CNMI athletes go the extra mile

CNMI’s passion for sports was evident last week as athletes and officials were willing to go for an extra mile, literary and figuratively, to participate in tournaments.

Two events were held far north of the island, but swimmers and runners did not mind waking up early and spending a few gallons of gas to compete in the 8th Annual Saipan International School 5K Fun Run and the Saipan Swim Club-Tsunami Swimming Center Saipan Dual Meet.

The SIS fun run drew 138 runners, who raced from and to Banzai Cliff.

Ketson “Jack” Kabiriel, left, and Mieko Carey topped the men’s and women’s divisions, clocking in at 19:16 and 21:23, respectively.

Angelo Jones and Cole Chambers won their age group divisions with the former ruling the boys’ 13-and-under division after timing in at 24:03, and the latter prevailing in the 7-and-under age group following his 18:21 finish in the 1-kilometer kids race.

In the women’s 13-and-under competition, Gabrielle Race was the first to reach Banzai Cliff with a time of 37:30.

After the early morning race, action shifted to the Kan Pacific Swimming Pool in Marpi with SSC and Tsunami Saipan swimmers posting records.

SSC had six of its 14 swimmers recording personal best times in the dual meet. The list include sisters Abigail and Emma Martinsen, Bryce Daly, Junior Pamaran, Lester Lapuz, and Rena Son.

Tsunami Saipan’s Rezne Wong broke the CNMI National Record in the 50m breaststroke swim, while teammates Kai Staal and Kensuke Kimura shattered age groups marks.

Wong timed in at 33.39 seconds in the 50m breaststroke, breaking his own mark of 33.88 seconds which he posted on Feb. 1, 2008.

Staal set records in the 200m freestyle (2:07.16) and 50m freestyle (26.18 seconds) in the boys’ 13 to 14 age group, while Kimura made a new mark in the 800m freestyle (10:23.35).

Still far up north at the Laolao Bay Golf Resort, veteran par-buster Jess Wabol earned his third straight win in two months, topping the Inaugural 2008 Off the Beaten Path Golf Tournament. Prior to the OBP tournament, Wabol had also won the 3rd Annual Kristo Rai Parish Golf Tournament and the 13th Annual Club at the Hyatt Golf Classic last month.

Wabol and the rest of the field still trooped to the Kagman facility despite the intermittent rain and supported the fundraiser.

Officials from the Northern Mariana Islands Football Association traveled more than a thousand miles to hear the good news and on Friday announced CNMI’s full membership to the East Asian Football Federation.

The Commonwealth’s application for full membership was approved during EAFF’s 4th Congress in Tokyo, Japan.

NMIFA president and EAFF executive committee member Jerry Tan and NMIFA vice president Sue Knecht attended the meeting.

In another good news, a total of 15 sports will be offered in the 2010 Palau Micronesian Games, including possible gold-medal rich events for the CNMI like baseball, tennis, swimming, and triathlon.

Aside from baseball, tennis, swimming, and triathlon, other sports that the 2010 Palau Micronesian Games Organizing Committee intends to put in the calendar in 2010 are athletics, basketball, Micro All-Around, outrigger canoe, spearfishing, fast-pitch softball, table tennis, weightlifting, beach and indoor volleyball, and wrestling.

Back to local events, two more leagues opened last week.

The 2008-2009 MISO Junior Varsity Basketball League opened Wednesday with Marianas High School downing Kagman High School at the Gilbert C. Ada Gymnasium, 62-59.

Gregorio T. Camacho and Whispering Palms/Brilliant Star debuted in the Inaugural 2008 NMIFA Interscholastic Football League with GTC girls’ team beating WPS/BS, 1-0. Whispering Palms recovered in the boys’ division, prevailing, 2-1.

In softball, DCEPT 6 topped the 2008 Customs Goodwill Fundraising Softball Tournament beating Faja in the finals at the Capital Hill Ballfield, while Sakudi defeated the Hitters, 13-4, in the opening game of the 2008 Belau Amateur Softball Association League women’s finals at the Dandan Elementary School Ballfield.

In bowling, Lito Teodoro knocked down 300 pins in his first two games en route to winning Saipan Bowling Association’s Rumble 7-8-9 Bowling Tournament at the Saipan Bowling Center.

Taking full advantage of the format, which scored strikes for pinfalls of more than seven in the first game, eight in the second, and nine in the third and final game, Teodoro posted an eye-popping total of 865 to rule the tournament.