On the day, I was put into the hardest edge as a leader. I can say with confidence, that experience must be one of the happening which stretched my limit in the mental way.
From the last March 8th to 11th, as a captain of ICU golf club, I held a golf training camp at a golf course located in Nasu region of Tochigi prefecture. The number of the participants in the training camp was 11. Of course, I was in charge of that group.
On the last day of the camp, 3.11, it came. The catastrophic earthquake hit Japan, and, needless to say, it hit our training camp. As a man in charge there, I had a strong responsibility to get all the teammates back to their home in Tokyo. But there was a big problem. How?? "How can we go back to Tokyo?"
We went to the golf course by train, but it seemed logically impossible to return by train because trains must be stopped due to the earthquake. So what about using car? However, it didn't seem a good idea as well. We didn't have a guarantee to drive back to Tokyo safely since the electricity service was stopped and the traffic lights in that region was gotten off. Furthermore, from the first place, we didn't hold enough number of cars to take in 11 people! omg...
But all the teammates and I were came back safely! (That's why I can write down this now.)
What on the earth did help our return?
First, everyone had a strong will to go home and also the attitude to make use of everything there to accomplish the purpose. Of course, it doesn't mean we may commit crimes or do something ethically wrong for our return. At that time, there were cars which the golf course owned and did not seem to be needed. So we negotiated with the manager of the golf course, and borrowed a van for a few days. Thanks to the van, we could drive back to Tokyo in the end.
Second, everyone of them had a tremendous perseverance. There was no simple argue since the terrible earthquake. For that, every single action took place smoothly as ordered, and it lead to our safe return.
Lastly, each teammates supported each other. It can be called a good teamwork because every teammate helped each other for one purpose, RETURN. For instance, some teammates cheer up other younger members, and when sleeping at night all the teammates share small blankets in order not to get someone felt cold.
I, as a leader, could not work well for the group this time. But since we didn't forget the will to go back home and stop helping each other, we came back to our home finally. It is this experience which taught me how important my teammates is. Though that was a harsh events for me as a man in charge, it made me realized such a wonderful thing and definitely stretched my limit in mental way.
...Oh I forgot telling how we survived. On the day of the earthquake, we could not return to Tokyo in ANYWAY, so we stayed one day at the house in Tochigi of my friend who works for the golf course (though it was so cold at that night because electricity was not available). On the next day, we started driving from early morning and came back to Tokyo finally in the evening.
Thank you very much for reading! See you later!
