Connecting Thoughts Connecting Basketball March 9th 19:38
A city surrounded by darkness.
The appearance of a strange hometown.
Feeling helpless, I kept thinking about what I could do.
It's been 10 years since that day.
Even now, when he takes off his uniform and becomes a manager, he continues to think.
(Sports News Department Reporter Tsuyoshi Hashimoto)
“I can't play basketball anymore”
March 11, 2011.
I was on the way to Niigata, the destination of the expedition, by bus.
"It was so strong that I felt a tremor as if the bus would collapse. What I saw on the bus TV was that the airport in Sendai was getting more and more struck by the tsunami. If there is considerable damage to ... "
Sendai returned after 10 hours.
The city was surrounded by darkness due to the power outage.
The unstoppable sound of sirens and the occasional smell of fire.
There were cracks everywhere on the road.
Takehiko Shimura, president of Sendai 89ERS in the second division of the B League, basketball.
Shimura, who is currently in charge of management as president, was the main player of the team at that time.
Originally from Sendai, he went from Sendai High School to Keio University and achieved national domination at both high school and university.
Joined the local Sendai 89ERS after working for a business team.
Although he was 1m60cm tall, he was leading the team with a fighting spirit as a command tower.
"I couldn't believe the sight I saw when I came back from Nagaoka, the destination of the expedition last night. The
content reported on TV was just the tip of the iceberg, so I was shocked to see the reality and put it into words. It didn't happen.
The city without lights was eerily quiet and the sound of sirens ringing occasionally, the aftermath that continued, the roads were cracked, the eastern sky was dyed red ...
all the scenery changed in one day. It was ... "
(From Mr. Shimura's blog at that time)
The gymnasiums used in the game became shelters and morgues, and the club office was also damaged.
A few days later, Shimura was told by the then president.
"I can't play home games anymore. The team will be disbanded."
Mr. Takehiko Shimura
"I can't play again in Sendai. I think it's impossible to return to the place where basketball can be made. The disaster area at that time was such a shocking sight. How do I eat rice for about a week? I didn't even think of a basket when it came to water or whether I could live. "
I even thought, "In this situation, the players are not worth it."
We started receiving relief supplies and visiting evacuation shelters so that we could be driven away.
When I visited an evacuation center in Natori City, which was severely damaged by the tsunami, I decided to play basketball with my children.
"At first have us doing more and more incandescent If you notice even the sons was a refrain Pounds, Naa was very happy because everyone smile was seen after the end
was one day feel the basket of power"
(Mr. Shimura From the blog at that time)
And I thought about what I could do.
"When I found this stuffed animal, I lost my word ...
I wasn't in a position to easily
look
forward!
But people are trying to live. Desperately alive. users had.
I do not go if I also have issued a force ... "
(than at the time of the blog of Shimura's)
“Best way”
Two weeks after the earthquake, Shimura makes a big decision.
It was a rental transfer to Ryukyu Golden Kings in Okinawa due to the relief measures of the league.
In the blog, I wrote about my feelings at the time when I decided to leave Sendai.
"Should I leave Sendai and continue playing basketball?
Maybe I'll stay in Sendai
? How should
Shimura Takehiko face this unprecedented crisis in his beloved hometown?" I
asked myself every day. As a
basketball player, I thought that giving dreams and hope to everyone in Sendai and Miyagi by continuing to play was the best way I could do, so I made this decision. "
(Mr. Shimura) From the blog at that time)
After worries and conflicts, I felt like I had arrived.
In Okinawa, he played with a uniform number "89" after "89ERS" because he wanted to regain the vitality of the disaster area.
The uniforms of the Okinawa era are still in the hands of Shimura.
The uniform has a black mourning badge on the left chest to commemorate the people who died in the earthquake, and the signature of Okinawa's teammates.
After that, in Sendai, more than 20,000 signatures were gathered for the survival of the club, and with the support of companies and financial institutions that continued to sponsor even after the disaster, the activity resumed six months later.
Shimura, who won the league runner-up of the season in Okinawa, received offers from several powerful players, but Shimura returned to Sendai saying, "This may also be fate."
Until he retired in the 2017-18 season, he continued to work in Sendai.
I will tell you about the earthquake
There is a place where Shimura visited every year on March 11th.
Sendai City Arahama Elementary School was maintained as the remains of the earthquake.
For Shimura, who spent up to high school in Sendai, the beach near the school is a memorable place to visit many times.
The seaside where the pine forest used to be was completely washed away by the tsunami, giving a panoramic view.
Shimura keeps quiet here with young players and staff, and conveys the meaning of being able to still play in Sendai.
Mr. Takehiko Shimura
"The number of moments when I remember the earthquake in my daily life is decreasing year by year, but please remember that it is a club in the disaster-stricken area of Sendai. People who wanted to see basketball but couldn't see it, I want you to know that there were players who wanted to play in Sendai but couldn't. "
Delivering basketball to the disaster area
Shimura, who retired from active duty, became president last year after working as general manager of the club.
At the same time as taking office, the game was held in various parts of the prefecture.
The B-League regulations stipulate that most home games will be played in Sendai, but this season the regulations have been relaxed in consideration of the impact of the new Corona.
Shimura decided to hold the event in seven cities and towns in the prefecture, including areas affected by the tsunami, such as Minamisanriku Town and Natori City, in order to show gratitude to the region for the past 10 years.
It is not easy to go around Miyagi prefecture for a small family of 15 club staff including Shimura.
When the event was held in an inland town in late December, all the staff were busy shoveling the snow at the venue.
Still, Shimura was particular about "delivering basketball."
There was an event that felt a response to the event held in various parts of the prefecture.
When I went to Kakuda City, Miyagi Prefecture to pick up the flowers used at the event, a farmer woman said something like this.
"My daughter, who is playing mini basketball, couldn't play the game because of the corona, so I went to see it together. It made me so excited that I had a lot of fun."
Isn't it the best way to give back to the players to sweat the basketball and create a "daily life" that the viewers are enthusiastic about?
Now that he has experienced the earthquake and has become president from a player, Shimura is strengthening his feelings.
Mr. Takehiko Shimura
"(At the time of the earthquake) I thought it was my job to bring smiles and fun to the children when they visited the evacuation center. , I decided to continue (basketball). I changed my position from a player to a president, but by creating such a place and playing a solid game, it is fun to make as many customers happy as possible.
Have
time spent. The
situation is different between the earthquake and the new Corona, but there are similarities in that you can not see the goal. Watching the game, something that can dispel anxiety even for a moment I want to show you "
Believe in the potential of Sendai
In late January, Shimura was hit by a high fever of 37 degrees 9 minutes.
As a result of the test, it was found that the new corona was positive.
Although it was mild, his sense of taste and smell diminished and he was not satisfied with his diet, and even after he had a fever, he continued to feel malaise for two weeks.
The following week, the team's head coach also became positive and the two games were cancelled.
Furthermore, on February 13, there was an earthquake in Miyagi prefecture that observed shaking with a seismic intensity of 6 or higher, and the game was canceled the next day.
The club aiming to be promoted to the first division is 4th in the district (as of March 7).
A total of two teams can be promoted from the two districts, east and west, and although they are within the playoffs that decide the promotion, the difficult situation continues to keep up with the momentum.
Still, Shimura believes in the potential of the club and Sendai, which overcame the predicament of 10 years ago.
Mr. Takehiko Shimura
"At that time, I didn't think that I could play basketball in Sendai in 10 years, but with the support and help of many people, I would like you to create an environment where you can play games in Miyagi and Sendai again in the last 10 years. The
goal is for us to connect it, take root in culture, and become the strongest club in Japan. "