It's now a well-known fact that Snowboarding is considered one of the major sports of winter.In the midst of this, the remarkable progress of the young generation, referred to as "Super Kids," is particularly noteworthy.Hakuto Kitayama, a professional snowboarder, is indeed one of them, and at just 13 years old, there are high hopes for his continued success in the future.Never underestimate a naive child.Carving out their own future with riding that astonishes adults.

Kitayama started Snowboarding when he was around 3 years old.While it seems that the initial spark came from the influence of his father, Mr.Masaki, before he realized it, he was sliding down a section called “jib” alone, and had started to jump from the kicker.Most of the input comes from imitating the snowboarders gliding around, or from numerous snowboarding videos published on the internet.The rapid growth rate of children and their intense curiosity took adults by surprise.”As a parent, I was watching in awe, thinking ‘This child is amazing, he really gives it him all,” said Mr.Masaki.And so,  Kitayama continues to improve rapidly.”I’m going to become a professional snowboarder in the future.”By the time I was in the third grade, I had begun to be aware of continuing to do what I loved.

A video shot by father, Mr.Masaki.

When snowboarder Kitayama is not on his board, his behavior off the slopes is incredibly fresh and appropriate for his age.Responses to several questions also, “Going to school is a hassle, but recently it’s been getting fun.” “I struggle with English class.” “My strength is that I have a bit of athletic ability.” “Probably a sore loser.” “I enjoy playing table tennis.” Sometimes, they show an innocent face typical of junior high school students.While leading such a charming life, I also felt an increasing awareness of my responsibilities as an athlete.

“Lately, I make sure to do a proper warm-up before skiing and cool down after I finished skiing.What I particularly focus on, even in practice, is speeding up. If the speed is insufficient, not only will the distance be inadequate, but you may also get injured due to an incomplete landing.”

Given that the speed of skiing down a snowy mountain is proportional to body weight, it is essential for the still petite Kitayama  to compensate with technical skills.Aim for maximum performance with minimal braking, while paying attention to avoid injuries.

In discussing the greatness of  Kitayama, there is an episode where he successfully performed a highly difficult trick called BS Triple Cork 1440.At that time, Kitayama was 12 years and 2 months old, causing a stir in the society for setting the youngest record ever.While the person himself looks back on it as a “memory he will never forget”, Mr.Masaki, who was next to him, casually mentioned, “Actually, this record has been updated by a Japanese player (Sora Horigome) just three months ago.”From this, we can grasp the high level of skill of domestic snowboarders today.

※BS Triple Cork 1440… In snowboarding tricks, when approaching from the front side, it is called Front Side (FS), and when approaching from the back side, it is called Back Side (BS).”Triple” means “three times,” and “cork” is an abbreviation for “corkscrew,” which signifies a diagonal axis rotation.1440 refers to “4 rotations” because one rotation is 360 degrees.In other words, a BS Triple Cork 1440 is a trick performed during a single jump, where one makes ‘three diagonal axis rotations towards the back and four horizontal spins’.

“The player I’m aiming to be like is Taiga Hasegawa. My rivals are usually kids around my age, and if I see them practicing at off-track fields in Toyama Prefecture, I can’t help but watch, and I definitely don’t want to lose to them. In the future, I want to become a snowboarder who has enough skill to not lose to anyone, and yet is kind to others.”

Kitayama, pushing forward towards his dream.The way the parents supported their son’s dream was also impressive.Avoid saying unnecessary things, respect the individual’s will to the end, and maintain a moderate sense of distance.It might be a form of trust that can only be established, not by a coach or peers, but by parents.”The rice balls dad makes aren’t tasty with just salt or rice seasoning,” “Even though they tell me to be careful, there are things that the parents themselves can’t do.” Such daily complaints are all expressions of affection in disguise.

“While you can enjoy the scenery while sliding and there is also the pleasure when you successfully perform a trick for the first time, I believe the appeal of snowboarding is the pure joy of sliding itself.I want to continue growing without forgetting that.”

We are  sure Kitayama understands. He must express his gratitude for the various support he has received so far, through words and snowboarding.As an athlete and as a person, welook forward to continuing to watch Kitayama’s growth and progress.

PHOTO: Teppei Hori
TEXT: Keisuke Honda
EDIT: Yohsuke Watanabe (IN FOCUS)