Athletes receive holiday gifts

CNMI junior tennis players Thea Minor and Christian unwrapped presents for themselves and their supportive parents in the morning of Christmas Eve.

The gifts were seven medals, which were the fruits of Minor and Miller’s hardwork in New Zealand.

The two CNMI netters, along with Rafael Jones, were in New Zealand for about three weeks and returned on Dec. 24 in time for the holiday celebration.

When they arrived at the Francisco C. Ada International Airport, Minor showed her proud parents her three gold medals and three silver, while Miller removed from his tennis bag two runnerup medals.

Minor won in the doubles event in Waikato, Poverty Bay, and Auckland. She also had runnerup finishes in another doubles event in Waikato and in singles competitions in Auckland and Poverty Bay.

Miller placed second in doubles in Poverty Bay and Waikato.

Also receiving holiday presents were the Docomo Krystal Hustlers, Primo’s Home Boys, and Daniel.

The Hustlers and the Home Boys won the championship in the Agingan and Obyan division of the Saipan Billiards Association Bud Cup, respectively.

Daniel also brought home a championship trophy after ruling the CIM-FCC Inter-Color Basketball League-3rd Genesis Cup.

Daniel claimed the title following its 92-76 triumph over Isaiah in the winner-take-all finals played at the Gilbert C. Ada Gymnasium.

In the spirit of gift giving, the Northern Mariana Islands Football Association donated equipment package to three public high schools on Saipan.

Kagman High School, Saipan Southern High School, and Marianas High School received 20 pieces of size 5 soccer balls, two pieces of ball bags, seven pairs of shin guards, a ball pump, six needles, and a pair of gloves.

The equipment will help the three schools prepare for next month’s interscholastic league.

Three teams left Saipan not to celebrate the holiday season elsewhere, but to compete in tournaments in Guam.

Saipan Swim Club’s Grace and Andrew Kimball, Emma and Abigail Martinsen, Blair Nicholls, Michael Moran, Lester Lapuz, and Victoria Chentsova, and Tsunami Saipan’s Rezne Wong, Kai Staal, Kensuke and Shin Kimura, and Marystar Welch are participating in the Guam International Swim Meet at the Hagatna Swimming Pool,

Over at the Rick Ninete Tennis Center, 12 CNMI junior players are competing in the 2008 Guam Junior Championships. The list include Ilia Corella, Cody and Gabrielle Race, Chris Cajigan, Jodel Fernandez, John Cano, Tammy and Dylan Ackerman, Neghar Rastguiy, Amy Arenovski, and Kennedy Izuka.

Back on local soil, the semifinals cast in the 2008-2009 World Organized Rocball Community League was completed last week.

Making it to the Final Four were the Okies, Ghasias Brothers, Evenflow, and Fanians.

The semis pairings are Ghasias Brothers vs. Okies and the Fanians against Evenflow. The semifinals matches are a one-game only affair with the winners advancing to a best-of-three title series. The semis and title games are a race to 25 points per set.