Having Resolve.

Hello. This is Rintaro Yano.
As time flows slowly during the off-season,
it is also a time when I often spend time thinking.

I learn a lot every year as a player, but
today I would like to write about the value of "resolve," which I hold very dear.

Having resolve. It is simple to put into words, but when I articulate it specifically, this is how I think about it.
• Having a firm sense of purpose as to why I am doing it.
• Deciding to see it through no matter what, even without any guarantee of the future.
• Accepting that regardless of the outcome, I will discard all excuses and take responsibility myself.

After finishing last season, six years have passed as a professional.
I don't think it has been a long career, nor has it been smooth sailing.
The time spent not going as planned was overwhelmingly greater.

I think there is only one reason why I, who did not have any significant achievements before entering the professional world,
have been able to continue playing on the Asia League stage until now.

The day I decided to return to the ice after graduating from university and working at a regular company for a time.
The moment I jumped into the professional world with the Yokohama Grits, I made a resolve within myself.

"I will live as an ice hockey player. I will make that choice the right one myself."

This resolve is what keeps me going today.

The days at Yokohama Grits, where I struggled to balance work and ice hockey while aiming to be top-tier in both.
The time at Tohoku Free Blades, where I kept telling myself that if I didn't produce results here, it would be the end.
The days at Icebucks, where I struggled and kept fighting when things didn't go as I wanted.

Nights when I was scratched and couldn't sleep a wink.
Nights when I only got one shift even after making the bench, and ran until I collapsed after the game.
Days when I continued training, believing in a future where I could play, even without a contract for the next season.

There were many times when I couldn't see what lay ahead.
"If I weren't playing ice hockey, I wouldn't have to feel this kind of pain."
I thought that many times as well.

Every time I was about to stop in the darkness, what pushed me forward in the end was not someone's words or the environment, but the "resolve" I had made with myself.

I believe that when people engage in something without resolve, they easily look for an escape route.
They blame the environment or luck for why things aren't going well, or try to protect themselves somewhere.
I myself still have moments where I feel like doing that.

But a person with strong resolve is different.
They do not blame others and can always keep fighting by directing the vector toward themselves.

Whether it is a difficult environment like the first year of a new entry, or an unwanted injury,
if you can accept everything as "where you are now," your footing will not waver even in the strongest headwinds.
That resolve, having discarded excuses, will pave the way in the end.
I realized this through the days I fought last season with Stars Kobe, which newly joined the Asia League.

In the world of competition, no matter how much effort you put in or how much resolve you fight with,
I believe that the time spent unrewarded is overwhelmingly greater.
For me, the moments I could truly feel "rewarded" are maybe 1% of my ice hockey career so far.
The remaining 99% were times that were painful, frustrating, and made me hate my own incompetence.

Even so, I have no regrets about the days I took responsibility for my decisions and staked everything on the challenge.
Those days
give me the certain realization that I am truly living my own life.

As long as I have that realization, I can face forward regardless of the result.

That is why I will continue to face ice hockey with resolve from here on out.

As long as I continue to play ice hockey, I believe that tough battles and painful times will definitely come.
However, I am prepared to accept all of it.

My resolve may still be immature,
but I will fight to make it firm.

I wrote this in the hope that these values I hold dear might be a hint for someone, even if just a little.
It took me a long time to articulate this myself.
And even now, I am in the middle of polishing my resolve.

Let us fight with resolve together and live wonderful lives.

Thank you for reading.

Rintaro Yano