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"We were very happy that we won based on our strengths, which we had worked hard to achieve."

Soichiro Kakimoto, 4th year student, School of Commerce
Musashi Miura, 3rd year, School of Fundamental Science and Engineering

Wearing a Japan national team jersey at Waseda Arena entrance on Toyama Campus. (From left) Soichiro and Musashi

Soichiro Kakimoto and Musashi Miura participated in the ICU World Cheerleading Championships held at the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida, USA in April 2023 as a member of the Japanese representative in the Coed Elite (16 years and older, mixed gender) category. The team was the first Japanese team to win the division. They say that there were various events along the way, including an unexpected opportunity to join the national team and the difficulty of learning new techniques. We asked these two about how they started cheerleading, their memories from competitions, and their future plans.

--Please tell us how you started cheerleading.

Soichiro: To be honest, I wanted people to scream at me (lol). We went to the same high school in Fukuoka, and there was the only boys' cheerleading team in the country, and they put on amazing performances. I started cheerleading because I wanted to be a part of this.

Musashi: I was on the baseball team in middle school, and was planning to continue in high school, but I saw the cheerleading team's performance right after entering the school and it looked like they were having a lot of fun. From the moment I joined the club, I was completely hooked and have continued to do so until now.

A photo of members, including Soichiro and Musashi, participating in a competition in their high school cheerleading team in 2019.

――Speaking of Waseda, it is famous for the men's cheerleading team "SHOCKERS" (official student clubs), but was that the reason you decided to go to school?

Soichiro: Exactly right. There are only four all-male college cheerleading teams in Japan, but the SHOCKERS have the longest history and track record, and are the team that has the opportunity to perform on the biggest stage. In high school, I participated in a variety of cheerleading groups, but I preferred cheerleading that was shown to the audience, such as the SHOCKERS, and I thought this was the only way to master it. I have very fond memories of being able to perform in front of large audiences at Waseda Festival and  performances after entering the university.

Performance at “SHOCKERS STAGE 2022” held at Okuma Memorial Auditorium (Soichiro is in the front row on the right)

Musashi: My senior, Soichiro, had also gone on to Waseda, so when choosing a career path, Waseda was definitely attractive. After entering the university, I naturally thought about joining the SHOCKERS, but I had some regrets about not being able to participate in tournaments as much as I wanted due to the pandemic during my high school days, and I wanted to participate in more tournaments. In the end, I decided to play in Phoenix, a general incorporated association whose main focus is cheerleading. Currently, I mainly continue to cheer there.

――Please tell us how you participated in the selection process to select the Japan representative.

Musashi: Actually, the selection method for the national team has changed since 2022 when we were selected. Up until then, members had been selected by competitive cheer club teams or schools, but because their performance at international competitions had been poor, the selection was made on an individual basis, regardless of whether they were normally dedicated to competitive cheer, and the new all-stars were selected.

Soichiro: In other words, even though I was active with the SHOCKERS, I had the chance to become a member of the Japan national team. I was also attracted to the fact that if I was selected, I would be able to perform in the United States, the home of cheerleading, so I decided to apply for the selection.

Musashi: For me, I chose to belong to a competitive team in the past because I wanted to participate in a big tournament, so the individual selection to participate in the world tournament was a great opportunity that I had no choice but to take on.

--Have you faced any difficulties since joining the national team?

One man lifts one woman, a mixed technique that is not found in all-male teams (Mr. Miura is pictured below)

Soichiro: The SHOCKERS are an all-male team, but the Japanese national team is a mixed team, so we had to learn mixed-gender techniques. When I came here, I had to learn many techniques for the first time, and I remember having a hard time.

Musashi: In my case, it was tough because I had to practice with the Japanese national team and my belonging team at the same time. Although I felt a lot of pressure as it was my first world tournament, I was very busy and anxious because I had to learn new techniques to represent Japan and also have to practice with my team. Even though both were competitive cheer squads, the composition and members of the teams were different, so I was desperate.

--After a period of practice, you participated in the ICU World Cheerleading Championship as a representative. Please tell us about what happened during the tournament.

Soichiro: We performed twice, the preliminaries and the finals, and at the end of the preliminaries, Japan was in 4th place, and I felt how high the world levels were. Overseas athletes are big so if we compete with their powerfulness or individual ability, we will lose. The techniques they performed were extremely difficult, and I was worried when I saw them.

Musashi: On the other hand, we saw in the qualifying rounds that we could compete if we did our best. In cheerleading, scores are given based not only on the difficulty of the technique, but also on the degree of completion. Under the guidance of the coach, we were always practicing with a focus on aligning our skills and perfecting ourselves as a team, so I felt that if we could express this as a representative of Japan, we would have a chance of winning. We performed with that belief in the finals, and when we won, we felt extremely happy and realized that we were able to win based on our strengths.

Performance at the ICU World Cheerleading Championships

At the award ceremony

――Since it was a world tournament, did you have any interaction with overseas players?

Soichiro: There is a grassy field on site that everyone who is involved in cheerleading dreams of. There, I had the opportunity to work on techniques with athletes I admired and exchange T-shirts with overseas athletes I had become friends with. The tournament is held at a facility within Disney World, and after the event, a party was held in the park that only tournament officials can attend, and it was fun to make unexpected connections that transcended borders.

Musashi: The people I met there sometimes come to Japan to practice with Phoenix, so I continue to keep in touch. In October 2023, I practiced with athletes from Turkey and Singapore. Even though I can't communicate fluently using language, I still enjoy doing techniques together as I did at the tournament because it's a form of communication.

Left: Soichiro gave a T-shirt to a Taiwanese friend he made locally.
Right: Musashi interacted with famous U.S. national team players.

--What is the appeal of cheerleading for the two of you?

Soichiro: It's a place where everyone can share joy, not just individually. In other sports, physical size may be an advantage, but cheerleading requires different abilities for those who support, those who sit on top, and those who give instructions, so anyone can be successful.

It's also great to be able to meet friends I can trust. In a competition, falling from a height of 5 or 6 meters without looking back is something you can't do without trusting that your teammates will catch you. I have been involved in cheerleading in high school and university, and I am very happy that I was able to perform with friends who I trusted.

Musashi: The appeal of cheerleading is the duality of being able to be active in both roles, as a player who pays close attention to the perfection of the technique with an eye on scoring and rankings, and as a performer who excites the audience such as at soccer halftime shows. This is one of the reasons why I continue cheerleading.

--Please tell us about your future plans.

Cheerleaders practice scene. His performance in a suit is eye-catching (Soichiro is pictured below)

Soichiro: I would like to focus on my activities with the men's cheerleading team "Cheer Re-Man's", which was formed in April 2023 by former members of the Shockers. Based on the concept of "proving that anyone can be anything,'' I am currently training to appear on "America's Got Talent'' (*2). Even after graduation, I would like to work hard to spread the appeal of cheerleading to as many people as possible while also balancing my work life.

(*2) A public audition reality program broadcast in the United States. Performers from various genres participate and are popular all over the world.

Musashi: I'm planning to participate in the world tournament as a Japanese representative again this year, so I'm going to practice hard in preparation for that. By winning the Coed Elite division that I competed in last year, I will be able to compete in the Premier division this year, where the most difficult techniques are even more difficult, so I will be trying new techniques again. I think overseas teams will also show high-level performances, so I want to do my best.

864th

Interview/text/photography: Waseda Weekly Reporter (SJC student staff)
Saya Tanabe third year School of Culture, Media and Society

【Profile】

After the interview, the two perform the "shoulder stand", one of the cheerleading skills, on campus. Outstanding stability!

Soichiro Kakimoto: Born in Fukuoka Prefecture. Graduated from Fukuoka University Ohori High School. He belonged to the "SHOCKERS" (official student clubs) until his third year, and after retiring, he has been active as a member of the "Cheer Re-Man's." What he have been hooked on lately is researching TikTok to further spread the word Cheer Re-Man's.

Cheer Re-Man's Official Instagram: @cheer_re_mans
Cheer Re-Man's Official Tiktok: @cheerremans

Musashi Miura: Born in Fukuoka Prefecture. Graduated from Fukuoka University Ohori High School. Belongs to the general incorporated association "Phoenix". He works hard to balance his undergraduate studies and cheer practice, such as writing reports in her spare time between cheer practice. His hobby is drawing.