Our Town Inagi 2023: Athletes Excelling in Sports

50th San Tama Club Soccer Championship Victory! Inagi Poires

The Inagi Poires, representing Inagi City, won the tournament held in Hino City and other locations in February and March.

When asked about his thoughts on the tournament, Mr. Taiya Hosaka (23, from Inagi, third from the left in the back row) said, "This is my third time participating in this tournament, and I am finally happy to have won." Captain Mr. Ippei Kobayashi (23, living in Koyodai, second from the left in the front row) said, "It was a wonderful memory to win, especially since it has been difficult for the members to gather as they have become working adults."

The winning club this time has secured a spot in the next tournament and expressed their goal for the future, saying, "We want to win the next tournament as well and achieve consecutive victories."

8th National Mizuno Cup Junior Selection Soft Tennis Championship Team Competition Champion! Individual Competition Runner-up! Nakamura Tomoki and Ogawa Rentaro Pair

At the tournament held in Yokkaichi City from March 29 to 31, Mr. Nakamura (right in the photo) and Mr. Ogawa (left in the photo), a pair from Inagi Dai 3 Junior High School (then 2nd year students), won the team competition and placed second in the individual competition.

When asked about their thoughts on the tournament, both Nakamura and Ogawa reflected on their frustration, saying, "I was very disappointed to lose again to the opponent I was defeated by in the prefectural tournament during the individual finals."

We asked the two of them about their future goals. Nakamura said, "I want to participate in the national tournament (National Junior High School Soft Tennis Tournament) where I have never competed in a team event before. Also, I want to reach the top 8 or higher in the individual competition at the national tournament." Ogawa strongly expressed, "I want to participate in both the team and individual competitions at the national tournament and leverage the frustration of not being able to compete until now to rank among the top in the nation in future tournaments."

5th All Japan Sports Wellness Blowgun Team Championship 6m Class Champion! Toyotarou Tsuji, Kiyoshi Suzuki, Hideo Tatino, Hiroshi Yuasa

At the tournament held on May 23 at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium, Mr. Tateno (68, resident of Nagamine, second from the right in the photo), Mr. Tsuji (74, resident of Momura, first from the left in the photo), and Mr. Suzuki (79, resident of Koyodai, second from the left in the photo) won the championship in the 6m class team competition.

This team was formed by Mr. Yuasa, the president of the Inagi City Sports Wellness Blowgun Association (79, residing in Nagamine, first person from the right in the photo), who selected outstanding athletes from within the city. The three athletes were beginners with about one year of blowgun experience, but under Mr. Yuasa's guidance, they underwent intense training for two months and achieved a remarkable victory.

The future goal of the four members is to win the team competition in the 8m class and the individual competition in the 10m class at the national tournament.

12th National Men's Neo Hockey Tournament Champion! Hirao Floorball Club

On June 25, the Hirao Floorball Club won the men's division for the first time in three years at the Saiden Chemical Arena (Saitama City Memorial Comprehensive Gymnasium).

Captain Wada Kohei (24, residing in Hirao, front row left in the photo) expressed his joy, saying, "I was happy to win because it was my first tournament as captain." On the other hand, there were moments when he showed regret, saying, "I was disappointed that my mistake in the final match gave the opposing team the first goal."

Mr. Ken Iijima (49, resident of Hirao, center front in the photo), the founder of the Hirao Floorball Club and a member of the championship team, expressed his future goals, saying, "There will be a national championship this winter, so I want to participate with this team again and win."