‘Full-time coach raises sports to the next level’

Northern Marianas Amateur Sports Association Hall of Fame inductee Wilhelm “Bill” Sakovich said if a sports organization is really serious about taking the next step in developing its athletes, then it has to invest on a full-time coach.

Speaking before last week’s inauguration of the new offices for Saipan Bowling Association and Northern Mariana Islands Football (Soccer) Association, the executive secretary of the 6th Micronesian Games Organizing Committee said members of NMASA should learn from the example of the local swim and bowling associations.

“I think to bring sports to the next level you need a full-time coach and that’s the reason why the Saipan Swim Club went ahead and hired Michael Stewart and it’s paying off and I’m glad to see the same thing happening to SBA when they got Sarah [Yap],” Sakovich said.

SBA and NMIFA president Jerry Tan earlier preached about the importance of hiring a full-time coach to a room-full of SBA and NMIFA members and other guests during the office inauguration held at the MVA Building Wednesday.

“Having a full-time coach really helps. You could put together a program in a continuing basis. Learn from the swimming federation, which Sue [Knecht, NMIFA board director] is very, very active also. I also feel that with the few months Sarah has been here, she has really helped bowling and I know it would help football once we get our own coach onboard,” he said.

Tan went on to say that SBA brought in Yap and that NMIFA is in the process of bringing in a coach for soccer because of the success attained by swimming, both under the tutelage of Sakoviches—Bill and Jean—and Stewart.

“If you ask anybody in the local sports community what is the most successful sport over the last many years, the answer will always be swimming. In terms of bringing in medals and giving the CNMI recognition, the SSC has been the yardstick. You could say, I learned from Uncle Bill about the importance of bringing in a full-time coach,” he said.

Sakovich put a comic twist to the proceedings when he said that unlike Stewart and Yap, he and his wife actually didn’t get paid for their coaching, but were fortunate to have had other jobs to supplement to what essentially became a sort of calling for them.

“I remember when Jerry talked about the importance of having a coach, which led to SBA hiring Sarah and NMIFA in the process of getting one. The fact is, my wife and I coached here for over 30 years and we didn’t get paid, but we had other jobs so it was OK. But I couldn’t emphasize more the need for full-time coaches to bring sports to the next level,” he said.

Since relocating to Hawaii a couple of years ago, the Sakoviches have kept active in coaching water polo and swimming.

Bill Sakovich said the weekend before he landed on Saipan to help with the 6th Micronesian Games, he hosted a swimming clinic that was headlined by former U.S. Olympic swimmer Matt Biondi, who now teaches at Parker School in Hilo, Hawaii.

“We had a clinic for my age group swim team that was conducted by former Olympian Matt Biondi. He is one of only four swimmers that have been in the cover of Sports Illustrated. It was quite excellent. He went through his whole history. He said since he was so tall, 6’7” and so skinny, he had all these problems at school and was harassed all the time. He inspired a lot of the kids that you could be something, if you really work had for it,” he said.

Sakovich said about 36 of his swimmers participated in the clinic, which included an hour in the classroom and then an hour and a half in the pool.