Three factors” that enabled Rocco Solare to win the silver medal

The “nice” story behind the success of the team!

If I were to compare the girls to a group of Saiyans, I would say that they get stronger every time they lose (laughs). Like Goku, the main character of “Dragon Ball,” they have grown stronger and more resilient as a result of their defeats.

Soichiro Takeda, a sports writer who has been covering the national team since Team Aomori with Mari Motohashi took on the Vancouver Olympics in 2010, narrowed his eyes.

The Japanese women’s curling team, “Rocco Solare,” won the silver medal for the first time in Japan. What was it that pushed the girls to the final stage just four years after winning the bronze medal in the previous tournament? Mr. Takeda says, “A big factor was that they were prepared to win.

Yurika Yoshida (28), the first to throw the lead, is a craftswoman who does her job without hesitation. She is basically a quiet player, but in the semifinals, she had a shot success rate of 99%, a phenomenal figure. In the final, she said to her teammates, “Let’s not give up! I heard that she kept calling out to her teammates until the end. I think she has grown to be able to support her teammates by gaining experience and broadening her horizons.

Yuko Suzuki (30), the second player, is always natural and at her own pace. However, in the qualifying match against ROC (Russia), she cried because she was not satisfied with her play even though she won. The strength of her commitment to the game, which she does not usually show, came out. Chinami (30), the older sister of the Yoshida sisters, who plays third base, is like a big sister to all the members. She continued to inspire the members with catchy and positive words such as “Nice. There were many times when her positivity saved us.

Skipper May Fujisawa (30), who was in charge of the last throw for the team, was no less passionate about the competition.

She has a hobby of golf and photography and loves sake, but for the past four years she has been immersed in curling. Even when she’s off duty, she takes her curling-loving father to visit nearby facilities and studies videos of other countries’ games at home. He is a true ‘curling geek’ (laughs). With his overwhelming enthusiasm, experience backed up by data, and intuition for the game, he made super shots in many places in this tournament.

Takeshi Yamaguchi, who plays in the mixed doubles team with Fujisawa, cites his “refined communication skills” as a factor in his evolution.

In curling, it is important to understand the ice conditions accurately. In curling, the most important thing is to know the ice conditions accurately, but even the top players can’t read the ice conditions perfectly. That is why it is important for the team members to share their opinions and conduct objective analysis. Since the PyeongChang Olympics, “Rocco Solare” has basically kept the same members. Since last fall, we have been on a series of expeditions, mainly to Canada, and we have been living together for more than half a year. The communication skills nurtured in this process shone in this competition.

Because of the established prediction of ice conditions within the team, Japan was able to come out on top in terms of shot accuracy out of all 10 teams that participated in the qualifying round.”

Kotomi Ishizaki (43), who supported the team as the fifth man, was also a big help.

Ishizaki’s role included liaising with the team, meeting with coaches, and arranging snacks for ‘Mogumogu Time. Since he is a reserve, he has to play as a player in case of emergency. Having participated in the Olympics and having worked as a commentator for nearly seven years, Ishizaki has a wealth of knowledge. As the mental pillar of the team, he couldn’t have been a better person. He was recruited so enthusiastically that Chinami said, “I sent him love calls a thousand times,” and he officially joined the team in 2007. With Ishizaki as the last piece of the puzzle, I think “Loco Solare” was completed as a team.

In an interview after the final, Fujisawa said, “I’d like to spend the next four years thinking about the future,” and expressed his desire to go to the Olympics in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Milan. Her challenge for the gold medal will continue.

From the March 11, 2022 issue of FRIDAY