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+---- Thread: *Minnesota Daily Rookie Spotlight (/showthread.php?tid=22335)
*Minnesota Daily Rookie Spotlight - SomeSay... - 05-22-2020
Welcome everyone, to the Minnesota Grey Duck rookie spotlight. I'm your CB Matt Krause and all this week I'll be sitting down with the Rookies from my Minnesota Grey Ducks. Talking draft, football, life and everything in between. My second guess this week is the legend himself Kai Sakura!
Let me give you a a bit of information on Kai. Kai was our 35OA in the 5th round of S22 DSFL draft. Kai is a Japanese receiver that we dragged all the way to Minnesota, but more on that later. So far this season Kai has 349yds on a avg of 10.9yds a catch while totalling 3TDs. Now let me bring him in.
Kai, welcome my man how have you been since I last saw you Tuesday or was it Wednesday? Who knows.
Time flies when you are in the end of season grind am I right? I’ve been pretty busy trying to push myself hard these last couple of days to really hit my peak physical fitness come playoffs season that we are on track to be making. Been also trying to ensure I do my yoga and meditation to stay mentally on top of my game also, even a little kendo to tune mind and body together. It really has been a busy week for me.
Awesome, so happy to have you as my second guest this week. So, I touched on your country in my pre show information. Your from the land of the rising sun. What got you into football? And do you feel it was the right choice? I think you would make a badass samurai.
It’s kind of a funny and sad story about how I got into football. When only a toddler in Japan, everyone wants to go play baseball out in the streets or local fields every weekend. Except for me, I was useless, couldn’t bat, couldn’t pitch. None of my friends wanted to pick me on their team. When my dad caught wind of this, we would spend an hour almost everyday practicing, teaching me how to play and just be playing catch. After years of practicising, I was still rubbish!!. What had changed through, was I had become an excellent catcher. Catches that seemed impossible, I could make happen. Spectacular catches. It was then during school P.E classes that one of teachers saw this and said I should try American football, and I’ve never looked back since. So I guess you can say I got into it because im rubbish at Baseball. I’ve never looked backed. And well as for being a badass samurai, I’ve done Kendo my entire life and recently entered the CFU, 2-1 in my fights so far so a decent start.
You shocked us not only with your presence in the locker room, but your speed on the field. I remember the first go route you ran against me. I was a few steps behind luckily it was just a tad bit over thrown. Blew me away, Now I know you went to the university of Hawaii. Any reason for choosing a smaller school?
Well i’m not really vocal about my life story so many people didn’t know, is that I came over when I was in high school, to Hawaii due to my parents getting new jobs. I loved living there so I already knew I was going to go to university on the islands as well and UOH is just what stood out to me out of the options I had available. Was close for me to stay really in touch with my family whilst being a decent football school.
I like that you chose to stay close to your family, it's a big jump to move away, and after already moving from Japan, I can imagine why you wanted to stay nearby. Now, obviously you had some recruitment in college, and obviously made a impression on us. How is the recruitment going so far for the draft? Where would you like to see yourself? Any destinations you don't particularly want to go to? Any interesting questions you've been asked yet?
The DSFL draft hype was one thing, but I can just already tell the NSFL draft is going to top it, it’s the big leagues after all, where the effort and potential shown in the DSFL really matters more compared to off-field attitude in the DSFL. So far around half the teams have reached out but I’m sure by the time the season is off and the draft really closes in to us, all teams will have scouted me. Personally, I don’t have a heart on for any team in particular as it stands, every one is a well-run and successful franchise with a clear goal and direction of where they want to be heading in the next couple of seasons so I would gladly go to any team that is willing to pick me up. I would say, the most interesting question I’ve been asked is my favourite Taylor Swift song, I really don’t know how that helps discern who to draft or not and just made me laugh.
T-swift must be a very important recruiting material. Let's roll on into this season. How do you feel it's been so far? Performance wise you've brought in 3TDs only 1 behind Ty. And as someone who plays in the slot more than the outside I think that's pretty impressive. Do you feel you've gotten your chance to show the NSFL GMs what you can bring to their teams?
I think the best way to describe my performance would be consistently performing for the team. I don’t have the TD’s like Draymond Brooks and nowhere close to yards that Hood is punching out game after gamer but I do what is needed from the team and I am consistent. The team has definitely given my time in the spotlight, something they always said was going to be shared amongst the three Wide outs from the season start and whilst I haven’t accomplished quite what I set out to achieve, I know I’ve helped bring my team success whilst not being selfish to let Hood and Brooks shine as bright as they can be. I would say what I have shown to NSFL GMs is definitely enough to prove my potential on the field as well as the team-oriented player I am that could really help team chemistry and performance on the field.
I think that is the perfect way to describe this year for you. Now, me and Ty talked about our team and locker room a bit. I want to get your take on how you feel your time with Minnesota has been. Who has made the biggest impact on you? Do you feel Minnesota was the right place for you? And anything else you want to add about your time with us?
Our locker room and team is amazing, everyone in it is just brilliant and fun to be around and I can’t emphasise that enough. In terms of who has made the biggest impact, I would say the top 3 would have to be Tylus, Brooks and Von Pebbles. They are just always there for a good time and some laughs without even trying, top blokes all of them. Probably also shout out to the GM’s, they are just as awesome just don’t interact with them as much as those three I mentioned before. Minnesota was definitely the right place of me, it couldn’t be any better. If I could just take these guys all the way through my career, win or lose, It would be once heck of a ride.
I can't help myself but end these interviews talking about what we've done as a team and what our veterans have brought to this class. Now Im gonna let you go Kai, bust just like Ty. The last word is yours. All the GMs are paying attention. Is there anything you want to say to all the GMs, coaches, staff, players, fans whoever!? Let them hear it!
Well first off let me say thank you for letting me come and talk with you, it’s a great opportunity to get my name out there more. I’m a man of few words but I will leave you, the GMs and fans with a little quote. “No matter how much sun there is to shine, you need Darkness to be your Brightess.”
Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for stopping by and reading my second sit down with Kai Sakura. It was such a pleasure to sit with him. Stay tuned tomorrow for my sit down with another special rookie or possibly my GM rookie over with non other than your Minnesota GMs
Graders please split payment 50/50 between Reaper11B and DarknessRising