Dating a former professional baseball player husband at Hidakaya…Ayumi Kataoka’s confession “Overcoming two miscarriages and giving birth to her first son” A test of happiness

Ayumi Kataoka, 37, is the manager of the Ibaraki Golden Goals (GG) women’s baseball club team, which held tryouts on January 28, and seven female players, including a former member of the national team, passed the test. Kataoka, who is busy coaching both the men’s and women’s teams, has a partner with whom she shares her life and a one-and-a-half-year-old son.

However, there was a big ordeal before he could achieve “family happiness. Following on from Part 1: Ayumi Kataoka talks about the difficulties of coaching baseball and her thoughts on founding a women’s team, she looks back on her life.

Kataoka met her husband, Kota Kobayashi, a former professional baseball player (DeNa), in the summer of 2003.

Kataoka recalls, “I was having drinks with a female friend at my favorite bar in Tokyo. He (Mr. Kobayashi) was also eating at the same restaurant with another group. He would frequently come to the counter where we were to place orders, but there was something that bothered me. The tag from his dry cleaning was still on his collar.

So I told him, ‘Brother, the tag is showing,’ and he thanked me after we finished our drink. He also pointed out, ‘You are Kataoka-san, aren’t you?’ When I asked him how he knew me, he said, ‘I have played against GG before. He was studying abroad in Australia at the time, and he invited me to have dinner with him while he was temporarily back in Japan.

Shopping for food and cleaning

At first, they had dinner together lightly, but Mr. Kobayashi was attracted to Kataoka’s friendly personality and made a fierce attack on him. After a long-distance relationship between Japan and Australia, they developed into a full-fledged relationship.

At the time, it was right around the time he was opening his dream ramen restaurant in Tokyo, and I helped out in various ways, such as buying ingredients and cleaning the restaurant. It was physical labor, but I didn’t mind it. I always liked ramen. I also went out to eat with my date at restaurants such as Hidakaya. If it had been a fancy restaurant with a knife and fork, I might have been nervous, but since it was always Hidakaya, I was able to go out with him without being self-conscious.

The couple married in December 2005. However, an ordeal hit the couple. Kataoka suffered two miscarriages, one at the end of 2008 and the other in June 2009.

When the baby died, I felt like, ‘He’s gone,'” Kataoka said. But as time went by, my grief grew and grew. …… For a while, I would cry and swell up every day. Even in those times, he was there for me. When he had his surgery, he left work early and came to the hospital immediately. …… Thanks to him, I managed to maintain my emotional stability.

After going through a major ordeal, Kataoka gave birth to her first son in June 2010. He was a large, healthy boy. However, she was unable to go to work as a director until she had finished taking care of her child.

After I found out I was pregnant, I saved my work for two to three years,” Kataoka said. It was difficult to return to work if I was completely away from directing, so I kept in touch with the players remotely. The child is now one and a half years old. I am now able to travel long distances in the car with him, so I am gradually making visits to Inashiki City (in Ibaraki Prefecture, where “GG” is based).

One of the reasons I decided to start a women’s team this time is because I have gradually found a rhythm in my life with my child. I don’t want my son to become a baseball player in the future. I would just be happy if he is interested in it. It would be a little sad if he is indifferent to my presence on the field.

As a mother and a director, she is ……. Overcoming various adversities, she has finally found fulfillment in her life. Kataoka, who will be leading the new women’s team, is eager to return to the field as a player, saying, “I don’t know how many years it will be.