My interest in American football began in my second year of high school when I watched a game my friend was playing in on YouTube. I was captivated by the intense contact play, which was a completely different world from soccer, which I had been playing since elementary school. I remember my friend saying, "Taiki, you could do it too," and me jokingly replying, "Maybe I'll give it a try." I had planned to go to university on a soccer scholarship, but I could somehow imagine what university life would be like, and I felt it wouldn't be interesting. On the other hand, I couldn't imagine myself playing American football at all. My adventurous spirit was stirring, and I decided that if I was going to do it, I should aim to be the best in Japan, so I joined the American football club at Obirin University.

The first three months after joining the team were incredibly tough. My physique as a soccer player was nowhere near sufficient to compete, so I first focused on increasing my weight from 68 kg to 73 kg. Currently, I've gained weight to 80 kg. Gaining weight while expending energy through daily practice was quite difficult for me, as I'm not particularly good at eating. Furthermore, American football is a sport where you can't perform well unless you thoroughly understand the rules. I was desperately trying to absorb a vast amount of knowledge and translate it into physical movement.

This year, as captain, I've set the goal of "becoming a symbol of the team." To achieve this, I intend to be stricter with myself than anyone else and take the lead in my efforts. I believe that if I can't even follow the basics, such as not walking around on the field and continuing to play until the whistle blows, I won't be able to point out mistakes to the younger players, and it won't lead to the team improving from the bottom up. That being said, I wasn't prepared to shoulder the responsibility of leading the team from the beginning. When the coach told me, "I want Okuda to be captain," I couldn't immediately say yes. But with the encouragement of my teammates, I decided to take on the challenge of being captain, a role that not everyone can attain.

The reason I can always maintain a challenging spirit is thanks to the senior who coached me one-on-one when I was a freshman. My senior was unable to play in his final season due to injury. He had high hopes for me, the only beginner at DB, and poured not only his skills but also his mindset and passion for American football into me. Whenever I faced difficulties, I remembered his feelings and how they led me to where I am today, and that helped me overcome those challenges.

Right now, the team's morale is high as we aim to win the Koshien Bowl. However, with only about 100 days left until the first game, I feel a sense of urgency as we have to build the team in this limited time. First and foremost, in order to win the first game, we seniors, who are in our final season, will dedicate ourselves to American football to the point of exhaustion and solidify our vision of winning. As captain, I hope that the younger players will feel the determination of the seniors and be inspired to think, "I want to do it too."

When I first started playing American football at Obirin University, I set goals for my team to become the best in Japan and for me to become a player who represents Japan. Until the day I retire from club activities at university, I will work hard in daily practices and games to achieve these two goals. For me, who grew through switching from soccer to American football, "challenge" is a key word in life. Even after graduating and becoming a working adult, I want to continue playing American football and strive to become a player who can show through my actions that you can forge your own path in life by taking on challenges.