Psychologists define resilience as the process of adapting well in the face of adversity, trauma, tragedy, threats, or significant sources of stress. When applied to the world of sports, resilience is a quality crucial to the success of athletes with core competencies including self-awareness, self-regulation, optimism, mental agility, character strengths and connection.
From helping the Japan national team pull off an upset against favored South Africa in the 2015 Rugby World Cup to responding to the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami that destroyed his family home, Kensuke Hatakeyama knows a thing or two about what it takes to be resilient both on and off the pitch.
JASH in partnership with Japan Society Boston is pleased to present this informal conversation with the Japanese Major League Rugby star about the importance of resilience in the face of challenges and about U.S.-Japan sports exchange. Moderating the conversation will be Dr. Akira Asada, Assistant Professor of Sport Management at Texas Tech University.
As a member of the New England Free Jacks, Hatakeyama will visit Houston for the second game of the 2021 season against the Houston SaberCats on Saturday, March 27, 2021 at 7:00 PM (CT) at AVEVA Stadium.
Join us in giving Hatakeyama a warm welcome to Houston.
This event is free with registration. Click the button below to register:
Speaker Bio:
Kensuke Hatakeyama is from Kesennuma, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan and attended Sendai Ikuei High School.
He played rugby and basketball in high school and was selected to the High School National Team and the Japanese U17 National teams. Hatakeyama then attended Waseda University in Tokyo and was a leader in achieving National Championships while there.
Following his graduation in 2008, Hatakeyama joined the Suntory Sungoliaths and made 163 appearances for the team. He also made 7 appearances for the Newcastle Falcons in 2016.
Since his debut for the Japanese National team against the USA at Nagoya on November 16, 2008, he has earned 78 caps. His last test was against Fiji at Vannes, France on November 26, 2016. He also played in the Rugby World Cup in both 2011 and in 2015.
Hatakeyama is the 4th most capped Japanese National Team player and the most capped in the front row. He helped the Suntory Sungoliath achieve 4 Top League Championships and 5 All Japan Championship titles.
Photos provided by Kensuke Hatakeyama
Biography provided by https://djcoilrugby.com/
Moderator Bio:
Akira Asada, Ph.D. is an assistant professor of sport management at Texas Tech University. He was born and raised in Tokyo, Japan. He completed his B.S. degree (Sports Sciences) at Waseda University and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees (Sport Management) at University of Florida. He studies sport consumer behavior and sport marketing.
Image and biography provided by Dr. Asada
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