{"id":401469,"date":"2023-11-10T14:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-11-10T14:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/?p=401469"},"modified":"-0001-11-30T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"-0001-11-29T14:00:00","slug":"Isaiah-is-NMI-flagbearer-for-Pacific-Games","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/Isaiah-is-NMI-flagbearer-for-Pacific-Games\/","title":{"rendered":"Isaiah is NMI flagbearer for Pacific Games"},"content":{"rendered":"

National team swimmer Isaiah Aleksenko was chosen as Team Marianas\u2019 flagbearer for the Pacific Games that will be held in Honiara, Solomon Islands from Nov. 19-Dec. 2.<\/p>\n

The hour-long sendoff ceremony was attended by the over 100 members of the delegation, sponsors, Lt. Gov. David M. Apatang, Rep. Edmund Villagomez (Ind-Saipan), Northern Marianas Sports Association president Jerry Tan and NMSA members, Public School System interim Education commissioner Donna Flores, and family, friends, and supporters of the team that filled up the Gilbert C. Ada Gymnasium Wednesday night.<\/p>\n

The delegation\u2019s chef de mission, NMSA board member and PSS Athletics director Nick Gross, introduced each team member in all the 10 sports represented, the team\u2019s many sponsors, and the team\u2019s flagbearer.<\/p>\n

The 10 sports Team Marianas is competing in are swimming, athletics, golf, weightlifting, soccer, bodybuilding, va\u2019a, triathlon, tennis, and beach volleyball.<\/p>\n

After the event, Marianas High School senior Aleksenko said he was happy and thankful for the appointment as the team\u2019s lone flagbearer.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt felt good to be chosen and I was nervous because there were a lot of people. But I’m happy that I get to be the flagbearer,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

He added, \u201cIt\u2019s a pleasure to be the flagbearer, so thank you. I thought it wasn\u2019t just going to be me. I thought there were going to be more chosen from each team, so yeah it was unexpected.\u201d<\/p>\n

For the upcoming competition, he said he\u2019s excited, hopes everyone does well, and wishes them the best of luck. Personally, he\u2019s expecting to bag at least three gold medals in his competitions.<\/p>\n

He was one of two 2022 NMSA Student Athletes of the Year and he also won the award in 2021.<\/p>\n

Aleksenko was part of the NMI Triathlon Team that won the bronze medal in the 2022 Northern Marianas Pacific Mini Games.<\/p>\n

During the ceremony, speeches were made by Gross, Tan, Apatang, and national va\u2019a coach\/athlete Jason Tarkong.<\/p>\n

Gross, as the emcee, welcomed everyone and thanked everyone for their support.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have arrived, and we are ready for departure. After months of training, and preparing our athletes and officials, all are set to proudly represent our islands and the 2023 Pacific Games,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Gross congratulated the athletes on a great performance in the 2022 Pacific Mini Games and told them, \u201cNext week, you will once again have a chance to display your skills, teamwork, and sports knowledge thanks to the collaborative efforts of the international sports federations and thanks to the support of families, friends, and other valuable sponsors. Team Marianas\u2019 participation in the Games has become a shared responsibility for individuals and groups throughout NMI, as our athletes, particularly our youth, compete in high level competition and experience unique cultures of our region.\u201d<\/p>\n

He then went on to recognize the sponsors of the team, who each stood up and were met by rounds of applause. The sponsors were Joeten DaiDai Foundation, Triple J Saipan, IT&E\/IP&E, Crowne Plaza Resort Saipan, Mobil Oil Mariana Islands, Tan Siu Lin Foundation, TanHoldings, and McDonald\u2019s of Guam & Saipan.<\/p>\n

For Tan\u2019s welcoming remarks, he acknowledged all the sponsors and said that without them, the charter flight that is flying the huge delegation would not be possible. He added that with the success of Team Marianas in the 2022 NMPMG, which had a big delegation of athletes, he knew that NMI could not send just 30 athletes to represent in the 2023 Pacific Games.<\/p>\n

He went on to acknowledge Apatang and the delegates, as well as NMSA board members.<\/p>\n

He also acknowledged the family members in attendance. \u201cThe athletes have been training for over a year in preparation for next week\u2019s departure. I know they sacrificed some family time, so without their support, they would not be here.\u201d<\/p>\n

He added that the Games will also be live-streamed online so that people back home will be able to watch and cheer for them.<\/p>\n

In Apatang\u2019s speech, he said, \u201cIt is always a pleasure, for Governor [Arnold] Palacios and I, to be able to recognize these dedicated athletes from the Northern Mariana Islands. We truly appreciate Team Marianas for the glory you continue to bring upon our islands.\u201d He also thanked coaches, parents, sponsors, and supporters of the team.<\/p>\n

Apatang ended his speech with, \u201cWe all want to see Team Marianas succeed. Good luck to you and bring some trophies back home. I know you\u2019ve been working hard for over a year, and now you just have to keep your heads up and be proud to represent the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas. Good luck and enjoy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Afterwards, there was a photo-op for the athletes and the sponsors, then the athletes and NMSA board members, then families and supporters came out to take selfies and group photos with the team.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Team Marianas\u2019 flagbearer Isaiah Aleksenko waves the CNMI flag during the sendoff ceremony to the Pacific Games Wednesday night at the Gilbert C. Ada Gymnasium.<\/p>\n

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<\/p>\n

Team Marianas\u2019 delegation of over 100 athletes and officials pose for a photo with sponsors and dignitaries including Lt. Gov. David M. Apatang, seated front row, third from left, during the sendoff ceremony to the Pacific Games Wednesday night at the Gilbert C. Ada Gymnasium.<\/p>\n

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<\/p>\n

Lt. Gov. David M. Apatang gives his and Gov. Arnold Palacios’ well wishes to the Team Marianas\u2019 delegation of over 100 athletes and officials during the sendoff ceremony to the Pacific Games Wednesday night at the Gilbert C. Ada Gymnasium.<\/p>\n

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<\/p>\n

Northern Marianas Sports Association president Jerry Tan speaks to the crowd of over 100 delegates, sponsors, dignitaries, and supporters, while Team Marianas chef de mission Nick Gross looks on during the Pacific Games sendoff ceremony Wednesday night at the Gilbert C. Ada Gymnasium.<\/p>\n

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<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

National team swimmer Isaiah Aleksenko was chosen as Team Marianas\u2019 flagbearer for the Pacific Games…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":25,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-401469","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/401469","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/25"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=401469"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/401469\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=401469"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=401469"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=401469"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}