NAIT Ooks badminton player Ryo Kuramochi
by ACAC Sports Writer Curtis J. Phillips
It was revealed to Hermione Granger at the age of 11 that she was a witch, admitting her into the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
It was also at the age of 11, that Ryo Kuramochi set in motion her own discovery, in that one day she would leave her home of Chiba, Japan to venture to unknown lands.
Granger is a popular fictional character in J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter book and movie series.
Kuramochi is a student/athlete at NAIT playing for the Ooks badminton team.
How do the two interlock?
"It was when I was 11 years old that I wanted to be like Hermoine and speak English," recalls Kuramochi, now 21. "I wanted to go somewhere where I could learn English."
A still confessed "Harry Potter fan", the place of choice was Edmonton, Canada and Harry Ainley High School, arriving as an international student at age 15.
"It was my decision to leave home and Canada was the best option as they had so many public schools available," recalls Kuramochi, who is enrolled in third-year Bachelor of Business Administration. "I barely spoke English and did not understand it a lot."
Honoured as the 2016-2017 Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference (ACAC) Women's Badminton Player of the Year, Kuramochi "wants to become a Canadian citizen" and of her love for her new adopted country, she added: "Everybody is friendly and everybody cares about each other and are approachable."
Last year she posted a 5-2 record in women's singles, 3-0 record in women's doubles and an 8-1 record in mixed-doubles.
Kuramochi continues to find success in the 2017-2018 season.
Along with teammate Eyota Kwan, she captured women's mixed doubles in Tournament #1 (November 19, 2017, hosted by Concordia University of Edmonton Thunder) beating fellow Ooks' Caitlyn New and Kaitlyn Wibee.
In mixed doubles, teaming with Nick Roque, they placed second to host Thunder's Nicolas Pittman and Takeisha Wang
It was a reversal of fortune in Tournament #2 (January 14, 2018, hosted by Olds College Broncos) losing to New and Wibee in women's doubles while in mixed; she came home with third placement with a new teammate Jeffrey Ko.
In Tournament #3, hosted this past Sunday by NAIT, Kuramochi lost out in the women's singles quarterfinals to teammate New and finished fifth.
In mixed doubles along with Ko, they placed third by beating The Kings University Eagles, John Li and Abby Ledda.
NAIT Ooks badminton head coach Sinead Cheah said of Kuramochi in a past ACAC article: "Ryo is the perfect team player. She is incredibly supportive and interactive with her teammates and is always eager to learn in practices. Ryo is an example of dedication to other team members, is never one to complain. Her efforts in practices have clearly paid off and are shown in her competition results this year."
The 2017-2018 ACAC Badminton Championships are scheduled for February 10-11, 2018 in Edmonton and hosted by The Kings University Eagles.
NAIT Ooks badminton is ranked No. 2 in Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association polls released January 23, 2018. Humber Hawks are No. 1.