Our Town Inagi 2018 Misato Ogihara

A Global Stage for Success: Inline Skating Freestyle

Misato Ogihara, a 6th grader at Inagi Dai 1 Elementary School, participated in the world tournament "Shanghai Slalom Open" (August 2017). Competitors from various countries took part, battling to determine the world’s number one in each entry category.
Ogihara was the only elementary school student to qualify for the Junior Women's Classic Slalom.

Inline skating is a very popular roller sport in Europe, the United States, China, and other countries. It includes aggressive competitions such as jumps, speed competitions, as well as dance and hockey. Ogihara is challenging herself in "Freestyle Classic." Mini pylons are lined up, and skaters glide between them to music. There are various types of tricks, categorized into sit (crouching) types and jump types, with higher difficulty tricks earning higher scores.
"I want to skate like Mao Asada!" At the time, 6-year-old Ms. Ogiwara discovered inline skating. After improving her skills, she has been active as a dance performer while also learning various techniques by watching videos on the internet, and has excelled in domestic freestyle classic competitions. She is currently practicing "Toe Christy," a technique with the highest difficulty level. Additionally, she spares no effort, taking ballet to improve the balance required for inline skating and studying English for overseas expeditions.

In FY2018, a world competition even more advanced than the Shanghai Slalom Open is scheduled. First, we look forward to her securing the right to participate, and then to seeing Ms. Ogiwara shine on the world stage.
Ms. Ogiwara's activities are being shared on the "Challenge to Inline Skating" Website.

• "Challenge to Inline Skating" Website(External Link)