I became interested in cheerleading in my third year of junior high school after watching the movie 'Cheer☆Dan.' After I learned that my high school had a cheer dance club, I went to see it, and I remember seeing the seniors shine just like in the movie. I thought I could make use of my experience in classical ballet since I was three, so I decided to join.

When I was a second-year high school student, I saw the performance of J. F. Oberlin University 's song reading club "CREAM" for the first time. I still can't forget the impact I felt then. At competitions, the wonderful performances drew applause and cheers. But when CREAM danced, the audience fell silent with their overwhelming performance. I was instantly drawn into CREAM's unique worldview, getting goosebumps and feeling even stronger, thinking, "I want to dance in that place too." When I researched J. F. Oberlin University, I learned about College of Health and Welfare that lets you learn about sports conditioning and first aid, which I was interested in, and decided to enroll.

Practice is very tough, and there are many times when you hit a wall. However, the moment you finish dancing and receive cheers is an unparalleled sense of accomplishment. The season before last, I experienced my first video audition due to the COVID-19 pandemic. I imagined the audience who should have been right in front of me, and although I was worried, I somehow managed to get myself together. And last season, I was finally able to dance in front of a venue full of spectators. Surrounded by warm applause and cheers, I was reminded once again of the joy that awaits after such hard work.

Joining CREAM taught me that "if you want to change something, you first need to change yourself." There are days when the members' enthusiasm wanes during daily practice, and a negative atmosphere hangs in the air. In those times, as a grade-level leader, I try to quickly sense the situation and offer positive words while respecting my teammates' feelings. Until high school, I was quite shy and not good at taking initiative or expressing my feelings. I believe that my significant mental growth is due to the experiences I've had in CREAM, where I've passionately engaged with my teammates and coaches and strived to understand each other.

With only one year left until retirement, the time has truly flown by. My current goals are to win the national championships and to be selected for the Japanese national team for the World Championships once again. In recent years, we've consistently come in second place, so this year I want to beat our rival teams and bring a fresh new energy to CREAM! To achieve this, we need to solidify our fundamentals and raise the level of each individual. While CREAM members can usually speak their minds freely, during competitions when everyone is passionate, a wall can sometimes form between upperclassmen and underclassmen. However, this prevents everyone from performing in a way that truly satisfies them. We aim for CREAM to be a place where every member can speak up as a member of the team, no matter the circumstances.

Cheerleading is about supporting and encouraging the people in front of you. I've honed my performances, focusing on expressing that feeling with my heart and body. From here on, I want to pursue even greater visual appeal, never forgetting to be grateful to those around me, and see it through to the end so that I can have a positive impact on the team.