Marshall Islands makes a splash in Micro Cup debut

The annual Micronesia Cup Canoe Race, held alternately between the CNMI, Guam, and Palau, returned to the shores of Saipan last weekend for the first time in 12 years.

Over 300 delegates from the CNMI, Guam, and the Republic of the Marshall Islands bridged the gap between the skies and seas that separate the Pacific islands to participate in the 24th edition of the event, making a splash in the waters off Crowne Plaza Resort Saipan.

The CNMI teams included Marianas Outrigger Club, Saipan Paddling Club, and Marianas Pacific Paddlers.

Teams from Guam included Animun Tasi, Bihun Tasi, Haggan Jrs., Maneran Galaide, Napu, PFM, Poksai Canoe Club, Puti’on Tasi, and Taotao Galaide.

Making their debut in the Cup was the Republic of the Marshall Islands’ Majol Canoe Paddling Club.

While the CNMI and Guam clubs delivered dominant performances, thanks to their larger athlete rosters, more practice, and greater experience, the Majol Paddling Club held its own despite only seven months of training and limited resources at home.

The Majol Paddling Club’s V6 open men’s 500m team secured a silver medal in the finals last Saturday with a time of 2:11.03. Additionally, their V6 open mixed long-distance team earned a bronze medal in the 8-mile course last Sunday, clocking in at 1:21:39.50.

Patrick Reeder, head coach of the 20-member Majol Paddling Club, shared his thoughts on the team’s debut last Friday: “We brought 10 women and 10 men. After our first race, I thought we did pretty well, considering we’ve only had seven months of training. No one knew how well we would perform, and a lot of people didn’t expect us to do this well, given that our competitors have been doing this for many years.”

Reeder explained that the team initially aimed to compete in the 10th Micronesia Games, held in the Marshall Islands last June. However, since no other paddling teams participated, va’a was removed from the Games.

Determined to race, the team pushed ahead and set their sights on the Micronesia Cup instead. “They had been training hard and just wanted to compete, so we did a lot of fundraising and grant writing to fund our trip here,” Reeder said.

Although surrounded by more water than land, va’a is a relatively new sport in the Marshall Islands. With their participation in the Cup, Reeder called it “the movement.” He said, “We want more people involved. We hope to get more juniors participating and bring it into schools. It’s a healthy habit, and we hope that by being here, we’re making a splash back home. When we return, we want more people to be inspired to join.”

Reeder also gave a shout out to the team’s sponsors: “There are too many to name, but without you, we wouldn’t be here. On behalf of the team, thank you very much.”

The Majol Canoe Paddling Club included Marcus Bennett, Sebastian Peralta, Blaise Peralta, Dawson Peralta, Laan Jokray, Jilo Kramer, Isaiah Kramer, Henry Kramer, Keoni Kattil, Rosten Morris, Chloe Abraham, Lita Flood, Shamanda Hanerg, Alexy Joseph, Cukki Kabua, Isabel Kramer-Espiritu, Andrea Muller, Molly Murphy, Tatiana Shoniber, and Malia Shoniber.

The event organizer, the Northern Marianas National Paddle Sports Federation, extended thanks to the following sponsors: Tan Holdings, Tan Siu Lin Foundation, Crowne Plaza, IT&E, MARPAC, Marianas Visitors Authority, Turnkey Solutions, The Athlete’s Foot, Paradise Realty Saipan, Marianas Pacific Paddlers, Micronesia Brokers, H.K. Pangelinan & Associates, LLC, Coca-Cola, UR Tents, Northern Marianas College’s media team, Hafa Adai Rent A Car, and Herman’s Bakery.

Special thanks were also extended to the Saipan Mayor’s Office, the Department of Fire and Emergency Medical Services, the Division of Parks & Recreation, Rep. John Paul Sablan (Ind-Saipan), Vince Castro, Next Level Media CNMI, Christopher Toto, Angie Yarormad, CNMI Designs, KKMP, Pacific Development, Inc., Chamolinian Cultural Village Inc., Wiski Services, 500 Sails, Pualani Crown, Mariana Islands Nature Alliance, I Napu Dance Group, Da Kine, Tipiyew Bwiibwis, and Asia Hilario.