared at once, and with a very satisfied mind and body, I came up with the idea of KIRARA KAMP.
After competing Olympics, She finds her lifestyle.
XNUMX) Please tell us about your activities regarding KIRARA KAMP.
KIRARA KAMP is also 12 years old this year. KIRARA KAMP started when I was a junior high school student and remembered that I wanted to live brilliantly.I wanted to stare at myself and live hard in what I love, because I can make mistakes.
After the Olympics, my next dream was to start KIRARA KAMP with the idea that "I want my favorite children to live hard and live brilliantly, and I want to help them."So, training players is not the goal, but rather using a tool called snowboarding, I wish I could be taught to work hard while interacting with children, so I thought it would be nice to be taught in the North American camp in the United States. Has a good image for me, and that's all I started with.
But when I first started, I realized that there weren't many snowboarders for children, so I started with a grassroots activity to increase the number of snowboarders for children.We went to Hiroshima and Kumamoto, and with the cooperation of resorts such as Burton and Alts Bandai, we carried out dissemination activities such as free lessons. At KIRARA KAMP, we will make a lot of different devices so that children can enjoy snowboarding with their friends, so I think that children will be able to do their best naturally.
And while I was doing my best while having fun with my friends, it completely caught fire, and next time I needed a place to announce, so I started to hold a tournament, and for children who want to work harder, there is still a place to train players. From the very beginning to the world, we started training from a few things so that we could connect with the world, and we made a kids snowboard movie to support the children who are doing their best. A program like this was completed to some extent around 2007.
She wants kids to have their own dream and let them trying something whatever they want.
XNUMX) One last word
I think one of the secrets to keeping snowboarding fun is changing gear.I used to ride only park-type boards, but now I have made a very new discovery by switching to free-run and powder-type boards, and I enjoyed skiing again.
I also think that it is important to be "taught".I think it's important to ask honestly if there is something you want to do, not something that you can do by overdoing it.Also, skiing with friends is an important secret to make it even more fun.There should be new discoveries in slipping with different members from time to time.I think the great thing about snowboarding is that everyone can enjoy the place even if they are at different levels, whether they are good professionals or children.Please give it a try!
She find the other fun of snowboarding. Yeah snowboarding is snowboarding.
For kids snowboard school, kids lessons, ski resort training campKirara Camp!
Interviewed and Edited by
