In 2000, trampolining became an Olympic sport, and in 2007, Yuta Usuda, Japan Legal Head & Executive Officer, Trina Solar Japan Energy Co., Ltd., discovered an activity that would energize and push him. While Yuta is a dedicated lawyer with a passion for the business of law, he loves the challenge and the art of the trampoline. Here are five things you may not know about Yuta and what it takes to be a competitive trampolinist:
- Yuta rediscovered the trampoline in 2007 after trying out for the gymnastics team in high school. “In 2007, I happened to find online a facility where you can train on trampolines in Japan. The next weekend, I went there out of curiosity. It was fun and reminded me of my high school time, when I did some trampolining on the gymnastics team. A few months later, I felt I wanted to learn more tricks on the trampoline and bounce higher and more smoothly; I thought I might be able to exceed my high school times and abilities.”
- He is an extremely hardworking lawyer but always finds time for the trampoline. “I’ll train three to five times a week, for up to an hour and a half on weekdays and three hours on weekends. Even if it’s a long day at work, I still go to trampoline practice if I can make it for the last 20-30 minutes before the training facility closes. If I have to miss practice or I’m on a business trip, I will try to do other physical training exercises wherever I am. In addition, I’ve also taken mental training to deal with pressure and nervousness in competitions.”
- Yuta challenges himself by competing at increasingly higher levels.
“One memorable experience was when I participated in the domestic qualification trial meet in May 2012 in Yamagata for the 2012 Indo-Pacific Championship. It was an ambitious challenge, among strong college competitors, but without being intimidated, I was able to pass the qualifier round and reach the sixth place in the final round. Although my skills were not nearly as good as my competitors, that experience still gave me a feeling of accomplishment and certain confidence.” - Trampoline exercise helps with his mental health. “I can mentally completely move away from work while I’m training, focusing on my technique and tricks and not the stress of the day. All these activities helped me not only maintain my mental health but also grow as a person overall.”
- He met his wife at trampoline practice. “My then future wife, Namika, started showing up at practice, and we communicated for three years while training on our own. One day, when I had missed the last bus after night practice, she kindly gave me a ride on her motorbike. I was also forming my trampoline team then, and she wanted to join it and support me.”
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