Jeff Race upbeat about CNMI’s chances in NPQ

The chances of coach Jeff Race having his head shaved this year are pretty strong.

“I think I might have to prepare having my head shaved because we have a strong chance of getting eight slots on the North Pacific Team,” Race said in a telephone interview with Saipan Tribune yesterday.

The CNMI coach has announced the 17-player team that will represent Northern Mariana Islands Tennis Association to the North Pacific Qualifying Tournament to be held in Guam from June 15 to 19.

Making the list are Woo Suk Chang, Nathan Nutting, Benjie Decena, Sung Hoon Ham, Lila Mailman, Jodel Fernandez, Dina Jones, and Theecel Minor in the 18-and-under age group and 14-and-under’s Rafael Jones, Christian Miller, Jake Lee, Chris Cajigan, Melody Johnson, Amy Arenovski, Ilia Corella, Negahr Rastguiy, and Jeane Bracken. Thea Minor and Ji Hoon Heo earned automatic entries in POJC after placing in the Top 4 in Fiji last season.

Race said the CNMI is heavily favored in the boys’ 14-and-under division and is likely to get the Top 2 spots in the girls’ 14.

“We have a deep team in the 14-and-under division. In the girls’ 18, if Laila is healthy and will recover early from her minor knee injury, we have a strong chance of getting the Top 2 spots. The boys’ 18 will be a pretty tough draw with Guam’s Michael Tan leading the list, but Woo Suk and Benjie are showing good games and can pull off surprises in the tournament,” Race said.

“Overall, our chances in this tournament are really great. I might end up having my head shaved before we go to Fiji,” the CNMI coach said.

Race made a challenge to CNMI junior tennis players two years ago, saying he will have his head shaved if the Commonwealth bets will get eight spots on the North Pacific Team.

In 2007, the CNMI Junior Team was one slot away from seeing Race sport a “new hairdo” with the squad claiming the Top 4 spots in the boys’ 13-and-under, three in the girls’ 13 and boys’ 18, and two in the girls’ 18. In NPQ rules, only the Top 3 from each age group [only two from the same nation] are allowed to be on the team and participate in the Pacific Oceania Junior Championships in Fiji.

The CNMI ended up sending only six players, namely, Thea Minor, Miller, Mayuko Arriola, Heo, Russell Buenaventura, and Joe Motto, in Fiji in 2007. Johnson, who finished second in the NPQ did not make the trip, as she had to move to the mainland, a few months before the POJC.

In 2008, CNMI also claimed seven slots with Miller, Minor, and Arriola earning a return trip to POJC and James Camacho, Dina Jones, Decena, and Rafael Jones joining them in Fiji.

Players selected for the North Pacific Team will battle the West and East bets in POJC to be held in Lautoka from Aug. 17 to 21.

The West Team ran its qualifying tournament from May 4 to 8 in Lautoka, while the East will hold its own in American Samoa from July 13 to 17.