Veni Vidi Vici

Our last day with Beleza was both a happy one and a sad one. In normal fashion, we jogged around the outside of the training facility, warming up as we waited for practice to start. We stopped to exchange a few “Janglish” words with the fans that had come to watch our last practice. One fan, in particular, has always been very sweet to us, and we enjoy stopping to chat with her through the fence. She is a strong Beleza supporter and has offered me and Jo encouragement on many occasions. Our relationship with her is a funny thing, you know. We’ve only spoken a half dozen times, at games and through the fence at practice, and our vocabulary is equally as limited. In fact, language exchange has been a very small part of what we’ve accomplished here in Japan. Yet, we’ve built many meaningful relationships. It’s really a remarkable thing. We rely on facial expressions, body posture, big smiles, and a friendly tone of voice. On our last day, the fan had brought with her a present to give us after practice. ___________________________________________________________________ As we finished warming up, Mr. Hoshikawa called Jo and me over. Standing with him were Sawa and Shino. In a joint effort (mostly Mr. Hoshikawa speaking, Sawa translating, and Shino giggling), they informed us that we would be playing a four team, 5 v. 5, round robin tournament complete with futsal balls and mini goals! Mr. Hoshikawa and goalkeeper coach, Kazu, would be playing as well. Heck Yeah! After that, we would play a bigger match. Jo and I would be captains and responsible for choosing our own teams. Sound like fun? It sure was. ____________________________________________________________________ I don’t know if there’s anything more fun than mini goals and futsal balls. Add to that the skilled style and crafty thinking of the Beleza players and the thrill goes up exponentially. The games were fast and furious. For some girls the conventional seriousness of training began to melt away. There was an air of youthful jubilation, complete with silly jokes, goofy behavior, and laughs all around. My team jumped right in. We won; we lost; we cheered regardless of the score, and we had an absolute blast. ____________________________________________________________________ On a side note, Sawa’s team was stacked with offensive talent. I suspected she had a hand in choosing her team, and I was pretty sure they expected to sweep the tournament. As is often the case, on a team full of all-stars (Sawa, Naga, Jo, Shino, & Kazu), no one wanted to do the dirty work, and as the entire team crept forward, they were left exposed to the counter attack in the back. When one goal after another began to slip in, Sawa shouted to her teammates to fix the problem. In the end, however, overcome by a deeply ingrained sense of responsibility, she was left guarding the goal by herself. For Freedom fans wondering about the attacking prowess of Ms. Homare Sawa (as she is respectfully referred to in Japan), I hope one day you will have the pleasure of watching her play free of defensive burden. She is capable of having a stunning offensive presence, moving with remarkable speed and quickness, and her vision of the field is unmatched. ____________________________________________________________________ After the small sided tournament, battle/comedy show had ended, we divided into two teams. As captains, Jo and I both went for defenders first (unsurprisingly, the only undefeated 5 v. 5 team was almost entirely composed of defenders). Jo picked, “super model, Sudo” in the first round, and I picked “future business partner” in café Beleza, pastry chef, Toyoda. Here’s how the teams broke down: ____________________________________________________________________ Jo's team: TEAM PERSONALITY ____________________________________________________________________ Chiaki: aka “slow rabbit”. Also, the most likely player to trip (korobu), slip (suberu), or fall (ochiru) during the run of play, she is always the first to crack jokes. ____________________________________________________________________ Ganchan: aka Tako for life. Enough said. ____________________________________________________________________ Rumi: shy at first, but possessing a smile that can win you over without words attached. ____________________________________________________________________ Buchi: aka Gachapin, best friend to Muk (Jo), characters from what I believe is a beloved Japanese cartoon of old. ____________________________________________________________________ Kiryu: name sounds more like “kill you” when pronounced with an American version of a Japanese accent. She is also nicknamed, “the gazelle” because of her speed on the pitch. ____________________________________________________________________ Miku: the “pink panther”. Beleza’s colors are a combination of pink and green. Miku, unlike the WPS goalkeepers, eagerly sports her pink shorts and pink jersey. She rocks it with bright yellow shoes and catlike reflexes. ____________________________________________________________________ Hara: aka Inakamono, which in Japanese translates to “country bumpkin.” We learned this expression watching Hula Girls at Mai’s house, and we received strict instructions from Chi (slow rabbit) to use this phrase for Hara. ____________________________________________________________________ Misaki: like a sister. Soft spoken and caring, she was the first player to show warmth to me and Jo, and we will never forget her generosity. ____________________________________________________________________ My Team: BUSINESS BEFORE PLEASURE ____________________________________________________________________ Iwashi: aka Michael Jordan, “I’ve got ups, don’t mess with me.” ____________________________________________________________________ Sawa: unofficial team captain and center back king-pin for “Business Before Pleasure”. ____________________________________________________________________ Naga: Star forward turned goalkeeper. ____________________________________________________________________ Kinga: aka Camerrrrron Diaz and the energizer bunny. ____________________________________________________________________ Shino: Star forward turned right back. ____________________________________________________________________ Asano: aka Mickey Mouse gets my vote for “trendiest dresser” on the team. She’s like a less gothic version of Avril Lavigne. ____________________________________________________________________ Koba: an extra in the movie, “Pirates of the Caribbean”, took a blow to the face and was designated unfit to play until she no longer needed her eye patch. ____________________________________________________________________ And, last but not least… ____________________________________________________________________ Mai: aka Tako for life. Enough said. ____________________________________________________________________ Honorable mention: Yayoi, aka Paparazzi, still sidelined by significant pain and a relentless knee injury, watched from a bipartisan bench, cheering both teams and snapping pictures the whole time. ____________________________________________________________________ After a hard fought battle, complete with line changes, trick plays, nut-megs, football tackles, and many theatrical performances, the game ended in a 1-1 tie and destined for penalty kicks. Five to four, team “Business Before Pleasure”, took care of the business end of things and then celebrated like it was the World Cup. Team “Personality”, looking utterly surprised, had been completely distracted by each other’s playful banter and hadn’t noticed the score until just that moment. ______________________________________________________________ “Sasotte kurrete arigato”, said Jo. “Thank you for inviting me.” And, with that, the tears began to flow. All of a sudden, in three short words, Jo had reminded everyone that this was it. The wave of sentiment that followed was contagious, the tears as well, and before things deteriorated any further, Mr. Hoshikawa appeared, two zip-up coolers in hand, humming a trumpeters tune, presenting Jo and I with the coolers stuffed with farewell gifts hidden inside. ____________________________________________________________________ I could hear Sawa’s voice, echoing, “You’re going to cry.” And, I knew this wasn’t just any gift. Inside was a handful of things, Beleza gear, hats, coffee mugs (I have an international reputation for being an avid coffee drinker), stuffed animals, and so on. Two things stood out. One was a hand decorated canvas bag. On one side there was a soccer field with “FC Beleza” written diagonally across the front. On the other side was a Beleza jersey with the number 12, the number reserved for Beleza supporters, and our names written across the top. Inside the canvas bag was something truly remarkable. A handmade scrap book, each page decorated by two players, with pictures, a signed copy of their player cards, and a personal note attached. ____________________________________________________________________ I can’t begin to put into words what this book means to me, and I know Jo feels the same way. It’s an incredible testimony to everything we’ve done in Japan. We’ve seen so many amazing places and met even more amazing people. I have many lifelong memories from my time here, and thanks to the Beleza girls, I have a beautiful scrap book to commemorate my trip. Whenever I miss Japan I will look to my scrap book to remind me of all the fun I had and the wonderful friends I made. I hope someday I will have the chance to come back. ____________________________________________________________________ Watashi wa Beleza wo aishiteru! Beleza, I love you! ____________________________________________________________________