Now comes the hard part

The local sports community was able to heave a big sigh of relief Friday when Gov. Benigno R. Fitial reversed course and took back the hosting of the 2006 Micronesian Games.

Two weeks prior, the islands’ chief executive gave notice that due to financial constraints and lack of planning, the CNMI would have to beg off from hosting the quadrennial event.

The Northern Marianas Amateur Sports Association, sports federations, athletes, and concerned individuals, however, were not about ready to give up their dream of seeing the Games back on home soil 16 years after the islands revived the summer classic.

They went up in Capitol Hill a week ago and told the governor that the CNMI can host the Games with minimal, if no government expense. Fitial took their word for it and gave them a week to come up with a financial plan to back up their position.

With the financial expertise of Rex Palacios, coordinating acumen of NMASA under its president Michael White, and with new committee heads finally getting the ball rolling, the plan took shape and was on the governor’s desk in time for the Friday, Feb. 24, deadline.

Fitial was pleased with the new plan for the Games’ hosting and in no time rescinded his earlier withdrawal, which not only saved the CNMI from humiliation because of a last-minute decision to back away, but also salvaged the Micronesian Games.

Aside from the Games grabbing headlines, the Northern Mariana Islands Tennis Association also managed to get into the local sports pages after crowning the Commonwealth’s next generation of tennis stars in the 2006 Coconut Classic Tennis Tournament over the weekend.

The Budweiser-Coca Cola 6th Annual UFO Inter-Organizational Basketball League also saw two-time defending champion Visminda-Nel Atalig and powerhouse Cabalen-RP Construction/Transamerica both stave off elimination after beating LIPS-Mobil and SIP-Flor A. Miranda last Sunday.

Richard Leong and Ron Call also ruled the Pepsi King and Queen of the Lanes last week at the Capital Bowling Center, while soccer moms and non-moms were not relegated to the sidelines when they played soccer last Feb. 18 under the auspices of the Northern Mariana Islands Football (soccer) Association.

The evening of Feb. 18 was also memorable for Raymond Zapanta, as the Kagman High School senior became the youngest local bowler to roll a 300, doing the trick during the Budweiser Saturday Night League at the Saipan Bowling Center.

The playoffs of Rocball and elimination rounds of the Marinas Interscholastic Sports Association High School Basketball League and 2006 Inter-Government Basketball League also continued last week.