AIU Rugby Team needs your support~let's raise our school spirit!
Hello everyone! I know this is all of the sudden, but I would like you to think about the following: How much do AIU students know about AIU? Of course, there are lots of things about AIU, such as teachers, friends, etc, but how much do you know about each other's activities? You may know that your friends are working hard in their respective fields. However, there is not much opportunity to talk about what they actually do and why they are doing it. Therefore, we are planning to focus on the students who are doing various activities, and disseminate it. To begin, I would like to focus on the AIU Rugby Club for the first memorable article. Recently, AIU students are not informed about the AIU Rugby Club and the fact that they are doing their best. Certainly, there are some who see Rugby team practicing early in the morning as well as the various posters that are recruiting supporters to come watch their games. However, we don’t really know what kinds of emotions they go through when they are practicing and how they feel when such few people have actually went to watch their games. So in order to let you know about the actual situation of the rugby team, we will cover the third round of the official game between the Tohoku district university rugby league in Ogata village, Akita which occured on Sunday, September 24th.
The opponent is Akita University who is ranked No. 1 in the second division league. (As of October 11) Derby fight between universities in Akita prefecture, a fight that cannot be defeated.
The result was a loss with a score of 14-41. In the first half we folded back at the 4-point behind, but the latter half was greatly pulled apart. However, the players were running and tackling each other, raising their adrenaline and having fun.
This time I got to talk with Tsuyoshi Enokida, the captain of the rugby club, Ivan from the United States who joined the rugby team starting this term, as well as Halie Baker and Tomoki Orita who came to the game to support the team.
Tsuyoshi Enoda, the captain of AIU Rugby Team
- How do you look back on today's game? Regarding the contents of the game, as I was saying from the previous time, it was a challenge from the first two matches of the season that the first half will get a difference in experience in the second half even though the flow is good. I was aiming to firmly rebuild it from their own good play, but again the game flow has been intensified because of few experienced people. Although the team has a strong momentum as in the first half, once the team gets worse, it gets disappointed and you have to rely on experienced individual play and it gets tried as a result of failure The shape was seen as an issue in how many matches here. I think that the current state of the team is that the experience of the opponent is beyond their team power.
-Can you tell us what you do for next game? The strength of the AIU Rugby Club is Hungry Spirit born from practice in the place where there is no uniqueness in any other Tohoku team, no coach, no ground. Certainly, the opposing team has drivers and coaches, but I think that we do not have it and I think that it is a very disadvantage part. However, their goal is to have the team's ability to be nourished in the disadvantaged situation outperform the opponent team's experience. The remaining two games are teams that have been playing a very good game last year so we do not depend on themselves on the individual's power but I think I want to win with the team power that I have nurtured. Without exercise departments that are active in AIU, I gathered members hard and managed somehow. In addition, as people who support them increase little by little, so that people can play the game "I thought it was nice to see it", and more than anything more than two more to win the league, I would like to hold out one game at a time.
- Do you have any thoughts and comments on AIU? I think that the representatives of each group can work harder if there are people who support them. Also, there are many people who are working individually, but the work of the people (leaders) has become quite large. It may be unavoidable since AIU has been built and there is not that system in more than ten years, but I think that public relations are important for those people to cross the wall. There is a person who works hard in this way. "When" Let's go for cheering by all AIU students ", school love like AIU students tend to lack will also be cultivated. I also think that it would be good if I could see more people by looking at everyone's face differently and supporting them. And I'd be happy if I could be the rugby club itself with that kind of power, so please let me know whenever I can cooperate.
Ivan Sanders, an exchange student from the United States of America
-Why did you join rugby team?
I joined the rugby team because of the passion of members toward rugby. I never played rugby, never really watched rugby, and don't know anything about rugby. However, they were very persuasive and would always ask me to come join. Eventually I was worn out so I joined the team and I love this team. These guys are great.
-How did you feel about this game? Even though we lost, I think that as a team we know that we're really good and we're probably the best team in Akita, but we're young team so we still need more experience and more support. I mean, look at where these guys have come. They established their team by themselves, they got into a division to compete with other universities and now they're in division two and it's just great.
-Do you have any messages to AIU students? Yeah all the AIU students and all the international students come support us. We're the only school team and we lack support. We want people to come show us love. We're just out here by ourselves. I think the games are fun to watch. It's not that expensive and especially for internationals. You're only here for at most a year so experience Akita, experience Japan and Japanese culture and Japanese rugby.
I also interviewed to exchange students who came to support AIU Rugby team.
Ambereise McElrath, Halie Baker, Emma Lavelle, Elizabeth McKegney
-Why did you come to game today? Mostly because I went to the last game and then I just wanted to cheer on the team again because I feel like they really deserve that encouragement and to see people on the sidelines cheering for them.
-How did you feel this game? It was a really good game even though we lost. I felt like they really showed themselves playing against a team they really wanted to beat and I just felt really honored to be on the sidelines watching it happen. Even though we didn't win it's kind of like you win in defeat even though you didn't actually win the game.
-Do you have any messages to AIU students? Come to the games because they're much more interesting and much more exciting than you think they are. You learn a lot more about the team; they're way more welcoming than you think. Just put yourself out there, just go to a game and you'll make many more friends and be able to meet more people, go more places than you didn't think to go. I never would have come here if not for the rugby team so definitely get yourself out there and go to the games. Don't hold anything back; you're only here for a certain amount of time. Keep going.
Next is an interview with Tomonori Orida, a one-year international student from the Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University.
- Why did you come to the game of rugby today? First of all, I was invited by a friend in the rugby team, which is why I came to the game to see the rugby match. I heard that the rugby team are doing their best through rumors, so I thought that I wanted to see it once in person, and came. - How was it when you actually came? Everyone was more awesome than I imagined. From now on I think that I would like to be more involved by going and supporting future games and I'd be happy if the rugby club gets even stronger.
~ AIU Rugby Club Travel Tips ~ Rugby league games begin every September and plays five games in total. Last season, the AIU Rugby Club won the whole league in the Tohoku district university league 3 division and also won two promotional games, and got a ticket for the second division. Currently we digested 4 games in division 2, with a record of 1 wins and 3 losses, and we are struggling through tough circumstances. Now you all know the charm of rugby and if you’re interested in going to support them, then good news for all of you! At the upcoming 10/15 (Sunday) Shinya, there is the final game with Hirosaki University currently tied with AIU at 4th place! This game is the last opportunity to support the rugby club for this year, so let's all go and support the AIU Rugby Team!
Next Game (The last game of this season)
Akita International University vs Hirosaki University
Date: October, 15 (SUN) 13:30~
Place: Araya Athletic Field
This is the official event page of Rugby game on Sunday.
https://www.facebook.com/events/179306765975550/?active_tab=about