Marianas Cup receives donation; expects over 100 players

  All is set for the 20th Annual Marianas Cup Beach Volleyball Festival with over 100 players expected in the weekend competition and various groups throwing in their support for the annual event.

The Tan Siu Lin Foundation was the latest group to extend a hand for the Marianas Cup, giving donation to the organizing Northern Mariana Islands Volleyball Association. TSL Foundation manager Ed Arriola turned over the $2,000 cash donation to NMIVA president Laurie Peterka during a brief ceremony at the TSL Plaza last Wednesday. Joining Arriola and Peterka in the turnover ceremony were Tan Holdings corporate consultant Dave Sablan and NMIVA official Ed Cho.

“The Tan Siu Lin Foundation gave $1,500 in kind and $2,000 cash donations for the staging of the Marianas Cup to enhance another sport (beach volleyball) in the CNMI. We’re inviting the public to come and join our local and visiting players this weekend and watch these great games,” Arriola said.

“The Marianas Cup will not be in existence with the help of various companies/groups, like the Tan Siu Lin Foundation. NMIVA is very grateful for the foundation’s generous donation. We look forward to our continued relationship with the foundation,” Peterka said.

She added that the donations they received will be used to run the Marianas Cup and any funds in excess will go toward NMIVA’s youth development program and, if possible, to the equipment needed for indoor volleyball competitions at Gilbert C. Ada Gymnasium.

The festival opened last weekend with Guam hosting the Kids Marianas Cup. On Saipan, Japan pros Kentaro Asahi, Katsuhiro Shiratori, Hiroyo Kaneda, Megumi Murakami, Samaa Miyagawa, and Hiroko Matsuyama, American pro Ty Loomis, and New Zealand’s Kirk Pitman held clinics Wednesday.

Activities for the festival will continue this weekend with the staging of exhibition matches for male and female pros at the Fiesta Resort & Spa Saipan sand courts tonight. Then this Saturday and Sunday, actual competitions will take place with the pros teaming up with amateur players for the men’s and women’s doubles contests.

Peterka said NMIVA is expected between 100 and 120 players in the competition. She said 30 players from Guam are coming over, while more than 20 Japanese are also entered in the tournament.

“This is the biggest beach volleyball tournament in Micronesia every year, so we are inviting the public to come to Fiesta Resort and watch the pros mix it up with Guam, Saipan, and Japanese amateurs,” Peterka said.

Players registration will run from 3pm to 5pm today at Fiesta and partners of pros will be determined via raffle with each raffle ticket costing only $10. The draw will be held at 7:30pm.

For more information, contact Shelly Scott at 989-9001.