The story of when I, with my limited vision, joined the rhythmic gymnastics club.

~Longing for beauty and coolness: Joining the rhythmic gymnastics club~

During my junior high school years, I belonged to the rhythmic gymnastics club, which was known for being particularly strict within the school and had experience competing in the Kanto tournament in both group and individual events.

The reason I decided to join that club, famous for its strict hierarchy and overly rigorous training, was that my heart had been stirred by the Olympic events I watched when I was in the upper grades of elementary school.

I don't know if it's because of my low vision or just my natural sensibility, but since I was small, I have always been moved by things that are glamorous and flashy.

That is why, when I watched the Olympics, the sight of athletes dancing across the floor while twirling colorful ribbons was so beautiful and cool that I felt an impact that couldn't even be described by the word 'moved'.

'I'm going to join the rhythmic gymnastics club!'

My mother and the others weren't surprised at all by those words coming from me—someone with low vision who couldn't see nearly as well as others—and were instead overjoyed.

'That sounds fun! Your late grandmother also said that rhythmic gymnastics would suit you, Riko.'

They gave me such a surprising push of encouragement.

Because of that, my passion for rhythmic gymnastics grew and grew, and without feeling any anxiety or worry, I was simply looking forward to it.

And then, the long-awaited junior high school entrance.

I still remember the day I submitted my club application, skipping with excitement because my dream was finally coming true as soon as I entered school.

Little did I know what a difficult and grueling three years were about to begin.

~Days of hard training~

When we first-years joined, there were about five seniors each in the second and third years.

Because of the strict nature of the club, it seemed that every year there were people who quit in every grade, and those who remained were seniors who performed wonderful routines at the Kanto and prefectural tournaments.

Our class had 11 members.
We were first-years who had joined because we admired the wonderful seniors. It seemed that the seniors and teachers thought that by the time we reached our second and third years, some of us would have dropped out (especially me?), but the fact that not a single person quit over the three years was the pride of our class.

Immediately after training started, I didn't even feel that the club was strict; every day was just pure fun.

I felt great happiness every day being able to watch the wonderful dancing of my seniors.

Even with my low vision, I could watch the seniors perform from right up close in the gym, so I was able to be deeply moved. (Though when it came to competitions, I struggled because I couldn't see anything at all.)

Every day, I couldn't help but enjoy the new bar lessons and dance practice.

However, I gradually began to feel the severity of it as well.

We had club activities almost every day after school. I think people imagine rhythmic gymnastics to be glamorous and not particularly grueling, but in reality, it was an extremely intense athletic environment.

On Tuesdays and Thursdays, about two or three days a week, we had bar lessons (basic ballet training), practiced various movements, and rehearsed dancing to music.

On these days, professional coaches and our faculty advisor would come to provide strict guidance.

At first, my body was very stiff, so I made an effort to become more flexible at home, such as by doing stretching exercises after my bath every day, but the stretching during club practice was especially tough.

We had a time where we would pair up to push each other's bodies or sit on top of one another, and when the coach came over to me, they would push down hard as if to say, 'You can still go further,' so I would grimace and go 'Ugh' every time. Perhaps because I was stiff, they showed no mercy.

Also, there was always time for the seniors to watch us dance and tell us what to fix, and since I wasn't very good and didn't pick things up quickly, I was always nervous.

On weekdays other than the days for bar lessons and such, we had practice menus like the track and field team, which were very hard.

Running more than 10 laps around the school (running continuously for 45 minutes to an hour), 100 sit-ups, 100 push-ups, 100 double-unders... we would complete such a menu about two days a week.

I wasn't good at short distances, but long distances weren't that painful for me, so running wasn't a problem, but even so, since we ran on both hot and cold days, I thought it was tough.

More than that, the sit-ups and other exercises after running were painful. Since I wasn't good at sit-ups, push-ups, or double-unders, I was always one of the last to finish, and by the time I was done, I would be exhausted.

Even so, after the tough practice, the time spent chatting with friends and walking home together was truly fun, and when I recall the scenery of walking while looking at the sunset, it feels so nostalgic that I feel like I could time-slip back to those days.

There was fun amidst the severity of daily practice, but after continuing for three years, there were times I wanted to quit.

Looking back now, I can say from the bottom of my heart that I'm glad I didn't quit.

When I was there, at that place, that time was absolute.

But now that I have long since passed that point, I feel that because I chose rhythmic gymnastics, which I wanted to do even with my poor vision, danced with the ribbon in individual competition, and gave it my all, I am who I am today.

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