CNMI paddlers prepared for Mini Games

While the climate of the CNMI makes it possible for local athletes to enjoy the aspects of the sport all year round, this summer has been especially exciting as islands’ finest ready to represent the Commonwealth all over the globe.

The Junior League baseball team is weeks away from journeying to Taylor, Michigan to compete in the World Series, the Little League team is currently in Fukuoka, Japan to vie for their second straight Asia-Pacific Regional title, and everyone from the best track stars to the top triathletes are on their way to the 2005 South Pacific Mini Games in Palau.

Eddie Johnson heads the local 14- member paddling delegation, and says that his squad of six women and eight men are ready to do their best against the best of the region.

“I really don’t see us being in medal contention, but you never know. If we could squeeze a bronze out there it would be awesome out there, but more so we are going to down there to compete at the highest level possible. Usually the Mini Gamaes only pull in a few countries, but this one will have every country except Tahiti. For us, Tahiti is the best in the world in paddling. They’re not going to be there, but the competition is still going to be tight with Palau, Fiji, and New Caledonia coming out,” he said.

One of the obstacles that the local team will have is inexperience and youth, but rather than look as it as a disadvantage, Johnson sees it as an opportunity for the sport’s future locally.

“Most of them are all-stars from the high school program, so we’ve got some really young talent so it’s gonna be a challenge for them down there going against the best of the Pacific, but hey if you can’t plant the seed today, you can’t pick the fruit tomorrow,” he said.

According to Johnson, training tomorrow’s crop has been relatively successful, but noted that the time between their training and the big event has been the biggest challenge to overcome.

“They’ve been working really hard, but the challenge is just trying to stay focused. We’ve been training since January and it’s July, so it’s six to seven months of trying to keep thee guys focused, and that’s the hardest part about it. They like the workout, they like the technique, and they like the sport which is good,” he said.

While in the waters of the South Pacific, Nah Hee Heo, Nah Lim Heo, Diane Eleda, Shayna Kileleman, Sachiko Adachi, and Florence Mizutani of the women’s team will compete in a series of 500-meter sprints, 1,500m sprints, and the 12-mile distance races, while Andrew Roberto, Carlos Feger, Sam Moses, Joseph Leung Aguon, Sidney Shiro, Brian Somol, Wyman Le’ur, and Johnson will race in the 500m, 1,500m, and the 15-mile distance race, and Johnson said that his teams will be up to the test due to their solid commitment to the program both in and out of the water.

“We’ve been gelling really hard and everyone’s been putting the time in at the gym. We’re not a weight loss team, but if you workout that hard you’re gonna lose some weight. On the men’s team, we probably lost about 120 pounds on the six guys. As far as improvement, in fitness, their times have gotten a lot better, their endurance has gotten a lot better—everything has just escalated. The one thing I like about these kids is that they don’t smoke and they don’t drink because they don’t want to smoke and they don’t want to drink—right on!”