If you thought names such as Ichiro Suzuki and Hideo Nomo were the only Japanese on the American sports scene, think again.
Straight from the Land of the Rising Sun, cheerleaders are claiming their chance to dance in the limelight as well. Tokiko Sugitani, 26, and Ai Yasuda, 25, are just two of the 32 energetic young women selected as official members of the Gold Rush cheerleading squad of the San Francisco 49ers football team in the 2001-2002 National Football League season.
Like their predecessors, including Tomoko Mita, who blazed the trail as the first Japanese to lead cheers for an NFL team as a Dallas Cowboys cheerleader, the women believe their association with the five-time Super Bowl champion 49ers will help boost interest in the American sport among Japanese. "In Japan, most women see cheerleading as a hobby or after-school activity. In fact, all of my high school club mates quit cheering upon graduation, but I want women to know that it can be a profession if they set their minds to it," Yasuda said.