NMASA gears up for Mini Games

With basketball out of the picture, only 11 sports will be representing the CNMI in next year’s 7th South Pacific Mini Games in Palau.

During the Northern Marianas Amateur Sports Association’s regular monthly meeting last Thursday, athletics reported that it currently has 10 athletes vying for the two slots it has reserved for the quadrennial games.

Developmental coach Elias Rangamar said his track and field athletes are training in full swing, as they would also be participating in the Oceania and 18-and-under championships this December in Australia.

Baseball, meanwhile, is holding off on its final selection of players. Tony Rogolofoi said the sport is waiting for the end of the fall edition of its Saipan Major League to make the final lineup official.

The sport of canoeing is eyeing to recruit younger paddlers for its campaign in Palau. Ed Johnson said he is hoping to field a younger, more competitive men’s and women’s team to the Mini Games as well as invite other paddling clubs to join the program.

He was also happy to report to NMASA that the Saipan Outrigger Club men’s team was among the Top 5 finishers in the recently held 5th Annual Micronesian Outrigger Cup held in Palau.

Like its cousin baseball, softball has also yet to finalize its selection for its men’s and women’s teams. Robert A. Guerrero, however, said that the Saipan Softball Association’s two men’s leagues are winding down and they would soon be ready to make a decision on the composition of the team. The women, meanwhile, will hold their first tryout today at the Oleai softball field.

For his part, Mike Stewart of the Saipan Swim Club said only four of his swimmers have qualified for the Palau Mini Games based on the time standard he set that reflected previous SPG results. He said the SSC will be conducting three meets in the next couple of months and he expects more of his wards to qualify.

The more relaxed residency rules of the SPG, meanwhile, seem to be favoring table tennis. Marianas Amateur Table Tennis Association president Steven Lim said he wants to send the islands’ best players to Palau and will seek the cooperation of the Tinian Dynasty Hotel and Casino to lend some of its eligible ping-pong players.

Lim also reported to NMASA that his association recently staged its 2004 Marianas Friendship Table Tournament and quite a few standouts were identified in the competition.

From tennis with paddles to tennis with racquets, lawn tennis appears to be taking a step backward to gain two steps forward, as Northern Mariana Islands Tennis Association president Jeff Race is bent in fielding a raw but promising team to the Palau Games.

He said only two veterans from last year’s Suva SPG will be coming to Palau with the rest of the team made up of junior players NMITA hopes to develop for future regional tournaments.

Triathlon, meanwhile, said it fears it would not be able to send the full complement of six athletes to Palau. Northern Mariana Islands Triathlon Federation president Stephan Samoyloff said there are simply not enough bodies right now training for the sport.

He, however, noted that new recruits could fill in the void especially since the sport has just started its season. Samoyloff also said that NMITF has scheduled three qualifying races in the next few months.

NMASA president Mike White also said that Tinian’s Ed Temengiil has contacted him and had intimated that he is keen in sending four weightlifters to Palau. No representatives from wrestling and beach volleyball were present in the monthly NMASA meeting.