Ayano: the unforgettable memory with the team

Our AAA woman volleyball team ended the season in 2021 with a silver medal after playing against Charlottetown Rural. Congrats to all the members and a big thank you to all of the teammates that participated in the game, the honor belongs to you.

We invited team member Ayano Watanabe to talk about her volleyball experience with us.

 
She started to play volleyball when she was in junior high school back in Japan. 

“My mom used to play volleyball when she was in high school, so I was influenced by her”, said Ayano. 

 Ayano used to play volleyball with her mother when she was a child, so she began to get to know, and gradually develop, interest in it. The journey between her and the volleyball team started when Mrs.Nora, who is one of the school teachers, recommended her to join the team. 

When Ayano first came here, Mrs.Nora also introduced her to the coach. After more than a month of break-in, she and the team participated in this year's competition and also achieved good results.

Ayano has a lot of great memories about the team and practice and she shared that her favorite one is definitely the pump up activities they did before a game. They play songs, jump and sing to get their energy up.
Ayano talked about the difficulty she faced on the team, and she said that the most difficult thing for her was when she first joined our volleyball team, Ayano couldn't understand those volleyball terms in English, she only knew them in Japanese. So she tried to listen to her teammates and ask her volleyball coach.

 
Stress is a common and unavoidable topic for athletes. 

Ayano also shared her experiences of coping with stress. “I usually take a deep breath. And if my body becomes tense, I would jump a little to relax it. Talking is also a good strategy for me to deal with stress. While talking, I would focus more on the game, instead of the scores or other things that could stress me,” she said.

When asked if she had anything to say to her teammates and coaches, Ayano said she had a lot to say.

 “I want to say a big thank you to my wonderful teammates and coaches. They have helped me in many different ways. I really enjoyed being part of this team and playing the games.”

Interviewer: Sunny Sun

Reporter: Joyce Li

                  Sophie Liu

                  Sunny Sun

Interviewee: Ayano Watanbe

Editor:Charlotte Yu

Reviewed by: Mrs.Milton Charlotte Yu

Supervisor teacher: Mrs.Milton