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Relying on friends makes many things possible

Mikoto Matsuo, 3rd year student School of Political Science and Economics

I belong to the Cheerleading Club.

​Waseda Sports Festival in Higashifushimi was held on Monday, September 16, 2024 (national holiday). Waseda University Higashifushimi Campus is opened to the public, and various sports experience classes are held to express gratitude to local residents and Waseda sports fans. Every year, the members of each sports club take the lead in planning and running the event. This year, 35 of the 44 sports clubs participated, and each club prepared their own plan, such as the Baseball Club's pitching experience to measure ball speed, and the Lacrosse Club's shot experience.

Although there were fears for the weather, the event was a great success, with around 4,500 people attending under clear blue skies.

At Higashifushimi Campus

The importance of relying on others. If you work hard, people around you will lend you their support.

I was in charge of overseeing this event and learned a lot while planning and running it, including selecting staff.

As a preliminary step, we posted flyers to local residents in August, but we had a hard time gathering people. There are more than 200 members on the sports club executive committee from all 44 clubs, and even more members in each sports club, so even if we appealed to people on social media and by email, people were passive and did not actively raise their hands, resulting in a free-rider phenomenon, and it was difficult to gather people. At first, I was not good at relying on others, so I struggled to solve the problem on my own.

One day, seeing that I was at a loss, a staff member from Athletic Center which was co-sponsoring the project, said to me, "You can rely on us more. We're here to help you," and I felt a sudden sense of relief.

Following their advice, I timidly approached the three Waseda Sports Festival staff members selected from each department and asked for their help. They readily agreed to help, even reaching out to their acquaintances, and in the end, the nine of us were able to successfully complete the posting. From this experience, I made it a habit to rely on my colleagues when necessary in various situations, and I was able to get the job done so smoothly that people said, "This year has been going smoothly."

At the venue on the day with Marin Asami (3rd year School of Sport Sciences, Cheerleading Club), one of the event staff

We needed to gather many more people on the day than we would have needed to post flyers, but we were able to get help from about 100 club members. The reason I hadn't relied on others until now was because I was afraid that they would be put off by my request for help. I learned the importance of connections between people, that people will cooperate with you without any disapproval if you put your all into something, and that through cooperation and consultation, the circle of people naturally expands and an environment of mutual cooperation is created.

I realized once again that I have received support from many people.

On the day of the event, not only inside the venue, but also outside, people in the neighborhood offered warm words such as "You always work hard," and "We're rooting for you." I belong to the Cheerleading Club, but without spectators and Waseda sports fans, it would be impossible to liven up the cheering section. It is because of people who support us with such warm feelings that we are able to continue cheering for the athletes. I realized this fact by interacting with people I don't usually have direct contact with, and it made me want to cherish these connections, work hard, and give back through my activities.

On the day, we used walkie-talkies to deal with problems.

On the day, there were some mishaps, such as personnel changes that made things hectic, and problems that meant we weren't ready until the very last minute to start the event, but with everyone's support, we did our best to deal with them and were able to finish safely. One thing I learned from this event was that if you work hard, the results will come.

"I'm glad I came," "It's fun!" "I don't want to go home!" I was really happy to hear the visitors' comments from all over the place, and it was a moment when I felt glad to have done it. Although I did hit some obstacles, my time working as the Sports Festival Director was a useful time in which I learned a lot. I would like to continue to cherish the connections I have with all kinds of people, work hard at club activities, and give back to everyone who supports me.

(Left) Archery experience by the Archery Club, (Right) Tee batting experience by the Baseball Club