Volleyball in Takko

So it has been brought to attention in previous entries that I am part of a intramural volleyball program here in Takko. Ladies and gentlemen, it is my extreme pleasure to introduce to you the very talented men and women of Pi Young (a Japanese ramen brand)! For the past few years, this is the team that the CIR has played with every volleyball season. Some of my dedicated readers may recall an entry from the beginning of my time here that mentioned a farewell party for Patrick from his volleyball team...it's fair to say that this same party was like an initiation for me as well.

I was eager to begin volleyball season because as we all know, I'm not the most dedicated person to exercise unless it's some kind of organized class and/or team event. I simply can't find the motivation to go out and run around the block a few times (especially now that the temperatures are dropping below freezing...well, they feel like it). So when the season finally began, I was eager to jump right in. Incidentally, the season landed right in the middle of Garlic & Beef Festival and the Jr High trip to Gilroy. The month of October really took it out of me, and I barely made any practices and games. When I returned, however, I bounced right back, but was disappointed to find out that the season would be over in a couple of weeks.

Well, the couple of weeks have came and went, and tonight is our last game. The end of the season is when you go over stats of the players, right? Well, let's review stats, shall we?

I believe the last time I actually played a game of volleyball was in a PE class in high school. I wasn't good then, and I haven't gotten any better. The good thing is that my time isn't exactly ready to enter the Olympics or anything, so I know I'm not at the bottom...most of us are pretty evenly matched. I've played in maybe five games total, three of which I *think* we've won. We played last night, but I only played for the last ten minutes and had nothing to do with our success...in fact, I was part of the reason the other team almost caught up with us (in my defense, I didn't have time to warm up). Anyway, my serving record is pretty accurate; I usually screw up when I've psyched myself out, but I'm definitely still in "under-hand serve" territory.

The rest of my team is a hodge podge of people...like most of the teams in the league, ours is made up of family, friends and coworkers. Three of my teammates are coworkers of mine, and the rest are family and friends mostly from the Kamigo area, a small village right outside of Takko. Technically, Kamigo is part of Takko, but referred to with a different name. Think Almaden, all you Bay Area folk...

Our littlest teammate

So while none of us are really professional, there are a few who are pretty damn close. Mieko's husband, Tomo, has some skills and we also have a kid from the high school on the team whose mother works at the Garlic Center too...he's on the volleyball team at school and has a very scary spike. I'm thankful to be on his side of the net. Pretty much everyone has the ability to pass and set, but the ones with the upper body strength are able to follow through with an actual hit.

Anyway, my volleyball career was short lived in Takko, but the best part is yet to come...the end-of-the-season party on Saturday. We may not have been able to play for long, but I know that this group means business when it comes to parties. I'm looking forward to it!

In other news... Besides my participation on the volleyball team, I'm also taking Japanese dance classes (Nihon Buyo) and we are currently preparing for a show (happyokai, actually!) for early February. More on that soon!

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