Around the World In 30 Days – Ohio State Buckeyes
9/24/2008 12:00:00 AM | General, Men's Gymnastics
From the Far East to the West, gymnastics took Ohio State freshman Alexy Bilozertchev on a ride a this summer
COLUMBUS, Ohio Alexy Bilozertchev, a freshman on the Ohio State men’s gymnastics team, had a summer quite unlike most incoming college freshmen.
After graduating from Hilliard Davidson High School in Columbus on May 22, Bilozertchev joined his fellow 2007-08 U.S. Junior National team members for a two-week trip to Japan at the end of June. Returning to the Buckeye state on July 3, Bilozertchev had a day to recover at home before hopping on another plane and heading out to Colorado Springs, Colo., for a national team training camp during the second week of July.
And after all his travels, the gymnast opted to get ahead of the curve by starting his coursework at Ohio State with summer classes July 21.
Now in his second week of collegiate practice, Bilozertchev took some time to reflect on his summer experience.
How would you describe the Japanese’s training style?
“It was a lot more laid back than I’m used to. The Japanese have a different style of training from anything I’ve seen because it is more athlete-oriented than coach-oriented. When the athlete comes in the gym he does his own thing and controls his own workouts and they practice a lot.
“Also, it was different because they only practice once a day for four or five hours while in the U.S. we practice twice a day. But in those four hours, I saw them get more done than most Americans do in two practices.
“Overall, it was a cool experience to see how they train and learn about their culture.”
Who was on the trip with you?
“It was the seven guys on the U.S. Junior National team who went to Japan and the national team training camp so it was a nice month-long bonding time for us.
“We knew each other before the trip because we have been competing against each other most of our lives but it was nice to see the guys for more than just a competition or national team camp. It was fun to be able to catch up and hang out with them for a month.”
Where in Japan were you training and how old were the gymnasts you were working with?
“For the first half of the trip we trained with college-aged athletes at the Ni Tai Dai University in Yokohama which is located 30 minutes outside of Tokyo. It is one of the best universities to train in gymnastics in all of Japan and the gymnasts there were between 18-30 years old.
“During the second part of the trip we trained in Takasaki at a high school which was three hours away from Tokyo. Most of the gymnasts there ranged between 16-18 years old.”
Did you have time to get to know your Japanese counterparts outside of the gym?
“Between practices we were able to hang out with the Japanese guys. Obviously, there was a language barrier so it was hard to communicate but we were creative with a lot of the things we did and had a lot of fun.”
What culture aspects were you introduced to on the trip?
“We went sightseeing in Tokyo, toured temples located near Takasaki and had the opportunity to really see Japan.”
The U.S. Junior National team held a camp in Colorado Springs, Colo., right after the group returned from Japan. What was it like moving around that much?
“I returned home from Japan July 3, spent one day at home and then packed my bags for the Olympic Training Center the next day.
“It is fun travelling because you have the opportunity to get away from the regular schedule of practice at home but by the end of the trip I was excited to come home. The travelling is fun up to a point but then you get tired and want to go home, but I wouldn’t give it up for anything.”
