Race, 2 junior netters in Guam during Mawar

From left, CNMI national coach Jeff Race and junior netters Simon Tang and La Hunn Lam work out at the gym during Typhoon Mawar’s approach to Guam. (CONTRIBUTED PHOTO)

CNMI national coach Jeff Race and junior netters Simon Tang and La Hunn Lam were essentially on ground zero in Guam when Typhoon Mawar came closest to landfall Wednesday evening.

Race, a multiple Northern Marianas Sports Association Coach of the Year awardee and part of the CNMI Sports Hall of Fame, was in the U.S. territory to coach CNMI and Tahiti junior players in a couple of junior tournaments.

From left, La Hunn Lam, CNMI national coach Jeff Race, and Simon Tang are currently in Guam taking part in the second week of the U18 Guam World Tennis Tour.(CONTRIBUTED PHOTO)

“The Oceania Tennis Federation asked me to come over here for the two ITF Junior tournaments to coach some kids from Tahiti and whoever wanted to come from the CNMI. I’m here until June 4. Just having a little bit of a hiccup at the moment,” he told Saipan Tribune before Mawar’s wake.

Due to the Category 4 typhoon, the first week of the U18 Guam World Tennis Tour was canceled. 

Race said he, Tang, Lam, and Lam’s mother Joo Lee were staying at Wyndham Garden Hotel and the U18 Guam World Tennis Tour is being played at the Guam National Tennis Center courts.

“Qualifying for the second tournament starts today. LaHunn and Simon both had a bye in the first round and then will play each other around 1pm today (Sunday),” he said.

Race also updated Saipan Tribune how the group has fared after four days after the typhoon. 

“Right now we can’t get gas and I’m getting low [in gas]. Still no water at the hotel but they got the generator fixed.” 

Prior to Mawar’s closest approach Race said Guam was beginning to feel the brunt of Mawar.

“We’re fine but winds are still about 70. No power at the hotel for 14 hours as the generator got wet yesterday. I’m running low on battery so I’m going to conserve. No way to charge.”

Even then Race had optimism that the tournament would somehow get going. 

“Simon Tang and La Hunn are getting their first taste of ITF events. Hopefully we can resume after the storm depending on the outcome… Next week Hye Jin Elliott, Serin Chung, June Yu, and David Kwon are supposed to join us,” he said.

Race assured members of the tennis chat group before Mawar made its closest approach to Guam that Team CNMI would be fine.

“It’s going to be a big one but we’re all in a solid building at the “hotel with only one window which they have storm shutters on. [We have a] backup generator so we should have power and communications. We should be okay.”

Elliott, Chung, Yu, and Quan, however, will no longer join the tournament on account of lack of flights.

“No flights are coming to Guam until May 30 so they aren’t coming,” said Race.

Tang, for his part, said that Mawar’s winds seemed somewhat to be picking up hours before it made its closest approach to Guam.

“We are holding up great. It feels somewhat calm for some reason, but we are expecting a lot more later on at 1pm.”

Lam’s mother Joo Lee said Mawar was a frightening storm but that they felt safe inside the concrete hotel.

“Feeling pretty safe here but scary…We have no power and no water in the hotel…The generator got broken during the typhoon…we have no battery so we came to the other hotel to charge our phones…It was a horrible typhoon,” she said.