Manta Rays set the bar in Week 2 of va’a races

Saipan Southern High School started the va’a season with a bang by winning 10 out of 12 races last Saturday in the second week of the Public School System Interscholastic Outrigger Canoe Race 2023-2024 in the waters off Kilili Beach in Susupe.

The SSHS boys team won every single race including the 500m final with a the time of 02:53:09, and the 1,000m final finishing with a time of 06:17:87.

The MHS boys finished right behind the Manta Rays in both sprint events with a time of 03:04:64 for the 500m and 06:23:00 for the 1,000m. The KHS boys finished shortly after MHS for both final events with a time of 03:13:67 (500m) and 06:35:51 (1000m).

SSHS steersman and stroker Tyler Andrew said, “Making small adjustments to our mistakes from the last race helped us win most of our races because we were able to gel better together as a team.”

As for the girls’ sprints, the Lady Manta Rays won all but one race, which was the first sprint of the day—the 1,000m sprint, won by the Lady Dolphins with an impressive time of 6:58:70.

At the end of the races, though, the Lady Manta Rays did end up on top, winning majority of the races, with MHS right behind them and KHS coming in last.

Despite being last in regards to points, the Ayuyus paddled their heart out in every sprint and have greatly improved from last weekend’s races.

Ayuyus assistant coach Dayna Macaranas said KHS will be coming back stronger for the upcoming races. “We were able to recognize our mistakes and our determination to learn and fix them is what will allow us to do better as a team,” she said.

The mixed races were dominated by the Manta Rays as they glided to the finish line, finishing first in all but one race. MHS was able to secure at least one win for the mixed races with a time of 03:15:80 for the first 500m heat.

“All the schools are doing really well. I can see the progression in quality within the high school athletes, which is what the paddling federation wants to see. They are the future for paddling,” said Northern Marianas National Paddle Sports Federation president Justin Andrew.