The day after the Tokushima match and the last day of camp, the menu focused on recovery. After warming up, the players moved on to footvolley. Before heading out to the pitch, team selections were made under the eaves. The eight oldest players became captains, and a draft system was used where players were chosen in the order of their rock-paper-scissors wins. Each round of rock-paper-scissors was met with great excitement.
Once the groups were decided, the players went out to the pitch. The warm-up included recreational elements that they enjoyed. In a game where three players formed a circle and had to run without dropping a ball held between their backs, the team of Kwoun Sun-tae, Abe, and Kubota struggled greatly, dropping the ball to the ground many times.
After the warm-up, the footvolley tournament finally began. Since the winning team would receive a prize from Manager Oiwa to purchase souvenirs at the hotel shop, the players played with enjoyment while aiming for victory. When they disagreed with a call, they could be seen vehemently protesting to the coaches and manager acting as referees. Smiles abounded with every play, making for a relaxed and enjoyable training session.
The winning team was Pedro Junior, Leandro, and Machida. In their first match, they impressively won 10-0 without giving up a single point to their opponents. On the other hand, the team that finished last was Endo, Ueda, Inukai, and Oki. As a penalty, they had to walk back to the dormitory from the stadium.
After the footvolley tournament, Manager Oiwa gathered the players. All training sessions for the Miyazaki camp had concluded, and he told them, "Let's return to Kashima with an even higher awareness and commit to training to win titles."
Just as the huddle broke, there was a surprise from the staff. A cake appeared on the pitch to celebrate player Abe's birthday today, and player Pedro, whose birthday is tomorrow, the 29th. The players and all the visitors who came to watch celebrated with applause. Player Abe greeted everyone, saying, "I'm happy to be celebrated among the fans and supporters."
With this, all scheduled events for this year's Miyazaki camp have concluded. Miyazaki, which was covered by cloudy skies in the morning, was blessed with clear blue skies by the time of the birthday celebration. Over 14 days, we were fortunate with the weather and able to conduct thorough training. The team will return to Kashima and continue preparations for the start of the season.
Manager Oiwa
"We are making excellent preparations for the season. I would be delighted if you could fight alongside us at the stadium and in front of your TVs once the season begins. Let's fight together this season. Thank you for your support."