芝生化奮闘記

近くになる布勢運動公園で働いている小林龍一君がなんと日本代表でトリノオリンピックに行くことになっています。

彼とは数年前ニュージーランドからの高校留学生が鳥取に来ていた時からの付き合いがあります。この留学生は向こうの16才以下州代表の経歴で将来性が有望視されていた青年でしたが、スタートからのスピードが足りなかったです。

ダッシュ力を高めたいが僕には陸上の経験もないし、何をどう指導したら良いかがさっぱり分からないので、県体育協会に相談したら、小林君を紹介してくれて、9ヶ月間に渡り、彼が大変気持良く週2-3回の個人指導をしてくれました。

１８７センチ、９５キロと恵まれた体格の持ち主の小林君ですが、競技人口が非常に少なく、練習設備が県内になく、競技の相手が他県在住と言う決して恵まれているとは言い難い鳥取県生まれ育ちの彼がボブスレッドの世界強豪と真っ向から勝負を仕掛ける勇気をまず讃えたいです。

大いに暴れ回って、鳥取の実力を世界に見せつけてほしいです。

頑張れ、小林君！

An employee of the prefectural sports association, based at the local sports ground, was confirmed yesterday as one of Japan's representatives in the bob sled event at the Turin Winter Olympics.

I first met Ryuichi Kobayashi several years ago when I was looking after a young Kiwi high school exchange student (Gaz) who was playing in the Tottori Varsity rugby team I was coaching at the time. Already having played for his provincial U16 team before coming to Japan, this lad had tons of potential but his coach had identified his slowness to reach top speed from a standing start as a weakness to be rectified.

I have no experience of track and field events and would not know the first thing about how to coach the required skills. Thus I approached the local sports association for advice. The coach they recommended was Ryuichi Kobayashi, and he most generously agreed to provide one-on-one coaching for young Gaz 2-3 times a week for about nine months.

Ryuichi stands 187cm and weighs in at an impressive 95kg, and he is poised to challenge the world’s best bob-sledders despite the handicaps of a negligible bob sledding population in Tottori, no proper training facilities, and the fact that his competition partner lives several hundred kilometres away in Nagano Prefecture. I admire his courage.

I know he will give of his best, and bring my beloved Tottori to the world's attention.

Go for it, Ryuichi!