For the Love of Canoe Polo: Daniel Shen Joins Japanese National Team 

Words: Miu Yamazaki

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On September 19th, our publications' group talked with Daniel Shen on Zoom, a young Husky dedicated to playing canoe polo. Dedication is an understatement. Daniel takes Canoe Polo very seriously. At only 14, Daniel was selected to be part of Japan's national Canoe Polo team—an incredible honor and accomplishment.

We asked Daniel seven questions about his life as a young athlete in the Canoe Polo career and three questions about his life. These are his responses:

1. Why did you join Hokkaido International School (HIS)?

“I went to the HIS summer camp when I was a kid, and I enjoyed it. So when my parents told me, 'We are moving back to Japan,' they gave me the choice of which school I wanted to go to, and HIS was my first choice.

2. Why did you start canoe polo?

“A couple of years ago, my mom took me to her friend's canoe club. I saw Canoe Polo for the first time and was like, 'This is so fun!' So I begged my mom to take me to the Canoe Club more often. Then my mom’s friend said, 'You should join our practices.' So then, I joined my first canoe polo practice when I was ten and never looked back. I fell in love with this sport ever since.”

3. How long have you been practicing Canoe Polo?

"I had been doing K1 [Kayak/Canoe Sprint] for a while before I discovered Canoe Polo. I started to focus more on Canoe Polo and then began to train when I was 10."

4. What is your biggest accomplishment as an athlete? 

“My biggest accomplishment as an athlete so far is being selected to represent Japan at the World Championships. It’s an honour for me to represent Japan, and I appreciate my parents, teammates, teachers, and coaches for supporting me along the way.”

5. What do you love about Canoe Polo?

“I love everything about Canoe Polo.”

6. What do you dislike about Canoe Polo?

“I dislike nothing about Canoe Polo because everything about Canoe Polo is good.”

7. Do you get stressed before the match? If so, how do you handle it?

“Stress is very normal in sports. I think it’s important to take stress, anxiety, and all the negativity that comes with it and turn it into something positive. You need to teach yourself to hate losing. I dread losing—I never want to lose, even if it's just a practice game. When you hate to lose, you’re never stressed.”

8. Would you recommend Canoe Polo to everyone?

“I would recommend Canoe Polo to everyone because it is really fun to play for even just the average enjoyer. To put it simply, it’s fun to paddle a canoe/kayak (depending on what you call it) while throwing a ball into a goal.”

9. How did your Japanese improve?

“I grew up abroad, so Japanese has never been my main language, I never really spoke Japanese with confidence. But right now because I'm always training with my teammates, I have more opportunities to speak Japanese.”

10. Would you like to add any final comments?

“I’ll be back.”

To conclude, it seems like Daniel has a big love for Canoe Polo. We're looking forward to hearing more about Daniel's impressive accomplishments. Let’s wish him the best of luck and cheer him on.

After long months away from HIS, following the championships, Daniel will return. When he does, stop by, strike up a conversation, and find out how he did; see how he managed the stress of such high-level competition, and what advice he might offer to us all to strive beyond our own personal limits. Thank you, Daniel, for showing how the impossible can be possible with the right mix of passion and hard work.