慶應義塾体育会バレーボール部女子チーム　Official Website

Happy end of September to everyone! I am Kayo Kimizono from the Faculties of Economics (PEARL).

Hope that everyone is adapting well to the temperature changes these days. This may be my favorite time to train in the year. Not too hot nor too cold. I wonder if everyone has seen the moon in the past few days. It is so big and pretty!

A few days ago on September 21st  was the celebration of the Mid-Autumn Festival or 中秋节 (in Chinese) or 月見 (in Japanese). It is the second most important festival in China. I believe there are many differences between the Japanese and Chinese traditions so I would like to briefly introduce them today.

It is said that the moon during the Mid-Autumn Festival is the brightest and the most beautiful. Also, the full moon is a symbol of family reunions in Chinese culture. Therefore, on this day,
families from all over the world will try their best to gather and have a nice dinner.

Something that we will definitely eat on this day is the mooncake (月饼)( 月餅). The filling can be anything! From sweet fillings like red bean paste or ice-cream all the way to salty fillings like egg yolks or salted duck eggs. However, it is a little high in calories and sugar level so I would only recommend eating one! 


Apologies for the long talk about the festival but I wanted to bring this up because the main thing I want to focus on today is the Moon . It is widely known that the Sun is always the good person, giving warmth to others and bringing life to all. Whilst we tend to connect the Moon to darker, colder, mysterious or even bad characters like vampires. But I believe the Moon should get much more credits!

The Moon does not shine as brightly nor as warmly as the Sun. It also has dented surfaces and changes its shape frequently. It is not perfect. But these exact imperfections of the Moon prove that flaws can be perfect too.  Maybe next time instead of saying “reach for the stars” when we are striving for excellence, we should say “reach for the moon”. Because then, even if you miss it, you will land among the stars. Stay humble, aim high!

With all being said, I want to relate this to volleyball a little more. The moon shines brightest when no one else is watching. This applies to us as well. As a team, we have been continuously training hard in the past year despite many external factors coming in as obstacles. And with all the practices we had to prepare ourselves… our Autumn league has finally begun today after 2 years!

The next month will be like a 100m dash for us. The games will be taking place every weekend all through October and immediately after that will be our annual game against Waseda which will also be when our beloved 4th-year seniors graduate. We will cherish our last moments with them as much as we can!

You may find our Autumn league live stream and all other updates on our Instagram @keio_women_volley so please check it out! As a team, we will work hard and play hard. We are all very thankful for your support all along and hope you may continue the support!




本日の秋季リーグ初戦、立教戦の試合結果は
0-3 で本塾の負けとなりました。

Happy March everyone!! I am Kayo Kimizono, a first-year student from PEARL. I remember mentioning in my previous blog a few months ago about how fast time is passing but once again, I am astonished by the fact that it is already March. Perhaps it is because of the irregular training schedules we had due to the declared state of emergency in January and February yet things are really passing by in a blink of an eye.

Today marks the first week of us being able to go back to the gym to train in-person and personally, this week’s training was overall the best! Maybe it is because of the anticipation built-up during quarantine, the joy of not having to do online trainings and outdoor runs, or because we were excited to see the effects of the workouts we did during quarantine on court, to see our hard work being paid off. Nonetheless, I think the most important factor that made the first week back so special was the opportunity we were lucky enough to receive to get coached by and train together with the professionals.

On March 6-7, Yukiko-san a former beach volleyball Olympian became our coach for the weekend along with Riko-san, Haruka-san, and Maho-san who were the assistant coaches that trained together with us. When first seeing them from far away, I felt a strong aura from them that made me feel intimidated and scared to talk to them. However, as soon as they introduced their selves, their sense of humor and how down to earth they are immediately shifted my mindset.

One of the many things that made me admire them so much was how they were able to pinpoint my exact mistake by just looking at it once, and on top of that, they were able to give an accurate suggestion on what I should do differently to improve. Through these two days, I have received so so much valuable advice that I wish to just tattoo it on my brain so that I would never forget about it and be able to constantly review it while playing.

We were also introduced to a lot of new trainings that we can do in the future and received suggestions on how we can upgrade our current “menu” to make it more challenging. We still have yet to get the hang of many drills, however, when we see the professionals doing it perfectly right in front of us effortlessly, we were less “embarrassed” or self-conscious but more motivated to passionately work hard to get closer to the level that they are at. Not only do they have spectacular skills, their character and personality were also admirable which made them even more respectable. While being strict with different volleyball forms and positions, they are patient when teaching, allowing us to make mistakes and do it again and again until we get it right.

I would really want to take this chance to show gratitude towards Yukiko-san, Maho-san, Riko-san, and Haruka-san who devoted their time these two days to guide us and show us a level of volleyball which we have not reached yet. Thank you so much!

Currently, it is our spring break so many trainings are early in the morning. I am never a morning person but surprisingly I am loving it despite having to climb out of my bed in the morning. However, I have nothing to complain because some of the other freshmen have to wake up so much earlier than I do. They are actually my source of motivation to wake up in the morning! As a team, we are all working hard every day to achieve the small goals we have set for each day and the encouragement and smiles from my teammates makes every training even better!

Hope everyone has a wonderful March just like the cherry blossoms that will bloom soon!

 

A week ago, the trees on the way to our Hiyoshi Commemorative Hall has turned fully yellow. My mom has always wanted to see the beautiful view but I always replied with “maybe tomorrow during my off-day!”... In the blink of an eye, the leaves are already falling, piling up on the floor and yet I haven’t gone with my mom. 

Hello! I am Kayo Kimizono a first-year student in PEARL. This is my second time writing on this blog and I can’t believe it is almost my second month here. Talking about the trees just now reminds me of how fast time is passing by. The week before last week, our 4th-year seniors played their last game and it was an emotional day for the team. However, with all our unwillingness for our seniors to leave, we had to quickly prepare ourselves to start a brand new and exciting journey! 

With how fast time is passing, I realize the importance of making every day and training session  meaningful even in the littlest way possible. During our two training so far as team 2021, our seniors set a “daily goal” every practice so that we could improve little by little. I really do think this is effective and will keep on doing this during my training in the future.

This year our team slogan is 「まっすぐに、ひたむきに」. When translated to English directly from google it becomes “straight and dedicated”. I think “straight” is a way of thinking where all we keep in mind is volleyball and where we wholeheartedly devote ourselves into this sport. Hence, personally,  my translation for this slogan is “Devotion and Dedication”. The double D is also an easier catchphrase so that I can constantly remember this throughout this year whenever I am training! 

Though we have practice almost everyday, it still feels like we don’t have enough time. Just like the Hiyoshi trees, January will come by soon and then summer, and then 2022. Recently in our sessions, we are going back to the very basics and conditioning our body.It is such a good opportunity for me to learn from other teammates and improve my fundamental skills. Therefore, I will really cherish and make the most out of the present!!