Sports Japan - 2013/03/10

Mar. 10, Sun.

Snowball-fighting tournaments
[Focus]
1. Koide International Snowball Fight - The Birthplace of Japanese Snowballing
Snowball fights - throwing rounded handfuls of snow at each other - have a long tradition in Japan. A tale going back some 480 years tells how warriors battling in the snowy region now known as Niigata turned to snowballs to carry on fighting after their swords were broken. More than 1,000 people took part in this year's 25th Koide International Snowball Fight. It was more than anything about returning to the spirit of childhood and some contestants took part in cosplay costumes but the mood became serious once the snow started flying. They fought in 5-member teams with the women starting on 5 points and the men on 3, losing a point each time they were struck by a snowball and retiring from the fray when they had none. The team with the most players at the finish, or the most points if the team numbers were equal, was the winner. It was a battle of strategy and tactics with, for example, coordinated assaults and mass attacks on foes in hiding behind barriers. We also enjoyed some of the other attractions, including the sweet hot rice drink, amazake, in an igloo and the pleasures of sledding.
2. Robotic American Football
Robots made by senior high school students fought an American football championship in Yokohama on February 17. This was the 8th annual tournament and 29 teams qualified through the nationwide preliminaries. The matches were fought with 5 remote-controlled robots on each team. One point was scored each time for carrying the ball into the opposing team's area with victory going to the team which scored the most over the 3-minute game. Each robot had to be within 20cm in height, width and length and 3kg in weight. Some teams used 5 very different robots, each for its own specific role. Robots that didn't carry the ball themselves could block, for example, to let the robot in possession slip through and touch down. The students controlled their robots with amazing speed, skill and enthusiasm, as discovered by Sports Japan reporter Philip Dann.
[Frontrunners]
Momoka Oda, Sports Climber
Momoka Oda became the first Japanese woman champion at the sports climbing Lead World Cup last year. The lead climbing competition is an event to see how far the climber can go using the holds set onto an artificial, 15m wall in the time allowed. Oda is petite at 1m54cm but competes against her bigger Western rivals with extraordinary mental concentration and physical flexibility. We follow the dream and challenge of this 18-year old who says she hates exercise.
[Guest]
Thane Camus

TV personality making his eighth appearance on the show. Has practiced karate, kendo, Ryukyu Kobudo etc. with a keen interest in the martial arts, kyogen and other aspects of Japanese culture.

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