Expectations high for netters in Mini Games

CNMI national tennis players Bobby Cruz, left, and Colin Ramsey pose during a break in their practice session for the upcoming Northern Marianas Pacific Mini Games 2022 at the Crowne Plaza tennis courts. (CHRYSTAL MARINO)

As the defending gold medalist in the Pacific Mini Games, expectations are high for the CNMI National Tennis Team in the upcoming Northern Marianas Pacific Mini Games 2022.

“We’ll be seeded first and it’s up to us to try and live up to our seeding and defend our gold medal from the last Games,” said NMI national tennis head coach Jeff Race in an interview with Saipan Tribune.

Although disappointed Georgia Tech standout Carol Lee will not be able to take part in the Mini Games, he feels pretty confident as they still have college players Asia Raulerson, Isabel Herras, and Robbie Schorr and pro-circuit tennis player Colin Sinclair, who won gold in the 2019 Pacific Games in Samoa in 2019. 

“We should have the best men’s play on the field, in Colin Sinclair. He’s a very strong player. Robbie Schorr is a fantastic wingman for him and I think that our team is pretty well prepared and very enthusiastic. Our Top 2 women have just come off of very strong seasons with their universities, so we know they have been training hard as part of their training in their NCAA programs,” said Race.

When asked about which island nation would give them a challenge, Race said he is expecting a strong team from Papua New Guinea as well as the “traditionally” stronger teams like Tahiti, New Caledonia, and Samoa. 

“You just never quite know who is gonna show up and sometimes there are little surprises.”

The NMSA Hall of Famer said that the morale of the team is pretty good and they are expecting to medal. 

“Our primary goal is for everybody to have the best performance they can have, have everybody be healthy and you know, what will happen will happen, but we expect to win some medals.”

For first-timer Colin Ramsey, suiting up for the CNMI in the Mini Games is a dream come true.

“Representing the NMI is something that I’ve really been looking forward to doing. I’m ready and I’m proud to represent the NMI.”

Bobby Cruz, who missed the Apia Games three years ago on account of a stolen passport, said he’s looking forward to finally representing the CNMI this time on home soil.

“I’m excited to have fun, you know, it’s an honor to represent your country and I think you go out there and you compete and you do your best…you give whatever you can and that’s all you can do. I think we have a lot of potential to do well collectively, so we’re excited!”

Ramsey said that when the American Memorial Park tennis court closed, the team did their best to maintain their training, with four training sessions per week and used whatever courts they could find. 

“We are doing the best that we can, with the time that we are given,” said the Boston University student. 

The AMP tennis courts only reopened late last month following resurfacing for the Mini Games.

Race also noted the advantage of playing on home soil with the overwhelming support of fans. 

“I hope that we have hundreds of people coming out to enjoy watching our NMI players play in these matches and to cheer them on. And we hope not to disappoint our Northern Marianas fans.” 

The rest of the team is made up of junior players Hye Jin Elliot and Serin Chung.

Race is also organizing the tennis event in the Mini Games and noted the immense amount of work being put into the sporting event. He also acknowledged the people working behind the scenes, such as tennis sports manager Lydia Tan and all those laboring to make the Games a reality.

A total of 17 island nations will compete in tennis in the Mini Games led by the NMI, Fiji, Guam, Nauru, New Caledonia, Solomon Islands, and Tahiti with eight players each. PNG, Samoa, and Vanuatu will be sending seven apiece, while the rest of the countries taking part in tennis are Cook Islands (2 players), FSM (3), Kiribati (5), Tonga (6), Tuvalu (3), Vanuatu (3), and Wallis & Futuna (3).

Tennis will be played from June 17 top 25 at the AMP tennis courts and the Pacific Islands Club tennis courts in San Antonio. (Chrystal Marino)