Sooners Abroad Blog: Team USA in Japan

Oklahoma head coach Mark Williams, athletic trainer Jenna Allocco and alumni Allan Bower, Yul Moldauer, Genki Suzuki and Colin Van Wicklen are in Funabashi, Japan, this week with Team USA participating in the US Senior National Team's annual joint training camp with Japan ahead of next summer's Olympic Games in Tokyo. Hear from the OU contingent as they travel, train with the country's top gymnasts and explore Japan over the course of the next week.

DAY ONE: Head Coach Mark Williams

On Sunday June 16^th, the Oklahoma/USA team delegation departed from our gym at 4:00 am for the Funabashi, Japan, third annual Senior National Team training camp. I was again selected as one of the personal coaches for the week long training with the rest of the Oklahoma contingent included Allan Bower and Yul Moldauer, who both went last year as well, and the newer national team members, Genki Suzuki and Colin Van Wicklen. Jenna Allocco would also be going as the team athletic trainer. After two flights and a bus ride that took some 20 hours or so, we arrived in Funabashi on Sunday evening.

Since there was a lot to do the next day and most of us had not slept well on the long flight, we quickly got settled, found some dinner and got to bed early. Though the jet lag affected each of us differently, most of us were up before 5:00 am the next morning. I got up and walked/ran a little before breakfast. (Two and a half weeks post-knee surgery made it a slow-go but I enjoyed the new sights.) Afterward, we all met for breakfast at the hotel and compared notes on how sleeping and adjusting to the new time zone was a struggle.

Once we had breakfast, we all headed over to the Funabashi City Hall where Mayor, Toru Matsudo, held a welcome-back ceremony for our delegation. We had done this last year with him so there were a lot of familiar faces around the conference room. A huge banner had been hung in the lobby of city hall where each of the guys from the USA team were represented. At the ceremony, speeches were made, pictures were taken, and thanks were given for the opportunity to work with the city in preparations for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Soon after, we traveled to the training gym at Ichifuna, Funabashi High School for morning training. The gymnastics facility there is one of the best men's workout gymnasiums in the world. It's equipped with some of the best apparatus available from Senoh in a clean, well-lit and airy environment. The guys were really looking forward to getting started.

My first trip to Japan was back in 1987 for the Junior International Invitational. Because men's gymnastics is very popular here and their teams have traditionally done very well internationally, I've been to Japan over a dozen times for camps, World Cup competitions and the 2011 World Championships. Over the years, I've come to love the people, the food and the gymnastics performed by the athletes of this country. I would have to say that Japan is the destination I most look forward to in all my international travels.

Our morning training got everyone moving around a little and prepared the athlete's bodies for the afternoon's gymnastics they would be doing. As we finished, the school hosted an assembly for the team in their auditorium. Dignitaries were introduced, the high school band played each country's national anthems and a rendition of "Bohemian Rhapsody" by Queen was performed. Yoichi Tomita, our delegation interpreter, spoke to the students about the purpose of our visit and said a few things about each delegation member.

team usa

From there, we had a quick lunch and went back for the afternoon training. The OU guys did ½ routines on floor, pommel horse and still rings. By the third event, it was evident that jet lag was affecting some the guys. But it was a good start to the week with lots more gymnastics to do in the coming days.

"Over the years, I've come to love the people, the food and the gymnastics performed by the athletes of this country. I would have to say that Japan is the destination I most look forward to in all my international travels."
- Mark Williams

The last event for the day was appearing at a semi-formal banquet at the hotel hosted by the city of Funabashi. Along with the Mayor, Yoichi, and Dennis McIntyre, the USA men's program coordinator and vice president for USAG, the USA ambassador for this region of Japan spoke to the team and the attendees. We also had a chance to taste various traditional Japanese cuisines, listen to the music played by the Ichifuna High School orchestra and toast the hospitality of our Funabashi hosts. It had been a busy and eventful day. After the tables were cleared, we all turned in for the day with the expectation of more fun coming throughout the week.

Follow along here for daily updates from the Sooners in Japan and on social media on Twitter and Instagram (@OU_MGymnastics) and Oklahoma Men's Gymnastics on Facebook.