Sakura Yosozumi

NEW KID ON THE BLOCK

A whole new generation of skateboarders is taking control. They’re athletic, focused, disciplined – and love competition. Sakura Yosozumi is one of the sport’s brightest new heroes. Here she explains why bloody knees aren’t her thing and how origami makes her a better skater

Words HISANORI KATO

Sakura Yosozumi is an up-and-coming skateboarder from Wakayama, Japan

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kateboarders in the 1970s were usually considered misfits. This was especially the case in California, where the sport was invented, and where the Z-Boys crew (named after the Zephyr Surf Shop in Santa Monica) were notorious for their guerrilla approach to the sport. They would scour their neighbourhood looking for empty swimming pools to use as secret skateparks, sometimes even carrying pumps with them to drain the last drops of scummy water. Coinciding with the advent of punk music, which was a perfect match with new and aggressive style of skateboarding associated with the Z-Boys, this nascent and edgy subculture soon took the USA and the world by storm.

Today, skateboarding still has an aura of rebellion about it, even though it’s become established as a mainstream sport that features in the some of the world’s biggest events. In recent years, a new generation of skateboarders has sprung up, with its practitioners focused on the sport’s athletic and competitive nature instead of its old subcultural elements.

Child prodigy

One of the most promising stars coming out of skateboarding’s bold new era is Sakura Yosozumi. She started her journey at the age of 11. After three years of honing her craft, she won the All Japan Ladies Skateboarding Championship, followed by victories in major international competitions, including the Vans Park Series, the X-Games and the Park Skateboarding World Championship.

For a 19-year-old, that’s quite an impressive inventory of achievements. So where does she get her love for crazy tricks and this steely determination to be the best skateboarder from, you might wonder? The answer can be found in her childhood. At the moment when her older brother, who is 13 years older than her, picked up his skateboard.

Getting hooked

“We used to play together a lot, but once he got hooked on skateboarding, he didn’t have time for me anymore,” says Yosozumi with a grin. “I thought that if I get good at skating, he’d hang out with me again.”

Sure enough, her plan worked. “Even when I was starting out, I could easily jump over a plastic bottle – that impressed my brother,” she says. “At first, I just wanted him to pay attention to me, but at some point, I just wanted to improve.” That’s when her passion for skateboarding went into overdrive. She began getting out of bed at 6am each day to practise before school.

After a year of hard training, Yosozumi was certain: she wanted to become a skateboard pro. But her dream didn’t fall on sympathetic ears initially because her parents – like most – weren’t fond of the idea.

The objection from her parents stemmed from the fact that Japan’s skateboarding scene is still very male-dominated. They felt like it was a too-dangerous hobby for her and that the daredevil image of the sport wouldn’t suit their little girl. As her parents didn’t want to simply prohibit her from skateboarding, they gave her challenges they thought were unachievable, such as executing a trick which involved jumping over a plastic bottle 50 times in a day. If she managed to complete their tasks, she was allowed to continue. Yosozumi easily cleared every one of their challenges – and instead of discouraging her, they improved her technique.

Against all odds

Yosozumi’s parents watched with astonishment and gave in. If they couldn’t stop her skateboarding, they decided the best course of action was to give her their full backing. They wouldn’t do things by half-measures, either, and they hired a construction company to pour concrete over their garden to build their daughter her own skatepark.

But the Yosozumi family soon ran into obstacles in the form of financial difficulties. It’s easy to think that all you need to go skateboarding is the board, but that doesn’t help you achieve the status of a top athlete. A board can end up worn out after a few days of intense practice. Plus, there were the travelling costs.

As she outgrew the skatepark in her back garden, her mother drove her to a bigger park located in Osaka – a one-hour drive away from their home in Wakayama – almost every day. The costs associated with those journeys soon started to add up quite substantially, and the savings that the family set aside for skateboarding were quickly depleted. But against all odds, Yosozumi kept pushing forward.

She was invited to take part in a high-profile competition overseas and won. The prize money from that victory allowed her to attend another big tournament, so she gradually started getting sponsored by companies and was able to concentrate solely on competing. Next generation

Yosozumi is driven to take part in contests and improve her skills while avoiding injuries. This would be considered lame by skateboarders from the 1980s and ’90s, but she’s undeterred.

“Skateboard magazines sometimes show pictures of skaters covered in blood – that’s a part of the culture,” she says. “People who think that’s cool are probably more ‘street’ than me, but I think it’s scary – I don’t want to get hurt. Also, I promised my parents that I would always wear [protective] gear. I just want to enter as many events as possible.”

As a result, Yosozumi doesn’t live the hedonistic life often seen in skateboard videos. When she wants to take a break from her tough training schedule – a minimum of five hours of every day – instead of partying, she does origami. (“My grandmother taught me that origami is a way to keep my calm and in control of my mind.”) She also plays with her brother’s children, and sharing her skateboarding skills with the next generation is one of her goals outside of her career.

“One day I want to teach kids that age to skateboard,” she says. “I want to see one of my future students reach the top as well.”

That ambition might have been accelerated by chance as a result of the pandemic. With skateparks

In 2018, Yosozumi won a gold medal in the park event of the Asian Games in Indonesia

closed, Yosozumi asked around and found a sake distillery that allowed her to turn a warehouse into a skatepark. With a range of ramps, it’s the ideal place to prepare for this year’s big event. “Right now, I’m busy training,” she says. “But one day I’d love to use the space to hold skateboard workshops for kids if possible.”

This is the kind of positivity her parents wanted for their daughter, and it’s why they named her Sakura, which means cherry blossom in Japanese. “We wanted her to be [like] a cherry blossom that never wilts and is always is in bloom,” says her mother. With Yosozumi’s career on the up, that name seems like a wise choice.

Get on your skateboard

1. Bashi Burger Chance Kawaguchi

Bashi Burger Chance Kawaguchi is where you’ll find Sakura when she’s in Tokyo. “It’s easier to concentrate and get a good session in at spots that I’m used to,” she says. “That’s why I always come here when I’m in the Kanto. Not only does Bashi Burger have great facilities, you can also have delicious burgers during practice. And Bashi, the owner, is the best! It’s like a dream spot for skaters and BMX riders!” The location also offers classes once a month for both kids and adults to learn skateboarding and BMX riding.

Address:

332-0003 Saitama, Kawaguchi 5–15–14, Higashiryoke

2. Kugenuma Seaside Park Skate Park

This is the largest skateboarding and BMX facility on the Kanto plain. The vast 15,000 square-metre space is equipped with a variety of sections, large and small, for all levels, from beginner right up to top street skater. In November of 2018, construction of the Kugenuma Combi Pool, one of the largest skate bowls in Japan, was completed. Located basically on the Kugenuma coast, it is also a choice destination to get out and enjoy nature.

Address:

251-0037 Kanagawa, Fujisawa 4– 4–1, Kugenumakaigan

3. Komazawa Skate Park

In the Komazawa Olympic Park in Setagaya Ward lies the Komazawa Skate Park. It consists of ramps, kickers, benches and manny pads, Here’s the best thing: It’s free to use. And because it’s close to the Shibuya and Harajuku fashion areas, it’s a gathering spot for some of Tokyo’s most interesting street skaters. It’s also a place where you can see members of the new generation of skateboarders doing their thing.

Address:

154-0013 Tokyo, Setagaya City, 1–1 Komazawakoen

Gunma Tochigi

Ibaraki

Saitama

1

Tokyo

3

Kanagawa

2

Chiba

A. Pads

Vital gear Yosozumi always wears while skating, a nonnegotiable promise made to her parents.

B. Mouthguard

“I’ve been using this since my dentist told me that I can exert more power with it. Also, it is my lucky colour – pink.”

C&F. Tools

“I always carry these with me because I need them to assemble a deck.”

D. Wax

This is used on the deck and trucks for grinding and sliding on rails and boxes. “Rubbing this on the parts allows me to slide smoother with less frictional resistance. I’ve used it a lot, so it’s hard to tell what it is, but when I bought it was a cute bear shape.”

E. Keychain

“I’ve been teaching girls younger than me how to skateboard lately. One of those girls gave me this keychain as a gift, and she even wrote my name on it.”

A

B

What’s in Sakura Yosozumi’s bag when she goes to work?

FLIPPING GEAR

C

D

E

F

G

H

I

J K L

M

N

YUSUKE KASHIWAZAKI

G. Glove

Worn during warm-ups and when assembling a deck for safety. “I like for the gloves to have holes in the fingertips so I can do more detailed work.”

H. Contact lenses

“Parks near the sea have strong winds that make my contacts come out, so I always carry one-day type back-ups with me.”

I. Adhesive bandages

“When you do grab tricks [where your hands touch the board], sometimes your hand gets cut, so I always carry some bandages in my pocket with me.”

J. Compress

K. Skatepark ticket

L. Tape

M. Hair band

N. Stickers

“I carry stickers from my sponsors to put on my deck in case one comes off while performing a trick.”

BMX

MEET THE HOPEFULS, LEARN THE BASICS, FIND THE HOTSPOTS

MARK ALLEN MILLER IN THIS SECTION Saya Sakakibara faces her big challenge alone on page 52 and Rim Nakamura lives up to his name on page 58.