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"The fact that I was able to compete against strong opponents and win many international tournaments while still attending university has given me a lot of confidence."

Kana Nakashio, 3rd year student School of Sport Sciences

At Tokorozawa Campus

Kana Nakashio has been active as a top junior surfer since Kana was in high school. Kana has achieved excellent results, including winning first place in the Japan Surfing Association (NSA) annual girls ranking for five consecutive years. Even after turning professional in 2021 when Kana was a high school student and obtaining professional certification from the Japan Professional Surfing Association (JPSA), Kana has actively participated in many competitions both in Japan and abroad, and won first place in the JPSA shortboard women's annual ranking (2022). Kana currently lives in Ichinomiya Town, Chiba Prefecture, a mecca for surfing, and devotes herself to practice, while also commuting six hours round trip to Tokorozawa Campus to study surfing coaching at School of Sport Sciences. We interviewed Nakashio, who is aiming to compete in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics while balancing her studies, about Kana's enthusiasm and student life.

--What motivated you to start surfing and what is it that you find appealing about it?

Before moving to Ichinomiya, he practiced surfing in Sendai Shinko, his hometown, which is famous for surfing.

Ever since I was old enough to understand, I often went to the beach with my surfer father and brother, so surfing was something that was familiar to me. When I was 4 years old, on the day I started practicing, I was able to stand on the board and was praised by adults, which made me very happy. I think that experience was a big turning point. I was born in Sendai, but after the Great East Japan Earthquake, I moved to Ichinomiya Town in Chiba Prefecture, where many top surfers gather, and I have been devoting myself to practicing while receiving various advice from local surfers.

In surfing, you can only get a feel for the waves of the day by actually riding them, so you can't predict how you'll perform until the last minute. It's a sport that truly challenges nature. Even for advanced surfers, the results are greatly influenced by the state of the ocean, making it one of the most difficult sports. But I always try to keep the mentality of "Let's enjoy this wave!" and "If I can get over this wave, I'll be able to ride better!", and I think that what's interesting about surfing is that if you approach it with such a strong will, you have a chance of beating even the strongest opponents.

--It seems that not many professional surfers go on to university, so what made you decide to enroll at Waseda University while continuing your sport?

Since the end of my first year of high school, the situation of not being able to hold any matches due to the influence of the corona pandemic continued, and I felt anxious that even if I graduated from high school, I would not be able to participate in any matches and the days would pass without gaining anything, so I started to feel like going to university. At that time, my homeroom teacher at the time recommended that I take the top athlete entrance exam for the Waseda School of Sport Sciences. Maybe because I surf, I was originally interested in which muscles are used when moving the body, and I wanted to be in an environment where I could learn about that field and use it in my sport, so I decided to take the exam. It seems that it is rare to research improving surfing performance and teaching methods at university, so I was impressed that Professor was very interested in it during the interview.

--Please tell us about your student life as a university student and a professional surfer, excelling in both academics and sports.

I didn't want to leave Ichinomiya, where I could practice surfing anytime, so I chose to commute to Tokorozawa from there. So commuting is hard... It takes me 3 hours to get to Tokorozawa Campus one way.

I also always struggle to balance classes and matches. I manage everything myself, from gathering information to arranging travel for matches both at home and abroad, but it is difficult to plan classes and match schedules well, so I sometimes choose on-demand courses so that I can take classes even when I'm away from home. I want to play as many matches as possible while taking classes, so last year I played in a total of 17 matches both at home and abroad, and it was a year with almost no days off, as if I was only at the beach or university. But thanks to that struggle, I was able to win my first championship at the "QS3000 BONSOY CHIBA ICHINOMIYA OPEN 2023" held in my hometown, and I was able to win the "La Union International Pro", which brings together top players from Japan and abroad, against strong opponents including Tsuzuki Amuro, who won the bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics, and I gained a lot of confidence.

Left: At the QS3000 BONSOY CHIBA ICHINOMIYA OPEN 2023 (held in July 2023), Kana was very happy to win first victory in Kana's hometown of Ichinomiya.
Photo on the right: Nakashio is in the center of the photo, overcoming strong opponents and celebrating Kana's victory at the La Union International Pro (to be held in the Philippines in January 2024).

I think it's good to be in college because I'm in an environment where I can grow together with my classmates who are active in other sports. We talk about what's going on with each other and they inspire me to work hard at surfing too, so it's a great stimulus.

--What do you study in School of Sport Sciences?

Nakashio Kana says 「I enjoys teaching surfing to children」. Kana gives advice to each of  students on how to choose waves that suit their skill level.

I belong to the sports coaching course, and am currently studying "measurement evaluation and coaching" in Associate Professor Yoshiya Fujita's seminar. As part of my research, I show videos of myself competing to other surfers and get their feedback. I then compile information on my posture, line of sight, how I use my body, the angle of my surfboard, the size of the splash, and other factors leading up to the technique, and explore how to perform more effectively. I would like to use science to analyze surfing against nature in detail.

Also, surfing is difficult to explain in words, so I'm learning about the best ways to teach it in coaching classes. I often teach surfing to children in between regular practice sessions, so it's a chance to put what I've learned at university into practice.

--Please tell us your future goals.

My goal is to compete in the Los Angeles Olympics in four years! I decided not to participate in this year's Paris Olympics when it was announced three years ago that the venue would be Tahiti. The waves in Tahiti are said to be the most dangerous in the world, and I thought that in order to take off (lying on the board while paddling with your hands to accelerate and stand up using the momentum of the waves) with waves several times my height on my back, I would need the experience of a top international tour athlete. In addition, the seabed in Tahiti is not sand but coral reef, so there is a risk of injury in the worst case scenario. Taking these things into consideration, I thought that I would not be able to perform at my best, so I switched my focus to the next Olympics. After all, if I'm going to compete in the Olympics, I definitely want to win a medal.

I am currently actively participating in the world tour in preparation for the Los Angeles Olympics. In Japan, I want to work hard to become the JPSA Annual Grand Champion and win the Japan Open to become a representative for the World Championships. This will bring me closer to competing in the Olympics, so I have set it as a big goal. I am also looking ahead to the Olympics in Brisbane in 2032.

Photo on the left: Outside of Japan, Kana mainly competes on Asian tours, and placed third in the "QS3000 Siargao International Surfing Cup" (to be held in the Philippines from October to November 2023).
Photo on the right: In 2023, Kana achieved first place in the final rankings of the WSL (World Surfing League) Asia Regional Junior Tour for women. With commemorative trophy.

After graduating from university, I will of course continue competing, but I would also like to be involved in coaching junior surfers in the future. In the world of surfing, there doesn't seem to be anyone who has studied coaching at university and become a coach, so I would like to become a pioneer in this field. My goal is to become a coach for the Japanese national team!

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