Baton Twirling: Comparing Canada and Japan

Baton Twirling: Comparing Canada and Japan

Mizuki Kuwahara

In grade 9, I had to decide which course I want to go in high school; Super English Language Course (we call it SEL course), which is a course include one year of exchange student in abroad and study all subjects in English conducted by native English speaker, or ordinary course, which is all class conducted in Japanese. I had heard that if I take SEL course, I cannot enter any sports team, because the class is until 7^th period, and many assignments, so no time for practice and hard to handle. Therefore, it was hard for me to choose baton or English because I love both and I knew that both are really attractive.

As I told in my last blog, I learned that my effort will pay me back. Another thing that I learned from my Junior High School life with baton is; “限界を決めるのはいつも自分” which means there is no limit, if you don’t decide it, or always you decide the limit. I decided to do both, because I did not want to make limit on myself. Actually it was not just me who entered SEL course and joined to sports team. Kunika joined girls’ soccer team, Kimuchi was in Kendo team and some of my friends were in volleyball team and brass band.

When I was grade 10, after three months I enter High School, I left Japan for studying abroad in Canada for a year. I arrived at Regina airport and my host mother told me “I saw your picture doing baton on application form. I found baton school in here, so you can go, if you want to, because I think it is better for you to make friends and English, also it makes you easier to join your team in Japan when you go back. ” Of course I replied “Yes!! I want to practice baton! I think it is good for me and I want to know how practice is conducted is different.”

I chose Martin School of Dance and Baton Twirling. I did not know it is strongest dance team in Regina, Saskatchewan, and many baton twirlers go to World Competition, which held in once a year in August. I decided to compete in solo routine, because I thought it is good chance to improve my twirling skill.

One difference in the ways of practice is conducted between Japan and Canada was length of time of practice. I had a jazz class and two baton class in a week. I was really happy because I did not have practice every day and I had lot of time to hang out with my Canadian friend and host family. I think the reason why Canada has less practice time is, culture is different. In Japan, people have become no consideration on having good time with their family on weekdays or weekends. The society became put effort on improving economy but not on the family. Japan knows that we have to work hard for compete with other country. However, in Canada, the time flew slowly and many people think spending time with their family or yourselves is more important.

Another difference that I realize is the quality of skills is higher in Japan. Japanese people work very hard, put many efforts for making sensitive things and do minute works. I think this is why Japanese twirler are always on the top in each division in World Competition. Japanese twirlers are more flexible, twirl baton faster than Canadian twirlers. If the twirler is flexible and baton twirls fast, the body line, dancing and baton shape looks beautiful and these considered when judges decide prize. Also, practice place was different. Usually to practice baton it requires high height roof. My team mostly practiced outside because other club teams using gym and we had less opportunities of using gym. However, most of baton school in Japan, baton studio have higher roof, or use gym instead. In Canada, they used old school’s gym, so I could always practice inside, but it was really small and roof was low. This cause when they toss baton, spin and catch it, their spins are not beautiful enough, because they hurry to spin many times before they catch it.