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highschool volleyball

the journal of Michael Werneburg

twenty-eight years and a million words

It's time for the national highschool volleyball finals in Japan. And with a family member (deeply) involved, we're attending games.

Mari's parents have come up to Tokyo because Mari's older brother Shinya-san is coaching a team that's done rather well this year. They finished second in all of Kyusyu this year, and though the team has no stars or history of success, they've been doing well. A Cinderella story.

The play-offs are a grueling round of seven elimination matches. In the first round, it was simply based on a single set of three games. In the second and third rounds—now completed—teams have to win a match of best-of-three sets. But having won three matches puts them only half-way to the final match. I wouldn't be surprised if the final rounds had more games.

When attending the games, we're given orange windbreakers and plastic bullhorns.

This is what our group looked like from the other side of the stadium.

Sorry about the crap photos. An iPhone does not a decent camera make.

Ganbatte to