BERKELEY - Koji Uematsu, a high bar world medalist for Japan, decided to accept an invitation to join the California men's gymnastics coaching staff this season.

Impressed by his resume and by the name alone, the Golden Bears squad was excited about the addition of Uematsu to the well-regarded coaching staff helmed by Brett McClure, who boasts his own Olympic hardware. While the team was eager to begin working with the Japanese legend, especially after McClure showed them a video of the Uematsu flawlessly completing consecutive kovacs (a backward double somersault over the high bar), there would be a unique adjustment the gymnasts would have to make with this new coach – conversing with him.

Uematsu, who speaks almost no English, has found a unique ways to communicate despite significant language barriers. One special method is via senior Capri Sano, who has a minor in Japanese and also is a Japanese-American. Sano, one of the team captains, picked up an additional role as translator.

McClure, Sano and Uematsu discuss what the year's been like, adjustments made and how language barriers are not as big a problem as many may believe.