Former Japan hurdler Yvonne Wade, who ran in two Olympics for the Hinomaru, was named the director of intercollegiate athletics at the College of Southern Nevada, a community college located in Henderson, Nevada, a suburb of Las Vegas, in late June.
Known in her days on the track as Yvonne Kanazawa Scott, the now 48-year-old Wade competed in the 100-meter hurdles at both the 1996 Atlanta Olympics and 2000 Sydney Games. Born in Tokyo's Shinjuku Ward to a Japanese mother and Jamaican father, Wade was an eight-time Japan champion in the event.
Following her competitive days, Wade began coaching at the University of Nevada Las Vegas. Ultimately she was named the school's director of track and field & cross country, a position she held for more than 10 years.
Wade brings impressive credentials to her new post at the school with 30,000 students. She has a bachelor of arts degree in sociology from the University of Colorado and a master of science in physical education from UNLV.
"We are thrilled to welcome Yvonne Wade to the College of Southern Nevada Athletics Department," said Dr Federico Zaragoza, President of CSN, in a press release announcing Wade's hiring on June 27. "Her impressive track record of success, combined with her passion for athletics and commitment to community engagement, make her the ideal candidate to lead our intercollegiate athletics program.
"We are confident that under her leadership, CSN Athletics will continue to thrive and provide exceptional opportunities for our student-athletes."
Yvonne Wade Shares Insights on New Job
Notes On A Scorecard connected with Wade, now a married mother of two children, recently to inquire about her new position at CSN. We began by asking her about her goals at the school, which currently has teams in men's and women's basketball, soccer, and cross country, as well as baseball, softball and women's volleyball squads.
"My goal as the AD at CSN is to provide a space where student athletes can thrive academically, athletically, socially and mentally," Wade wrote. "We are a community college that serves our community 'literally' so it is important to build future leaders from our own backyard. There is so much happening in Las Vegas with regard to sport and CSN Athletics can be that platform for young people to develop skills that will help them in their next phase of life."
Wade said she hopes to start a track program someday in the future at CSN.
"Currently we have a cross country program and some of the athletes compete in the distance events during track season," Wade noted. "I would love to eventually start a track team but at the moment the focus is to build what we have."
Would Wade attempt to recruit Japanese athletes to the school, I wondered.
"We have a few international athletes, but we predominantly recruit our local student athletes," Wade wrote. "Most of our sports are fairly new so we have to build a bit more before we reach across the ocean. Our baseball team has a solid foundation and has a history of success developing players to transfer to four-year colleges, and even the major and minor leagues, so international recruitment is definitely possible."
Recollections of Competing for Japan
My final question for Wade was asking her what her best memory of competing for Japan is.
"The best memory competing for Japan is being able to meet so many people and travel all over the world," Wade recalled. "I met so many amazing people and still stay connected to many of my old teammates on social media. It is amazing to see how all of our lives have evolved and what we are all doing now."
Injured Nishikori Withdraws from US Open
As Notes On A Scorecard predicted last week, former world No 4 Kei Nishikori pulled out of the US Open on Monday, August 28, as he continues to struggle with injuries. Now 33, it appears this season may be a total loss for the Shimane Prefecture native, who will turn 34 in December.
Ranked 353rd by the ATP after missing much of the past two seasons, Nishikori may be faced with a difficult decision in the coming months. In addition to making the 2014 US Open final, Nishikori has won 12 ATP events and earned more than $25 million USD (¥3.6 billion JPY) on the court during his tennis career and a considerable amount off it.
No Criminal Charges for Seibu's Yamakawa
Saitama Seibu Lions slugger Hotaka Yamakawa will not be charged for sexually assaulting a female acquaintance, Tokyo prosecutors revealed on Tuesday, August 29, Kyodo News reported. The star, who was a member of Japan's WBC team in March, was accused of injuring a woman in November of 2022 at a Tokyo hotel.
Yamakawa, 31, was dropped from Seibu's active roster on May 12 after word of the incident was revealed by weekly magazine Shukan Bunshun, and his future with the club remains up in the air.
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Hachimura's Presence Could Have Helped Japan in Basketball World Cup
It was an impressive 98-88 comeback victory for Akatsuki Japan against Finland in the FIBA Basketball World Cup on Sunday, August 27 in Okinawa City. After losing its opener to Germany on August 25, Japan rallied from a huge deficit to defeat Finland with big contributions from several young stars.
The hopes of advancing to the second round ended on August 29, however, in a 109-89 loss to Australia. One had to wonder how much of a difference the presence of Los Angeles Lakers forward Rui Hachimura would have made in the final outcome.
Hachimura announced earlier this summer that he would skip the World Cup in order to rest up for the NBA season, but planned to play in the Olympics next summer if Japan qualifies. Several other NBA players have taken this same tact over the years, which Notes On A Scorecard does not think is right.
I feel that national team coaches should require their stars to play in the World Cup if they want to represent their country in the Olympics the following year. This is the fairest decision for all players on the rosters. Making exceptions for star players can damage the harmony of the teams in the long run.
Author: Jack Gallagher
The author is a veteran sports journalist and one of the world's foremost figure skating experts. Find articles and podcasts by Jack on his author page, and find him on X (formerly Twitter) @sportsjapan.
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