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Ajisai Volleyball Club |
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| Sports activities as well as cultural ones are flourishing
in Hitachi. Volleyball is one of the most popular sports and there are 16
volleyball clubs in Hitachi. The "Ajisai Volleyball Club" is based on the Hidaka area in Northern Hitachi. It is one of so-called "Mama-san" volleyball clubs which are mainly played by housewives. The Ajisai Club was started in June 1979 by the original members of Ajisai's predecessor, "Hidaka YMV"(which had dissolved several years before) and by some new members. It consists of 17 members and is run through its membership fees. The Ajisai Club meets every Friday from 6.30 ~ 8.45 pm. The two other volleyball clubs in the Hidaka area practice at night and in the day. A part of their activities includes staging a tournament called the "Ajisai Club Night Game Cup", in which four teams, one from Hidaka, one from Tajiri, one from Miyata, and one from Toyoura, compete for a cup. They also take part in games hosted by the Hitachi Athletic Association and the Ibaraki Women's Association. Their goal for both these competitions is to advance to the second round. |
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The members that we spoke to said that the good thing about playing
volleyball is stress release and mutual cooperation. The club members hope
that the numbers of those wanting to play volleyball will increase. They
would also welcome new members from foreign countries with open arms. The
captain, Mrs.Ushioda, commented warmly "I'm always happy to hear of
ex-members doing well in other fields, even if it is not volleyball".We hope that "Mama-san" volleyball teams will increase in number and that volleyball will become more popular. |
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