Interview with Stuart Innes
A Kiwi Sailing Coach in a Japanese High School
Stuart Innes is the first Sports Exchange Advisor to coach Yachting in Japan and is contracted to Miyako High School in Miyako Shi, Iwate Ken.
The Japanese "Sports Exchange Advisor" programme was established as a part of the JET programme in 1994 by the Japanese Ministry of Public Management, Home Affairs and Telecommunication (MPMHAT) when the CIR (Coordinator for International Relations) part of the programme was expanded to include internationalization through sports.
The SEA group is the smallest group on the Programme, but they form a vital and important part on it.
MPMHAT hears requests from local authorities across Japan and set the number of SEA position available each year. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs then sends the requests to the Embassies of Japan overseas. The recruiment process and the eligibility criteria are designated by each embassy.
Half of the current 28 SEAs are not native English speakers, and English education is not a part of their duties.
According to Yeji Jeung, Programme Coordinator of the Council of Local Authorities for International Relations (CLAIR), what they are really looking for in JET participants is flexibility and open-mindedness. A high level of coaching technique is important too, applicants for the position have to have a coaching certificate that is recognised in his/her home country. Additionaly, if an SEA will make an effort to study Japanese language and culture "like the Last Samurai", it will be appreciated by local people. "Living and working in Japan is not an easy thing to do, but you will find your time in Japan as the most wonderful time ever."
Stuart, many thanks for giving us the opportunity to learn of your experiences and for taking the time to reply.
Could you start by telling us a little about your sailing background? How long, what and where have you been sailing?
SI: I began sailing when I was eight years old, at Kohimaramara Yacht Club in Auckland. That was 15 years ago. I sailed optimists until I was about 13 years old, after that I moved onto the P-class. This is a single handed class that is only found in New Zealand, it is a notoriously difficult little boat to sail, and as the saying goes, if you can sail a P you can sail anything. After the P class I sailed sunbursts. This is a two hander with no trapeze. This is the class that is used in high school sailing in NZ. Through Senior high school my focus was primarily teams racing, due to the fact that our high school national champs take this format. After leaving high school I found that I had a lot less time to sail competitively, instead focusing on coaching and of course my university studies. In the future I would like to get into keel boat racing. I have only done a little bit of this in the past but I definitely have a strong desire to eventually get offshore.
Can you tell us anything about the JET programme as it relates to SEAs and Sailing? Are you the first? Does the JET programme often get requests for Sailing Instructors?
SI: I'm not sure how much you know about the JET program, but there are a very small number of SEA positions. There are only 28 SEAs in Japan this year compared to over 6000 Assistant Language Teachers. New Zealand usually gets requests for rugby coaches, and I know that this is the first time the Japanese embassy in my country has been asked to recruit a sailing coach. I am not certain, but I think I am the first yachting coach on the JET program. This may be partly due to the lack of awareness of the SEA position within the high schools of Japan. Perhaps there will be more in the future. The JET program oversees all of the JET participants, and helps us to network with each other, as well as hosting conferences now and then in order for us to share ideas and problems etc. Basically, they have helped make the transition to Japan a lot less stressful, and provide support if necessary in order to help solve any problems that my arise.
What were the milestones in your sailing career that might have made you a suitable candidate for the SEA (JET) programme (I ask this as it may help people that wish to apply for a similar position in the future).
SI: Over the years that I was racing I have had a number of good results, although my sailing friends always seemed to have slightly better ones (that's the way it goes I guess). I was usually at the top of the fleet in optis, but found the P class a lot harder to handle due to my very light weight (always the smallest kid in the class). In high school however, we managed to place 2nd and 3rd in the National teams racing champs. This was probably an important result given that I am coaching a high school team. I think that the coaching aspect was a little more important in securing a position here. I gained my coaching qualification in New Zealand when I was 18 and have been coaching ever since. I think my three years coaching at Bucklands Beach Yacht Club probably played the biggest part in me being selected for the role. This club hosted the last two Louis Vitton regattas, and has a very competitive centerboard fleet at the national level in New Zealand.
What can you tell us about your work? For example;
Where are you located?
SI: I am located in Miyako Shi, in Iwate Ken. My work place is the Rias Yacht Harbour. This is a small yacht club that also provides the storage facilities for two high school sailing clubs and also a sea kayaking organization.
Are you with a school? If so, what level? (High school, vocational college, university...) and have they had sailing on their curriculum for long? If not, why now?
SI: Yes, although I work at the yacht harbour, I am contracted by Miyako High School. There has been a sailing club at this school for at least 20 yrs., although I think it may be even longer than that. The students sail FJ’s and also Sea Hopper’s. Mostly they are complete beginners when they join the sailing club. They spend three years in high school, although the last year of school is usually too important for any but the top few sailors to take any time away from their studies.
How have you been received?
SI: When I arrived I was completely stunned with the way I was treated. The people are extremely caring and polite in every respect. For the high school it is the first time that they have had an SEA so there have been a few teething problems but nothing that hasn't been easily resolved.
What is your role there?
SI: This is probably the most difficult question. As I said, I am the first SEA for Miyako high school. It is also the first time for the yacht club to have anybody employed in my situation. My main role is the coaching of the Miyako High School sailing club. I work with two other coaches in order to teach this group of students. Also, I help with the coaching of the junior learn to sail group at the yacht club. This group consists of children aged 9-13, who sail optimists and mini Hopper’s. As a JET program participant my role is not only to coach sailing, but also to promote internationalization in Japan. This is an extremely varied task. I have given a speech to JSAF on New Zealand’s “waterwise” program (learn to sail combined with the elementary school curriculum). I am also currently organizing an exchange program between the club here in Miyako and Bucklands Beach Yacht Club in Auckland. It will hopefully be a fantastic experience for the kids here to visit and sail in the “City of Sails”. Also, through a home-stay arrangement, it is a great way for everybody involved to share and learn about each others’ cultures. I am hoping that it will also be a way for the committee of the club here in Japan to learn more about the organization and running of a yacht club as it is done in New Zealand. Sometimes just speaking fluent English and having curly hair is internationalization in itself. I seem to have given a lot of lessons on New Zealand since I have been here as well.
Are your students from a broad variety of backgrounds or from similar circumstances to one another?
SI: Good question, it is a little bit hard to tell. With high school students it is usually safe to say that their backgrounds are fairly similar. I am sure that 95% or more of my students would have been born and raised in Miyako. Having said that, there are of course the few adults that I teach, who although all have very strong family ties in the town, come from different careers but of course share the same enjoyment of the sport.
Have you been set a specific goal? Are you, for example, expected to be coaching future Olympic entrants or are you being asked to teach sailing as a regular part of a more general sports programme?
SI: With regards to Miyako High School, it is safe to say that the goal is to win the Inter high school champs. Miyako usually places at or near the top of this competition, so this is a very realistic goal that we are working towards.
Aside from Miyako high school, my goals are really just to try to improve the sailing ability of the local citizens. I am doing this through the teaching of the junior learn to sail club, I also teach a few adults. Throughout my time here I will be working on improving things around the club, as I am fortunate to have come from a very large and experienced yacht club in Auckland.
Do you find yourself working in English more than Japanese or did you study Japanese before you came out? (How's your Japanese?)
SI: Watashi no nihongo wa dame desuyo. Before I came here I could barely say anything at all. I have of course been studying hard and can now hold very simple conversations in Japanese, almost. Most of my coaching is done in a sort of English Japanese hybrid language, aided by the use of dictionaries. I find that the senior high school students have a really good understanding of English, so I can usually teach them in my language. I try to use Japanese as often as my knowledge of it will allow though. Also, the white board has become an even more important tool for my coaching. A picture does say a thousand words, and it automatically translates them. I would like to think that it will not be long before I can use Japanese all the time, but unfortunately it will probably be quite some time before that happens.
Do you have any observations or comments to make on the level of sailing you are dealing with here?
SI: After learning to sail in New Zealand, it seems strange to me that there are sailors learning at the age of 16. In Auckland it is often deemed too late to learn to sail at this age, however the Japanese make up for this in the frequency of their practice. Most of my students practice everyday, and our season only finished on the 21st of December (this was the first time I have had to remove snow from a patrol boat before going out on the water). The students learn technique very quickly, however I think that due to the lack of experience, the general understanding is lower than that of skippers the same age in NZ. Also, although there is a lot of practice, there is a relatively small amount of racing and competition. Unfortunately there is no substitute for race experience when it comes to developing good sailors, so this is one of the things that I am working toward changing whilst I am here. The late starting age also means that the students are sailing double handed FJs from the time they begin. These students are extremely good at sailing these boats, as can be seen from the results of the last FJ world championships, however I would like to see more of a focus on the single handed classes at the early stage as I feel that skills can be learned and reinforced a lot faster when all students are in control of their own boats. It is much easier to see cause and effect relationships when you are the only person in the boat.
While the students' skills are of course of great interest, I'm also very interested to hear about the enthusiasm shown, not only by participants (that, I'm sure, goes without saying), but by the local community as a whole. Is there one person who has, more than any other been responsible for bringing about your invitation, or is the need for you and your skills desired and recognised by the community to a larger degree?
SI: As I've said, the students practice every day, even when the temperature is as low as five degrees. This is enthusiasm that exceeds anything that I have seen before. In the area that I am based, Miyako in Iwate Ken, there is a small but dedicated group of people working to improve the sailing in the town. The yacht club where I work was only established as a non-profit organization two years ago. Prior to that the facilities were for the sole use of the high schools in the area. Now in addition to the high schools, there is a junior yacht club, and a group of keel boat sailors that venture out for a race or two every few weeks. The support that I have received with organizing this trip to New Zealand has also been fantastic. There are a number of people from the city office who are involved with the yacht club and they have been influential in helping to secure funding that will make the trip more affordable for those involved. Over the holiday period it was really apparent how eager everybody here is to grow this club into something more. Of course this enthusiasm often took the form of a concert or bonenkai, but we all know that that is one of the more important aspects of yachting. Its great to see that it is the same in Japan as well.
I must also mention the efforts of Hashimoto Hasiao, the CEO of the club here, and the other committee members. I am not sure how much of a role they played in bringing about my invitation, I think that was mainly from the high school. However these people provide me with the utmost support in my role, and have also been working very hard for a number of years in order to develop the club. Despite the language barrier it is really obvious to how dedicated these people are to the success of the club in Miyako. For me it is different to be involved in a very small club, but the dedication shown has blown me away.
Stuart, my sincere thanks for allowing me to quiz you on this, and for taking the time to answer when you could be out sailing.
Stuart Innes was interviewed by Crispin Moorey between November 2003 and January 2004
Thanks also to Yeji Jeung, Programme Coordinator of the Japanese Council of Local Authorities for International Relations.
