He led the team with passion.
This experience is my asset

College of Arts and Sciences Third-year students
Soccer Club Captain
Graduate of Tokyo Metropolitan Sunagawa High School

Katsuhito Mori

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My setbacks in high school made me a stronger person. I want to give it my all in college.

I started playing soccer in the lower grades of elementary school, and wanting to become a professional, I enrolled in a high school where the soccer club was designated as a strong school and even had a dormitory. I aimed for national ranking, but in my third year of high school, I fell ill and had to take a year off, so I gave up on my path to becoming a pro for a while. However, since I wasn't fully satisfied, after deciding to enroll in J. F. Oberlin University, I secretly looked into whether there was a soccer club, and I started thinking about continuing soccer at university.

The reason I chose College of Arts and Sciences was that I wanted to study philosophy at the same university group where I could learn comprehensive knowledge. Since I had been hospitalized for a while, I chose this because I wanted to pursue not only fields that can be used immediately in society, such as economics and law, but also subjects that deeply reflect on life. I believe that learning philosophy has greatly changed me. Above all, it broadened my horizons. My prejudice against things disappeared, I started thinking about social issues, and I think I grew as a person. In soccer, learning not only to express my own opinions but also to respect the opponent has been very helpful in team management.

It's what I'm most passionate about in my life. Soccer is essential.

University soccer tends to place more emphasis on autonomy than high school soccer. In high school soccer, most teams are run under the guidance of the coach, but in university soccer, many teams are run by the players themselves, such as deciding on their own training menus. At Obirin University's soccer club, instead of simply relaying the opinions of the coach to the members, the players' opinions are also conveyed to the coaches, and the training menu is created only after both sides are satisfied.

While both high school and university teams aim for victory, I believe that character development is more emphasized in university. In high school, strict rules are given regarding greetings, manners, and hierarchical relationships, but in university, the coach consciously guides students to become individuals who can succeed in society. We also think about our actions and take on more responsibilities in managing the team.

For me, football is not just about the great thrill of scoring goals or achieving victories, but in a word, it's "the thing that gets me most passionate in my life." It has an irreplaceable appeal.

Becoming captain was a valuable experience. I want to make good use of it in my future.

Being captain comes with many challenges and is incredibly difficult. Within the team, there are people with diverse values regarding soccer, so it's crucial to listen to everyone's opinions and bring them together. When the head coach or manager was appointed, it was a real test of my abilities as captain.

Everyone's goal was to be promoted to the second division, but there were inevitably differences in skill and perspective on the sport among the members, some who had been playing since high school and others who started in college. It was quite difficult to bring those differences together and lead them towards a common goal, and I had many discussions with the members. The management and communication skills I acquired as captain have also been useful in my job search. However, what I believe is most important as captain is "passion." Leading the team with soccer skills and uniting teammates can be left to others, but if the person leading the team doesn't have "passion," no one will follow.

Next year will be my final year, and I will be stepping down as captain. I want to pass on this "passion" to the next generation, and as a forward, I definitely want to become the top scorer.

Interview date:
This was done in October 2022 for the "Obirin Sports" website.

He led the team with passion.This experience is my asset

Main content

My setbacks in high school made me a stronger person. I want to give it my all in college.

It's what I'm most passionate about in my life. Soccer is essential.

Becoming captain was a valuable experience. I want to make good use of it in my future.

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He led the team with passion.
This experience is my asset