She started cheerleading in the second grade of elementary school. She also performed cheerleading on a club team in junior high. In high school, she went on to Yokohama Soei High School, known for its prestigious song-reading school, and joined the baton club. During her three years there, she won all competitions in Japan and also won a world championship. The school was known for its speed and number of turns in song-leading competitions.

Even so, the J. F. Oberlin University Song Reading Club, which participated in the university division of the competition, delivered performances that were so powerful and overwhelming that we couldn't even match our own feet. A senior from Yokohama Soei High School was dancing in the center, and I admired her radiant presence. I had always decided that if I was going to go to college, I would go J. F. Oberlin University.

The way we practiced in high school and university was different. In fact, practice hours were longer in high school. At university, Mondays and Fridays were completely off, and some students used them for self-training or worked part-time. At first glance, practice might seem easy, but the level of ability required at university was much higher. Up until high school, I felt that with the determination to defend the title of top Japanese champion, we focused more on moving energetically, spinning faster and more. Oberirin studies each expression together. For example, they study how to spin more beautifully and how to convey intentions, and that becomes the 'delicacy' that comes through. Also, when it comes to arranging choreography, everyone shares their opinions regardless of grade. It might be fair to say that practice emphasizes 'creating' rather than 'learning.'

In high school, I did a lot of performances centered around pom-poms, and didn't do much jazz dance. The appeal of jazz dance, unlike pom-poms, is that you can create expressions with your hands and fingers. And with the smooth movements and visual effects unique to jazz dance, you can create a beautiful worldview as a whole. The real challenge is expressing how well you can convey that worldview.
I enjoyed expanding on ideas and often spoke up. I found it fun to see how my comments branched out and broadened the ways in which we could express ourselves. However, I mainly spoke in the way I wanted to express myself, not with the team in mind. Regardless of the team's performance, I was a little impatient and wanted to move on to the next thing as soon as I felt I could do it. Despite this, the coach appointed me as the grade-level leader.
　
I began to survey the team's performance to understand its current state. However, I suddenly became quiet. I reflected on whether my previous actions had been driven by the team's best interests. "Speaking with the team's best interests in mind" proved to be more difficult for me than I had anticipated. Thinking too much would cause me to hesitate, and trying to organize my thoughts before speaking would cause me to miss the right timing, leaving me frustrated by my inability to communicate effectively. This went on for days. A senior member encouraged me, saying, "That's not like Izumi. That's not good." After a while, I looked around at the team and noticed something. In one performance scene, the choreography felt somewhat lacking in arrangement, and I felt it was missing the delicate touch characteristic of CREAM. I was itching to contribute an idea. If I missed the timing, I wouldn't be able to communicate it properly. Finally, I spoke up about what I thought would be better. That one comment dramatically improved the team's performance. Perhaps the coach understood that the team needed someone who would speak up, even if their ideas were slightly off-target, to move the team forward. My senior member also encouraged me. I feel like I've finally understood what it means to speak up while considering the whole team. I feel like I've returned to being the same role I've always been, the one who motivates everyone and lifts their spirits.

Unlike high school, we don't get daily coaching. During the season, it's about once a week, and during the off-season, it's about once every two weeks. This cycle means we have to show our coaches our progress every one (or two) weeks. If we don't show any clear improvement from the previous week, we get scolded. In other words, we practice with the goal of improving week after week. We want to show our coaches how much we've grown. That's what keeps the songleading club growing.

The coach closely monitors each individual's growth. They notice and praise the areas where we feel we've improved, even if we don't realize it ourselves. Receiving the words we hoped for makes us happy and gives us even more energy to work harder. They also notice the team's improvement, such as the beauty of our formations and synchronization. I think it's within this trusting relationship that we're able to freely enjoy songleading.

My grade has two class leaders. The other one is Kato. I'm more of a motivator, while Kato is a leader who can tighten things up and keep the team on track when things get lax. We want to support each other and take the team to the next level, becoming a team worthy of aiming to be the best in Japan.