"MOMENTAL" Project | A message from Ayana Onozuka on International Women's Day, March 8th　

"MOMENTAL" is a video project by Ayana Onozuka, a mother of young children who continues to challenge herself as an athlete and pursues her best possible way of being. The documentary film, which
follows the real Ayana Onozuka as she takes on mountain skiing challenges over a season, is currently in production.
On March 8th, International Women's Day, a message arrived from her.

In December,we introduced Ayana Onozuka, who is taking on this "MOMENTAL" project,and we are looking forward to the completion of the video this fall.

Below is a message posted by Onozuka Ayana on Instagram on March 8th

For me, skiing is life itself, and I can't imagine life without it.

Thanks to the support of many people, I've been able to win medals at the Olympics, four world titles, and
after retiring from halfpipe competition, I jumped into the world of freeride and am currently active as a professional skier.

However, in 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, I found out I was pregnant right after a competition and gave birth to my eldest son that same year.
I experienced what is arguably the biggest life event for a woman.

However, after that, although I tried my best to balance childcare with my professional activities, I couldn't continue as before. My sleep time was cut back,
my boasted physical strength declined, my iron willpower was shattered, and I experienced postpartum depression.

I began to question myself, who had only ever lived as an athlete, and wondered,
"Do I have to give up challenging myself just because I've become a mother?"

Increasing the time I spend on professional activities also means spending more time away from my son, but
fortunately my family has given me maximum support so I can continue my activities.

However, I am the only mother my son has.
On the other hand, the time I can be active at the forefront as skier Ayana Onozuka is also limited.
Time waits for no one.

I questioned myself again and again.
And the answer I came up with was, "I want to keep challenging myself."
Just like when I was aiming to become a world champion, I always want to surpass the person I was yesterday.
I realized that an unextinguishable fire continues to burn inside me.

From this experience, I came to think that there may be other women who are struggling with similar dilemmas. They
want to challenge themselves, they want to take a step forward.
However, they are forced to stay where they are because they have children, because they have a family.

That may be one way of being a mother, but I want to embody the idea that "mothers can also challenge themselves."

This fall, I plan to release a video work called "MOMENTAL."
If you break down the word "MOMENTAL," you get MOM - mother - and MENTAL - feelings -.

And MOMENTAL - present - it is the perfect word to describe who I am right now.
This project will be a documentary video that reflects the conflict between being a mother and wanting to continue challenging myself, triggered by childbirth.

What kind of feelings do I have when I head to the mountains? Why do I continue to challenge myself?
Through my current experiences with skiing and my mother, I hope to give the women who watch this video the courage to take a step forward. -


Ayana Onozuka,
March 8, 2024

Information

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