Saipan Tribune

Wednesday, June 19, 2013

Monday, October 22, 2012

Igitol wins in Pacific Sports Awards

Northern Marianas Amateur Sports Association secretary general Rose Igitol was named Sports Administrator of the Year during the 4th Annual Pacific Sports Awards.

“I have the honor and the very great pleasure to announce that the Pacific Games Council has selected the CNMI's very own, Rose Igitol, as the Sports Administrator of the Year. Congratulations, Rose, for this well-deserved and very prestigious award,” NMASA president Michael White posted in his Facebook account last Friday after the awards ceremony held in Wallis & Futuna.

Her selection caught Igitol by surprise, as she acknowledged she was up against several dynamic sports officials in the region.

“Wow. I am humbled by this award,” said Igitol.

“First and foremost, I would like to thank our heavenly Father for all His guidance. Thank you to our friends in the Pacific for their vote of confidence and to NMASA for the nomination. And of course, thank you to my family, for their support, and to the members of the CNMI baseball community. I dedicate this award to my parents, my father, Pablo, who inspired me to get involved in sports, especially in baseball, and my mother, Ana, who is always there to support me,” the Saipan Major League Baseball president added.

Igitol was selected for her commitment and promotion of baseball in the CNMI, especially her “Hail Mary” work on the CNMI Baseball Team. She scrambled for funds to help send the Commonwealth sluggers to the 2011 Pacific Games in New Caledonia in the last minute and the CNMI bets went on to take the gold medal in the competition after beating rival Guam in the finals.

In local competitions, Igitol organized leagues both for the youth and adult players and her continued involvement in the development of baseball in the region earned her a seat to the Executive Committee of the Basketball Confederation of Oceania last year. She is the first female to be selected in the prestigious group.

“This award inspires me to continue doing volunteer works in sports, especially in baseball,” added Igitol, who would like to share the award to her husband, Tony Rogolifoi.

“He is my pillar and he shows as much dedication as I have in promoting baseball in the CNMI,” Igitol said.

Rogolifoi was also among the nominees in the 4th Annual Pacific Sports Awards, as he vied for the Coach of the Year award. The CNMI had four other nominees in the event with tennis' Rafael Jones nominated for the Outstanding Junior Athlete of the Year, baseball's Joshua Jones and athletics' Yvonne Bennett for the Male and Female Outstanding Athletes of the Year, and the CNMI Baseball Team for the Team of the Year.