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Roligat, Rangamar attend workshop in Australia
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Posted on May 24 2005
Marianas High School junior Darrel Roligat took another step toward enhancing his skills as a sprinter.
The Chalan Lau Lau resident boarded a plane with coach Elias Rangamar Sunday afternoon, heading to Cairns, Australia where both will take part in a sprinters and hurdlers training workshop. The workshop is also being attended by elite athletes from the Oceania region.
The workshop, hosted by Oceania Athletics Association, began Monday and will conclude on May 28. Rangamar and Roligat are scheduled to return to Saipan Monday morning.
“I’m very happy,” the 16-year-old Roligat said during a recent interview. “It’s an honor to go and participate in this kind of workshop. I hope to learn a lot of things that can help me become better.’
Roligat also stressed that the knowledge he gains from the trip will be shared to other sprinters in hopes of improving the sport of athletics in the Commonwealth.
“Of course, when I come back, I will share what I learned,” he said.
During an interview Monday, Northern Mariana Islands Track and Field Federation president Kurt Barnes said the workshop would do NMI athletics well.
“[Athletics in the NMI] will improve tremendously because Eli [Rangamar] will get more experience on how to train sprinters and hurdlers and the latest techniques on training sprinters,” he said. “Darrel will learn how world-class athletes are training in short sprints.”
Funding for the trip was provided by the OAA.
Two months ago, the NMITFF announced that Roligat will represent the Commonwealth in the World Youth Championships and the World Championships, both organized by the IAAF.
The World Youth Championships will be held in Morocco from July 14 to July 17 and feature elite youth athletes in the world going head to head for supremacy. In Morocco, Roligat will compete in both the 100m and 200m events.
This year’s World Championships will be held in Finland from Aug. 6 to Aug. 14 and will showcase the best in the sport from around the world. Roligat will see action in the 100m dash.
Rangamar serves as the coaches’ director on the NMITFF board and has been an active athletics coach for over a decade.
