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The weather turned worse, from a sopping wet snow in the morning to a steady rain in the afternoon.

it was hard to find a dry spot

or a little warmth.......

Almost 70 matches were played in all, and the players struggled to win against their competitors and against the deteriorating weather. The Women's Division semi-finals concluded at 13.20 while the General Division play continued until almost 15.00. In the Women's Division two teams stood out.....

The "Shibecha Softball Club" (in blue) for their aggressive play, shown here charging the Kubonai Junior High team's red/pink pennant

and the "Former Cheer Squad Graduates" (in orange)(they graduated from cheering to playing) for their straight throwing

When it was time for the Women's Division Championship Match there was a strong wind and a fine driving rain.

And.. there were two new teams competing: the "Former Cheer Squad Graduates" and the "Shibecha Softball Club".


press the buttons for "Stop-action" play

What can I say... this Championship Match was very different from last year's. The first set was won by "Shibecha" (in blue) 6 to 5. The second set was a scoreless draw as both teams had all 7 members left on the field. The third set looked grim for the "Graduates" (in orange), they were down one, then two and finally a third member was hit! At this point "Shibecha" could have won the match on points 20 to 15 just by waiting until the whistle blew. Instead, they aggressively decided to rush for the pennant, three members came across the center line while a 4th stayed at the center shelter. BUT OH! NO! the 4th member _TOUCHED_ the shelter and violated the 3-person-limit rule! A FOUL! The whistles blew. "Shibecha" lost TEN POINTS!!! handing VICTORY to the "GRADUATES"! 15 to 10!!! ...talk about snatching Defeat from the Jaws of Victory...

Turning to the General Division... The play became very intense in the 20 elimination matches and last years winners - the Yuda White Bears failed to qualify.

there were fast breaks in the open

and slow steady sniping from behind shelter

As a result, there were two new teams competing for the Championship Cup: the "Great Nth Time Winners" (blue helmets) from Sapporo and the "Wanabara Zaemons" (red helmets) from... Wanabara of course.

The "Nth Time with the wind at their backs

The "Zaemons" down to 4 players

Okay fellows, come on, line up for the count

And again, (and in spite of the horrid weather) it was an exciting match. You can Watch the Action! The "Nth Time" had a couple of straight shooters, but surprisingly their lobbing technique was devastating in the second set....... In the second set... with time running out AND with a 3 player deficit the Zaemons had no choice - but to rush for the Nth Time's pennant. Again, like last year.... it was a slaughter. Two members rushed while the other two tried to cover and in the confusion, an Nth Time member dashed down the sideline and grabbed the undefended Zaemon pennant! The whistle blew! the match was over! The Nth TIME WINNERS WON!!! THE ZAEMONS HAD FAILED! "The Great Nth Time Winners" --------NEW CHAMPIONS!!!!

Yukigassen! What a truly exciting Winter Sports Event, both for the Participants and the Spectators! Get involved yourself, view the OFFICIAL Soubetsu Yukigassen WEBSITE, and contact them.... today!

Yukigassen, a Truly International Winter Sport

I hope that you enjoyed our coverage of this exciting event, ......and with special thanks to the UKT..... I only wish that I could be here next year to once again "Call the match" for you. This is Yours Truly, Leonard Nosewell in Soubetsu Japan, the birthplace of Yukigassen, signing off!...O!-F!