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Archive Record
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Metadata
Object ID |
2024.4.5 B |
Object Name |
Video Recording |
Title |
Hiroshi Nakamura Interview |
Scope & Content |
Hiroshi Nakamura, 18 October 2023, interview. Born digital MP4, viewing time 00:22:07. CBC Sports' Devin Heroux speaks with Hiroshi Nakamura, 2023 Order of Sport recipient. Transcript: InterviewerWhat does this honor mean to you? Hiroshi I don't know. It's my, you know, I never think, you know... I just work hard and I love judo and it came out this way. I'm very, very happy and grateful. Interviewer When did you find out? How did you find out? About how many months ago? Hiroshi This spring, I think. Yeah. Canada's Sports Hall of Fame... They contact me and said, "You're selected, you're accepted." InterviewerOf course. What did you think? When that happened, to be in the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame? HiroshiWell, it's, you know, I never think, this kind of honour I receive. And so, I was thinking before I came to Canada, I made three objectives. One, is... later I talk about Doug Rogers, but I was doing training for 1964 Olympic Games and I couldn't make it, you know, and '67 World Championship. And just after the selection, I had back injuries and I couldn't go, then I stopped competing. After that, I came to Canada. Before I come to Canada, I said, OK, when I go to Canada, I will try to make my dream for my students. I will coach somebody to get the Olympic Medal. That was one of my objectives. And the second was to make judo as popular as hockey. But it's like a Canadian-- the hockey is like a religion in Canada. So, I don't think, it's very difficult to make it same thing as judo. So, we will be working hard and still we're working hard to beat hockey popularity. InterviewerYou said 69 years you've been a part of judo. What was it like in Canada? When I was reading your history and doing research it seemed like there wasn't a very big community, like Canadians didn't understand. So, what was that like for you in the early days? 03:28 Hiroshi Well, the 1964 Olympic Games, Tokyo Olympic Games... many, many foreigners, they come to a mecca of judo school in Tokyo, Kodokan. That's a school, and so many foreigners and so many Canadian people was there. And I was training two together to qualify for the Olympic Games. And one of them was Doug Rogers, was there. And we were training, training together. And Doug met Mr. Kimura. He's a great, great, great champion. You know, he saw, he met Kimura and started his training with him. That made him, went to Olympic Games and get the Silver Medal. So, we have about over 10 Canadian athletes, judoka, who were practicing. And they're talking, you know, for the Nakamura, come to Canada to develop Canadian judo because Canadian judo, it's not so good, you know, and no good coaches. So, come to Canada, come to Canada. So, took me about one year to decide to come to Canada. And one of them was from Montreal, Terry Farnsworth, he was the 1972 Olympian. But I came with him, and he invited me, and his father was responsible for me to come to Canada. Yeah. So that's the, that's the start. That was the start. Interviewer You went from being the athlete to the coach very quickly. Did you know you wanted to be a coach? 05:27 Hiroshi Yes. Well, I love so much judo, you know, and been doing judo since 12 years old. And, of course, after university I have three years working for an advertisement company, which they had a very strong judo team. So then, I was doing that for three years, competing for the company team. But after that, you know, I was thinking about my future... if I stay at the company, I don't know if I can go up higher because there were very smart people. So, I said, "Should I take judo or company, stay in company?" So, then that's the moment I decided, OK, I go to Canada and start coaching. Interviewer It was a big decision. HiroshiYes. InterviewerA decision that changed your life. HiroshiYes. InterviewerForever. HiroshiYes. InterviewerAnd now you're going into the Sports Hall of Fame because of this decision. So, it was a good decision. HiroshiI think so. InterviewerDid they compete at the Budokan in 1964, the Budokan in Tokyo? Hiroshi Yes. I fought twice, the old Japan championship for the, that's old Japan championship is not weight categories. So, you know, I was 76 kilo and fighting with 100, 120 kilo guys. Interviewer So you've coached some great athletes. Yes. Tell me about what it's like and how you learned to be a coach. The trust between the coach and the athlete. 07:20 Hiroshi I think the first thing, same as athletes, you have to be really excited and passionate about the sport, not only judo, same with other sports, everything is the same, I think. And after that is dedication. So, the athletes see the coach working hard so then they follow. But if you give a program, "OK, go ahead, do it," you know, it doesn't work. So, coach's job is 24 hours, seven days a week job. Sometimes they get sick or sometimes, anything happens, and they can call coach. You know, so you have to you have to go pick them up or go to his apartment and treat him, you know, injury or sickness, or whatever. So, you have to be ready for this, you know. InterviewerIt's like a parent. Hiroshi Yeah, that's why they're asking, many people asking, "What's the secret?" No secret. Just give everything that you have to athletes. And, you know, sometimes be a brother, sometimes friend, sometimes father, you know, brother. I cannot be a sister (laughs), but so, you know, be close to them. But also, you cannot be like this [claps hands together]. You have to have a line, you know, coach and athletes. So, the athlete comes close to me and then steps a little bit back, there's space always, then they go, you know, they go away. Then they come close again and bring back line. InterviewerIt's like a dance. I can see when you talk about judo, the joy, how much you care about it. What would you say to Canadians? You say Canadians love hockey. It's religious. But what would you say to Canadians about judo? Why do you love it? 09:41 Hiroshi I think many people, the Canadian people, they like judo, but they didn't know. But now a little bit, a little bit, you know, the people realize that, not only [is it a] sport, physical part, but judo is educational part too. So, you're fighting, so you have to respect each other. You have to do the manner and the rules and discipline you need. So, that's a very important part because we have about every year, 150, over 150 kids doing judo, but you cannot make everybody a champion. What is important is they have what they, you know, to the educational part of judo. So then one of thousand, one of the 20,000 people, one of them becomes Nicolas again. But other people, they cannot be a champion, but we have to give them as much as we can. And then after they stop judo, they can see good memories. You know, I had a good time and then I learned this, I learned that, you know, that's a very important thing. Interviewer Life lessons. You are still very busy, twenty-four seven, you say, it's a full time job. But when you have a moment like this where you're being recognized for your great work, do you have a chance to reflect, to have some perspective and reflection on everything that you've given to Canada and given to judo to help Canadians succeed? 11:26 Hiroshi Yeah, I think it's not enough. I didn't give enough, but, you know, it's not only me... Federation and other people and especially in judo in Canada, especially in Quebec, it's a seasonal sport. So, the kids start judo September to December and January go back to swimming and summer doing soccer and baseball, you know, and the next year they go play hockey and same with the parents. And that's okay. That's okay, you know, because I think to give kids a chance, much as they can, of the opportunity to try many sports, then they choose one after 12 years old to be specialized for one sport. But, you know, I think this is the way. So, I don't worry about too much, you know, oh, you have to do just judo, it's not that. And I think it's better that kids educate or practice other sports, many sports, and then they choose whatever they want. They like it. InterviewerDo you think what you have done is special? Or do you think you're just doing your job? Because not many people go into the Hall of Fame. So how do you think about what you do? Hiroshi I don't know. I just do what I have to do so then they become... received honour. But I wasn't seeking that, you know, just the love of sports and I do, you know, every day. So I don't, you know, I'm not... InterviewerYou don't think it's special. You're just doing your job. What do you say to the athletes that you've coached over all these years? What do you want to say to the athletes? 13:57 Hiroshi Well, when they're young, they should, if they like judo and every one of them, they do maximum, they level, because not everybody is an Olympic medalist. See, when I picked up kids and see the kids, first I see their eyes, you know, they're shining and the want-to, you know, want to be champion... I want to be a judo champion. And so, you see that. And plus, they should have dedication, and eat, sleep, with the judo. So then after that, you see parents, how much they can support. Especially when they're young, they need, you know, the support by parents. So that's very important. But later on, what our job- each athlete, we can tell, this guy works hard. He can make it National level, international level, Olympic or World Championship level, and plus Olympic or World Championship medallist. So, different... so then the coach has to, you know, I don't know how to say that… They find out, and so then each athlete, their maximum level, I have to bring them up. Then after he retires, he says, "Oh, I couldn't get the world medal, but I have no regret. I'm really happy what I did." That's important things because if somebody quits before their maximum, always they said, "Well, I could be a better, I could train a little bit more, I can be this," you know, things like this. So I could tell the athletes, "What do you want, you want maximum? You have to work so much and this, this, this. And after, you don't regret all your life." Many, many failed athletes get to, you know, marriage, kids, and they bring kids down there, and they say, "Oh, how much I was good," you know, this, that. But always regret, "I could have been a champion, but I didn't work enough," or, you know, so this, life only once. So, I said to young people, you try as much as you can. Study, after 30 years old, you can still study, but the judo, or some sports, especially judo, until 30, you gotta work hard and get to reach your maximum or your objective. Otherwise, your whole life, you know, "Oh, I could do that, I could…" you know. So, it's not things behind, you gotta work hard. So that's my philosophy. Interviewer And it's been successful. My last question for you, when you win this award, who do you think of? Because there have been people who have helped you, supported you, allowed you to be so involved in judo. So, who do you want to thank? Who do you think about when you win this honour? 18:05 Hiroshi It's everybody, all judo families, you know, to give me opportunities… so that's why tomorrow's speech… but at first, 1973, I came here in 1968, 1973, I become national coach for the Olympic Games, the Montreal Olympic Games. So then I have lots of problems because the athletes are everywhere, so I get all the athletes together and the kids don't have money... So then at that time, Roger Jackson, the 1964 Olympic Games, Roger's a gold medallist, and he was director of Sports Canada. So, I called-- because I know Doug Rogers and Roger Jackson are very good friends, and I'm friends with Doug Rogers. So, I say Doug, you know, I have a problem, can you introduce to me to Roger Jackson. Doug helped me talk to Roger Jackson and Roger Jackson said, "Okay, we'll help you…" and, so he helped me a lot. And also, next one was John Richardson from the City of Montreal. So, he helped me a lot. I talked to him, and I said, "Well, we have a judo program in the city, but the city is, you know, after-school programs, it's not really a professional dojo." So, I said, "You know, we need a permanent, you know, dojo." So, then he said, "Well, you know, the [inaudible] Mont Noir downstairs, they have a place where the kindergarten moved… A little space there so you can go in." So that was the start. So then after a while, the other room is empty. So, I asked him, "Can I use other one?" So they said, "Yeah, well, it's okay. I'll close my eyes. You can use that." So, we, one weekend, we went there to stretch out and break down the wall. Made it bigger. So, he closed his eyes and said, "No, I didn't see it." So that's the… John Richardson helped us a lot, you know. And also, Terry Farnsworth, the one… training together with Doug Rogers. So, Terry's father sponsored me to come to Canada. After he came back and we went together with 1972 Munich Olympic Games, I was coaching him. So that's the… InterviewerIt's an amazing journey. And you're still going. HiroshiWell, I'd like to retire, you know, but they don't want me to retire, so- InterviewerYou don't want it. HiroshiWell, I don't know. I don't want to stay home and, you know... So, I love kids, teaching... InterviewerCongratulations. HiroshiThank you very much. |
Date |
2023/10/18 |
People |
Nakamura, Hiroshi |
Search Terms |
Builder Judo 1964 Olympic Games Tokyo Coach 1976 Olympic Games Montreal 1972 Olymmpic Games Munich Canadian Identity |