Rivals get together

The sprint team has many promising rookies this year, and among them is Mr. Arashikawa. With a surprised expression, he said, "I never thought I would belong to the same team as my rivals." The freshmen of the sprint team are rivals from their high-school years. They knew each other by name and face. However, they are now living in the same dormitory (Higashi Toyota Dormitory) and seeing one another every day. So, no wonder he is surprised.

"Because everyone runs fast, I always have to run my best. So, I am regularly tired without even realizing it," Mr. Arashikawa, who practices with sincere effort everyday, said with a fulfilling smile. With a target in front of him, he naturally practices hard.

Mr. Arashikawa began track activities when he was a junior high-school student. One of his elementary school teachers happened to have a brother who was coaching the track team at the junior high-school. The coach recruited Mr. Arashikawa, who had excelled in sprinting in elementary school. Reflecting back on that time, Mr. Arashikawa said, "in fact, I wanted to play badminton.".

Inspired by the words of a senior at high school

Although Mr. Arashikawa had belonged to the track teams for 6 years throughout junior high- and high school, he said, "I was not very serious during junior high school. I only became serious after entering high school." He became serious partially because the seniors on the high school team were tough on the juniors. Most of all, he was frustrated by the words by one senior student, "you are not good enough to qualify for the inter-high school championship." After that, he began practicing very hard.

After the usual practice between 16:00 and 18:00 after classes, he would do muscle training until 21:00 in the school's training room. As a result, he qualified for the inter-high school championship during his first year of high school. During his third year, at the same championship, he ranked 5th for the 200m sprint.

When we asked him the difference between his high school and university days, he immediately replied, "The practices have changed." In high school, he followed an already-determined practice routine, which was mainly to build the physical strength needed in racing. However, in university, speed is emphasized, and he determines his practice routine by himself before competitions.

Self-reflection and steady progress

Mr. Arashikawa is aware that "his performance solely depends on him." He makes his own practice routine by observing his own pace. "I do not spoil myself, but I do not overwork myself, either."

When asked whether there is an athlete he looks up to as a role-model, he replied "none" after thinking awhile. "I am focusing on myself, rather than thinking about others," he said. His goal is very clear: to break "21.00 seconds for 200m and 10.43 seconds for 100m by the summer." I am sure Mr. Arashikawa, who is reflecting himself, will advance step by step.

(Student Reporter: Yoshiko Satake; 1st year student in the Faculty of Law)