[Special] Direct Interview with the Tokyo Haneda Vickies Professional Women’s Basketball Team (the First Part)

We interviewed the Tokyo Haneda Vickies,
a team with warm charm and strong ties to the community!

Based in Ota City, the Tokyo Haneda Vickies are the only professional Women’s basketball team in Tokyo. While sparking hopes and dreams in the community through basketball activities, the Tokyo Haneda Vickies are a team with warm charm and strong ties to the community, such as participating in many local events as Tourism PR Special Diplomats of Ota City. We gathered three players from the team in order to hold an interview with them! The three talked about their typical practice routine and their favorite shops in Ota City in a lighthearted manner. This interview will be delivered in two parts.

©️Tokyo Haneda Vickies

Interviewees:

Captain Forward Ms. Hana Okuda	Forward-Center Ms. Chinami Akimoto	Forward Ms. Monique Aymelek

―― We heard that the Vickies also hold a “basketball clinic” where you teach basketball in gym classes for elementary and middle schools as well as the Vickies Academy School, a basketball class targeted towards elementary school students.
Ms. Okuda:The idea of the Academy School has been around for a while, but it started in October of last year. We have heard that a lot of men’s professional basketball teams hold academy schools, but this is the first one for a women’s professional basketball team.

Ms. Aymelek:Last year, due to the COVID-19 outbreak, we weren’t able to hold many of them, but we are also focusing on activities to teach basketball to children. Children don’t have as many inhibitions and they challenge what we ask them to do head-on. Seeing that attitude, I often feel personally inspired.

―― We also heard that you participate in local events. Are there any events that left an impression on you?
Ms. Akimoto:As Aymelek mentioned earlier, lots of events were canceled last year due to the COVID-19 outbreak, but I vividly remember the Ota City Children’s Garden Party in spring and the Haneda Matsuri Festival held in summer. At the Garden Party, we sold Vickies merchandise and also set up a small hoop to have a free throw challenge for the children to enjoy. At the Haneda Matsuri Festival, we wore the festival T-shirt and carried a portable shrine with people from the community, and that was memorable.

Ms. Aymelek:For me, it’s a storytelling event we had at the local library. I’m not used to speaking in front of a lot of people, so I was nervous at first, but once it started, seeing the cute children helped me relax. When I talked to them about basketball, they were very interested, and many of them told me they wanted to come see our matches. It made me very happy.

Ms. Okuda:For me, it’s the Wanpaku Sumo tournaments. These are sumo events for elementary school students, and we participate in the Ota City tournament, but since this happens every year, we often see the same people. We get to see these children growing up, which makes us feel kind of like we’re their parents, and it’s very fun.

Haneda Matsuri Festival (left), storytelling event (middle), Wanpaku Sumo (right) (©️Tokyo Haneda Vickies)

―― We heard that in a fast-paced sport like basketball, you guys have short names to call each other called a court name, something you can use quickly. Could you tell us your court names?
Ms. Aymelek:Mine is Meru. It’s from the French word “merci” (thanks). Back when I was in high school, my seniors gave me that name so that I will always remember a feeling of gratitude.

Ms. Okuda:Mine’s the same as my name, Hana. Up until around university, I had another court name, but I decided to change it to my own name when I joined the Vickies.

Ms. Akimoto:Mine is Kou, but it’s hard to explain where it came from... In my high school, how they picked court names was very different. Seniors think of a sentence for each person, and then you use words in that sentence or you could also use an anagram of words in the sentence. The sentence I got from my seniors was “Basketball to iu kono michi wo mayowazu tsukisusumu (Follow the path of basketball without hesitation).” I picked “u ko” from “iu kono” and used an anagram to make it Kou (laughs). It would’ve been better if it had been something easier to understand like Meru and Hana, but I’ve been using it since high school, so it’s like a part of me now.

Trivia

―― Let's hear about your roles and how you interact with the team, and what you’re like, from each other's perspectives.


Ms. OkudaMs. Akimoto:Hana is very reliable since she’s the captain, and she’s also kind of funny. She says funny things out of nowhere sometimes and makes us laugh, creating a friendly atmosphere.
Ms. Aymelek:She doesn’t make herself the center of the attention or mess around or anything, but she can create a fun atmosphere. She’s very mature and calm, but at the same time she has moments where she is childish.
Ms. Okuda:Is that a compliment (laughs)?
Ms. Aymelek:Yes, it is.
Ms. Akimoto:It has to be! It’s a super compliment!


Ms. AymelekMs. Okuda:Meru’s a baby.
Ms. Aymelek:Wh-what? Really?
Ms. Akimoto:You know how to get us to spoil you.
Ms. Aymelek:I don’t know about that.
Ms. Okuda:You always snuggle up, going, “Kou, listen, listen!” (laughs).
Ms. Akimoto:“Snuggle up,” (laughs).
Ms. Okuda:It makes you feel like, “Oh well, Meru’s being Meru,” and you feel like you’d want to do anything for her.


Ms. AkimotoMs. Aymelek:No matter what you say, Kou just about dies laughing every time (laughs).
Ms. Okuda:So true (laughs).
Ms. Aymelek:She laughs at everything, she’s kind, and reminds you of an older sister.

―― Is there anything you do before a match as a routine?
Ms. Akimoto:When I wake up in the morning, I hype myself up by listening to my favorite music, massage my body with oil, and then stretch. I really like this music group called Shikuramen (*1), who are also Tourism PR Special Diplomats of Ota City just like the Vickies, so I have my favorite songs of theirs in my playlist. I usually listen to that.

Ms. Okuda:I chew gum. Don’t people say your focus goes up when you chew gum? I believe that, and I always chew gum before a match (laughs).

Ms. Aymelek:I try to shoot hoops until my shooter’s touch becomes better. My role as a player is to make shots, so I practice more shooting than dribbling and passing.



―― Please tell us the form of play you’re good at and your strength during a match.
Ms. Aymelek:For me, it’s three-pointers (*2) and rebounds (*3).
Ms. Akimoto:For me, it’s middle-range shots (*4) and the speed from when I receive the ball until I shoot.
Ms. Okuda:Mine is cutting (*5).



―― Is there any sort of practice you personally do often?
Ms. Aymelek:I would have to say three-pointer practice in various situations. The movements that I often make during a match, the angle at which I receive the pass, and the direction of my feet, etc. are generally set to some extent, and the situation when making a shot is also quite set, so I practice by having the ball passed under similar conditions.

(©️Tokyo Haneda Vickies)

Ms. Akimoto:I practice catch-and-shoot, which is to make a shot quickly after I receive the ball. It would be ideal to be able to perform in a match as I do when practicing, but a real match actually feels very different than in practice, so I try to imagine being in an actual match during practice to have the feeling of being in a real match.

(©️Tokyo Haneda Vickies)

Ms. Okuda:Now, especially, I practice a lot to be able to make a shot even under a hard defense. It’s not that I practice the same thing over and over, but if I’m in a place where I can’t make a shot in matches, I practice making that kind of shot, so basically, I practice whatever that I feel is a challenge for me at the moment. When I make a mistake during practice, that bad feeling remains, and sometimes that scene flashes through my mind all of a sudden during the next match. I believe everyone has experienced a flashback before, but I practice so that I can eliminate that feeling and gain confidence.

(©️Tokyo Haneda Vickies)

―― Tell me what you like about the Vickies.
Ms. Akimoto:The fans for sure. They’re very passionate and kind.
Ms. Aymelek:Same here. The fans are super kind! There are many shops who cheer us on. Just to name a few, an udon restaurant, Udon-ya Daisaku, a bakery, boulangerie mimolette, a vegetable shop, Yaosei.
Ms. Akimoto:A bento shop, plate lunch Nanary has created a system where people can buy rice to support the team and players. Profile cards of the team members are attached to the rice, and if you buy 10kg of that rice, the player with her profile card on that rice receives 450g of rice.
Ms. Aymelek:I’m very grateful for that one.
Ms. Okuda:Also, when I’m biking down the road, I often hear, “Go, go Vickies!”
Ms. Aymelek:Oh yeah, it happens to me, too, when I’m biking. Elementary school students say, “Are you one of the Vickies? We’re rooting for you!”
Ms. Okuda:They’re so cute. Being surrounded by such a warm community is the best thing about the Vickies.

Trivia

―― You guys definitely have amazing fans. So, how about the team itself? Is there anything you like about the team itself?
Ms. Okuda:We’re very good friends, though Kou (Ms. Akimoto) is the eldest member of the team.
Ms. Akimoto:(Laughs)
Ms. Okuda:She plays around with the younger members and talks with them a lot, so from that point of view too, I think the team atmosphere is really good.
Ms. Aymelek:Yeah, I totally agree on that one. Older members of the team are very nice. How can I put it? You know how girls tend to have cliques? We don’t have that here.
Ms. Akimoto & Ms. Okuda:(Laughs)
Ms. Akimoto:Yeah, we’re all good friends. As Hana (Ms. Okuda) mentioned earlier, I’m the oldest, but we joke about it and have fun (laughs).
Ms. Okuda:The young girls are pretty assertive, in a positive sense.
Ms. Akimoto:They joke around in a cheerful tone, so I’m like, “Hey!” but I always think we’re good friends.
Ms. Okuda:We’re all very loud (laughs).

(To be continued in the latter part)


*Note: For the latest information on hours, etc., please directly check with each facility and shop.