Walsh swooshes most free throws, sinks 2 from half court

Adam Walsh makes his attempt from half-court during the Rotaract Club of Saipan’s Summer Shoot-Out and Family Sports Fiesta last Saturday at the Kagman Community Center. (Joshua Santos)

Adam Walsh came out the biggest winner in last Saturday’s 2021 Summer Shoot-Out and Family Sports Fiesta organized by Rotaract Club of Saipan at the Kagman Community Center.

Walsh topped the “Free-Throw Competition” by making 16 shots from the 15-foot line in a span of a minute. He continued his sharpshooting ways by also winning the “Half-Court Bomber Challenge” after swooshing two in half a dozen attempts. He made his first shot from half court in his third attempt and made his second on his sixth try.

He went home with a case of iced tea, boxes of snacks, and a free lunch for one at Hyatt Regency Saipan’s Miyako Japanese restaurant for winning the “Free-Throw Competition.” He then got a bunch of snacks and a small duffle bag from Joeten Enterprises for triumphing in the “Half-Court Bomber Challenge.”

The 35-year-old Northern Marianas School instructor said he wouldn’t have won the two events without the skills and training passed on to him by his father.

“I attribute my skills to my father who played college ball at the University of Montana. He had a ball in my hands as soon as I could walk. I played AAU basketball in North Idaho as a kid growing up. My position was typically point guard. I had the pleasure of coaching several seasons of [Public School System] high school basketball on island at [Saipan] Southern High [School] and Kagman [High School]. Basketball has always been my first love. I enjoy sharing what I know with the next generation of b-ball enthusiasts. What a great event the Rotaract members put on. Thank you to them and all of the participants. I can’t wait to defend my titles next year,” he told Saipan Tribune.

In the other events, Ben Rayphand won the “Around-the-World Challenge,” completing it in less than a minute. He won a case of iced tea, Oreo Thins, and a box of granola bars.

Aside from the free-throw, half-court, and an around-the world competitions, last Saturday’s 2021 Summer Shoot-Out and Family Sports Fiesta also featured stations where children and their families could try out different sports and games like mini-basketball, table tennis, soccer, badminton, cornhole, and bocce.

In an interview, Rotaract president Keoni Hosono and director of club service Richard Baleares said they were both pleased with the turnout at their events this year.

“I think today we had a good turnout. Our goal was to make an opportunity for the youth and their parents to have fun and get active, and [just by] looking at the smiles on the faces of our participants and our volunteers, I’d say that we did a good job,” said Hosono.

“From the club side, it’s nice to see us work hard despite the challenges we faced last month to make sure that this event gets done. I’m really [thankful] for all the members that showed up today and took part in planning,” said Baleares.

Next up for Rotaract is its Summer Showdown on June 26, which will be a tournament featuring Super Smash Brothers Ultimate and Tekken 7.

The venue remains to be decided, and the Rotaract asks those interested to check its social media accounts for updates.

The club’s Facebook page can be found at https://www.facebook.com/rotaractsaipan and on Instagram and Twitter @rotaractclubofsaipan and @rotaractsaipan, respectively.

The registration link for the e-sports tournament can be found at https://smash.gg/tournament/rotaract-summer-showdown/details.