For instance, this is the first time I've ever been to Asia. And this is the first time I've tried learning a foreign language on the fly.
I've also eaten several foods for the first time, most notably whale, horse, and bee larvae. (I need to write a blog about food some day! But for now, that story is on the back burner. Ha ha!)
In February, I ran in my first road relay race and also went downhill skiing for the first time. And in May, I got a foreign driver's license for the first time.
And here's my latest first: Yesterday, I participated in my very first swim meet!
The sport I love the most, by far, is baseball, but because I'm not getting my fill of baseball over here in Japan, I've started to get more involved in other sports. For instance, often, after school, I practice with the basketball team. And about once I week, I like to go swimming at the
pool in Takachiho.So how did I end up in a swim meet? Two words: Sato Shinro.
I met Shinro-san at the Takachiho pool one day in October. He came over to me and asked if I'd be interested in swimming in a meet in the summer. I thought he was crazy for asking, because I'm really not a very good swimmer. Shinro-san's invitation was a win-win situation, however, so, after a bit of hesitation, I said, "Sure."
After all, this was a great opportunity to do something I had never done before and gain some Japanese friends while doing it. What a deal!
Shinro-san goes to the pool just about every day. Some days he practices swimming and other says he gives lessons. He usually gives lessons to kids, but he has also helped me out quite a bit. (Then again, I'm still a kid at heart!)
Shinro-san is a cheerful guy who likes to drink and smoke, and he sometimes rides around town on his dirt bike! Oh, and Shinro-san is 64 years old!
He reminds me a bit of my Swiss buddy Hans, because they are both in their 60's and both very active. Just as Hans is one of my heroes, so, too, but to a lesser degree, is Shinro-san!
One of the other guys on the team is Shajiri Eiji. Eiji-san is 59 and, like Shinro-san, a fun guy and a smoker. He's also a faster swimmer than both of us, at least for now. I didn't meet him until about March, probably because we don't go to the pool at the same time that often, but I'm glad I get to see him once in a while.
Two of the coolest points regarding my training over the months are that I've learned how to dive off of a starting block (although that doesn't necessarily mean I've learned how to dive!) and I've learned how to do a flip-turn (that's getting better by the day!).
Yesterday, at the Aquadome in Kumamoto City, I swam in the 25-meter and the 50-meter freestyle events. Even though the Aquadome has a 50-meter pool, all of the events were held in the 25-meter pool.
If you know a bit about competitive swimming, you'll know that my times weren't very good: 16.20 and 37.04, respectively. But both of those times are personal bests.
I'm especially happy with my time in the 25-meter race, since that's the race I practiced the most. And considering that my unofficial time from a year ago over that distance was about 25 seconds, it's obvious that I've improved dramatically.
But looking at a video of the race and the times of the other swimmers in my age group, I can see that I have a long way to go before I reach my peak time!
The next meet is in November, so hopefully by then I can lower my times to at least 14 and 35.
Before that, however, I'm planning yet another first: My first triathlon!
The triathlon will be held here at school. Even though it's basically open only to the fifth-graders, I've gotten the green light to participate and I have a feeling a couple other teachers will take part as well. It's a great triathlon for a beginner like me, since the distances are relatively short: a 400 m swim, followed by 8 km on the bike, and wrapped up with a 3 km run.
I'm going to show those kids that old farts like me can still kick some butt!
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