Familiar names spearhead All Schools list

The final listing of all participants in tomorrow’s McDonald’s All Schools Track and Field Championships is already complete and all that left is for the competition to begin.

The over 600 Saipan athletes that participated in the qualifying trials prior to tomorrow’s event has been trimmed down to over 200, and will compete against each other as well as athletes from Tinian and Rota for the top prize in each event.

Among those familiar names who assured themselves a spot in their respective events were sprinters Darrel Roligat, Jackie Wonenberg, Reylynn Sapong, Lia Rangamar, as well as middle-distance runners Bo Wang, Chang Wang, Seth Hocking, Nate Mateo, Melissa Coleman, Ryan Baron, and En Hong Pang, among many others.

A complete listing of all qualifying athletes is available at www.nmiathletics.com.

Only six slots were allotted for Saipan athletes in each event, while the two remaining slots were reserved for Tinian and Rota.

The Northern Mariana Islands Track and Field Federation, which organizes the Championships, indicated that the events coincide with the celebration of World Athletics Day, marked around the globe by many other federations.

With that, World Athletics Day T-shirts and pins will also be handed out.

Meanwhile, the Championships would unfold at 8am with a parade and opening ceremony, followed by the first three events—1,500m, high jump, and softball throw—beginning at 8:30am. All volunteers, officials, athletes, coaches, and supporters are urged to be at the Oleai Sports Complex track and field area before the start of the parade.

The Championships also features four age groups—9-and-under, 11-and-under, 13-and-under, and 18-and-under—for both boys and girls, who will tackle events such as the 1,500m, high jump, 100m, 200m, 400m, 800m, and long jump.

Athletes in the two lower age groups will also see action in the softball throw, while those in the two upper age groups will also compete in the discus, javelin, and shot put.

Events and presentation of medals will occur continuously until a lunch break from 12pm to 12:45pm. Action resumes until 5:30pm, closing with the 4X100m and 4X400m relays.

The top three finishers in each event will each receive a medal while the school with the most points in each age category will go home with the championship trophy.

Points will be based on the individual placing of a school representative in each event, with first place receiving 10 points. Second place receives eight points, third get six points, fourth get four points, and fifth gets two points, and sixth place two points.

Also, officials will select and award a trophy to the male and female athlete of the Championships.

For more information, contact Elias Rangamar at 664-2502 or via email at eli_rang@yahoo.com, NMITFF president Kurt Barnes at 234-5498 ext. 1008 or email at kurtb@nmcnet.edu, or federation treasurer Robin Sapong at sapong@vzpacifica.net.