People :
Organizer of Waseda’s Men’s Cheerleading team, Shockers
Mr. Yohei Kano

Born in Yamagata prefecture in 1984. Graduate of Yamaguchi Minami Prefectural High School and currently appearing in a Sompo Japan (non-life insurance company) commercial as a member of Shockers. Will perform in the TV program “Wan-nai” which will air on July 16 th and will take part in the Yamagata Hanagasa Festival from August 4 th to the 6 th.

“Go! Shockers!” Kano's big smile and powerful cheerleading fascinate his audience. “Shockers” is Waseda’s men’s cheerleading team which has broken new ground in cheerleading. During their cheerleading performance, male students' “Wow!” is mixed with the sounds of girls squeaking out “How cute!” Members of Shockers always keep a smile on their faces, but their performances include acts that can be quite dangerous. “I completely trust my team-mates and am not afraid at any point. But, it always hurts when they catch me!” laughs Kano. The team thinks of its members as “treasures,” catching them with the utmost care.

Kano was an active baseball player in high school and was even the captain of the team at one point. However, after injuring his shoulder he had to give up baseball when entering college. “I thought I should aim to be the best at a sport that is still not that popular.” When he saw Rikkyo University cheerleading, he thought it would be cool if guys also tried the sport. After coming up with this idea, he began recruiting team-mates. He asked his friends, passed out leaflets, and even sneaked into P.E. classes to find people who might be interested. At the beginning, there were only 5 members. This was the beginning of Waseda's men's cheerleading team, striving to “energize Waseda.”

At first, they practiced under a coach working at a girl’s high school. They practiced in an all girls' high school gym, where guys are normally not allowed. However, soon some people were opposed to this and they eventually had to change their place of practice. Thereafter, they received useful advice from a former cheerleader and now they select most of their music and choreograph most of their own cheers. “This year is our second year as a team, so we have to think about what direction we are going to take. We want to build a good record and I hope younger students will be able to follow in our footsteps.” During this year’s Waseda University Festival, they plan to do break-dancing which has a high degree of difficulty.

“I am so happy to perform with my team-mates that I become saddened when I think of the time I will have to leave the team.” Kano wants to entertain and cheer up as many people as he can. The team wants to focus more on events with an audience. “I like performing at cheerleading competitions where we are cheered by many people. But I also want to mesmerize people who have never seen men's cheerleading”. Kano has a wonderful smile. These words seem to describe him best. His positive and happy attitude keeps on infecting others.