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日本語に直すと恥ずかしいのでそのまま載せます。
以前書いたヨーロッパのドッグスポーツ専門のWebマガジンでのインタビュー記事です。

Interview with Yachi Hirai
by DOG SPORTS MAGAGINE

Q)
You are from the Northern Japan , there is a lot of snow , this make you start your mushing carrer, isn't it right?

Yachi)
Right. My first imagination of Dog Sports was mushing.
After I got Siberians Huskies, I trained them by skate board.
And learned many things from them.

Q)
The musher career is very expensive expecially if you from the Japan go to Alaska for a competition. If I'm not mistaken in the 2006 you went to Fairbanks, Alaska .How it was?

Yachi)
Yes, it was so expensive. I spent more than $40000 for that travel.
・・・・・
It was miserable travel for me.

When I was racing in 6dog class, I could keep my team Top10 in Alaska USA.
8dog class also.
I thought my team could be Top10 easily in Open class.

But Open class was totaly different.
After 2years hard training in Japan, I could not find any injured dog in my 22dogs team.
Then I chose best 14 dogs for Open North American Championship .
(One of the best world title)
I arrived at Alaska with them after 8days hard travel.

I started train them again.
It happened from the first training.
Every time I finished the training, I found one or two limping dogs.
Trail in Alaska was so hard and tough for my Japanese dogs.
I could find only 7 fine dogs in my team, I almost gave up before the race.

So I don't think to tell about my miserable experience in Last Alaska. Hahaha.

(But I always think about "revenge". Some day, before I am dead I will build up new team and race with them.)

Q)
Tell me a little bit about your start in discdog.
What has fascinated you in discdog at the biginning?

Yachi)

I used to be a freestyle skateboarder when I was young.
I skated everyday. Every night and day.
Freestyle skateboarding is skate on the flat land with music.

One day, I went to movie theater and watched a movie of American new sports.
There was a black&white dog catching Frisbee in the air.

I felt this is the sports just for me. I can do it.
But I could not find any information about that sports.
15 years later, I started frisbee dog sports.

I was 37years old already.

Q)
Do you remember your first competition?

Yachi)
I remember I was nervous and my fingers were trembled.

Q)
After many years of presence at major competitions.
What was the competition that remained most in the heart ?

Yachi)
Every single competition was important for me.

Q)
How is growing the Japanese disc dog scene...Or how has grown the scene after your first competition until today?

Yachi)
Before USDDN Finals we could not participate World Finals in USA.
The reason why we were not American citizens.

I participated some local World finals, but it was not good enough for Japanese.
There were no rule we felt. We asked about rules but no answer at that time.
Only USDDN had the answers.
And they opened the door for not American players.

Now we have rules that same as USDDN.
It made Japanese players so good.
Because we have no doubt about the rules.
This is most important for Freestyle sports.

There are so many great teams in competition of Japan.


Q)Someone said that you don't win with luck but with the skills. At most you can have bad luck and can't prove what you have learned with your dogs. What do you think?
Luck can play an important role in competitions or not ?

Yachi)
Maybe good person get good luck. I am not. Hahaha.

Q)
How do you feel when you see someone win a competition using to the advice you gave him ?

Yachi)
I am proud of it.

Q)
What do you think: Which major differences you see between the discdog in Europe ,Japan and in the USA?

Yachi)
European have a lot of skills. Only they need is the experience of tough competitions.
I think 10 very good team in Europe.

There are so many good players in USA. But most of them do not compete any more. They just do Demo for .....
We don't have to think about them. Just wait for them to come back on the field.
Just 10 very good teams in competition field. 10 more very good teams in Demo field in USA. And 10 more retired very good players.

15very good teams in Japan.
Especially their smooth transition is different from the other countries.

Q)
Seen you're coming from Japan I need to do this question. For Sharpening techniques in discdog you draw inspiration or use some martial arts techniques?

Yachi)
Maybe yes.

Q)
What is your vision (the future) of this sport in Japan?

My own?
I will make Dog Sports School for world young generation.
What do you think?
I like to teach young people so much.


Q)
Favorite trick?
Yachi)
Transition/Safety Vault/Flip/Dog Catch/Foot works/etc.

Q)
Can you give our readers some tips that they should remember when training their dog?
Yachi)
Your dog has its own good point. Look for it. Polish it. Keep on playing this sports.

Q)
Thank you so much for taking the time to do this interview! Do you have anything else you would like to add?

Yachi)
Melissa Heeter.
I am 56 years old very experienced person in this sports..
I can say she is the person we can trust.

Thanks a lot.

by dogtownfactory | 2013-01-18 15:19 | dog sports