Coca Cola lauds Powerade participants

Almost 100 netters had their fair share of the stage in the recently concluded 2005 Powerade Team Tennis Tournament at the American Memorial Park tennis courts, as all were recognized for their efforts in making the event a tremendous success.

Coca Cola Beverage Co. sales and marketing director Kathryn Barry and operations manager Rusty Loyola were on hand to present medals to the top three teams, the most improved netter, and the top captain during the tournament’s awards ceremony Saturday, and offered appreciation to all the players who took part in the event.

“Like I said to them during the awards ceremony, my thanks goes to them,” Barry said during an interview. “There was a lot of training, a lot of effort, and a lot of team work, and my job is easy. I get to show up and present medals and say congratulations. So the thanks go out to them.

“Their job has been tough because for these last nine days of the tournament, they’ve been putting their all, coming here at night, and training. They’ve been able to succeed. My congratulations goes out to the team members for putting effort into the tournament,” Barry added.

Barry also reiterated that Coca Cola is proud to have been invited to sponsor the event.

“Coca Cola in the past has sponsored this team tournament and we once again were invited to be a part of this and we for sure wanted to be a part of this event,” she said. “Powerade Team Tennis is a unique team tennis opportunity that we wanted to be a part of.”

Barry said the company’s involvement in sports activities, such as the tournament and the recent XTERRA Saipan Championships and Tagaman Triathlon, among others, plays right into Coca Cola promoting health in the community.

“Powerade is the sports drink for Coca Cola, and it’s a wonderful isotonic brand and really sports plays right into what Powerade means and what it does for the athlete,” she said. “Being active is healthy and Coca Cola is about healthy beverage choices…Dasani Water, Powerade, our diet products which are very big in Micronesia, and that’s something that’s very important to us.”

The tournament was organized by the Fil-American Tennis Association, whose president Elmer Guzman led all participants in presenting a plaque of appreciation to Coca Cola.

Strawberry-Melon bested seven other teams and was crowned champion, while Jagged Ice followed in second place. Gold Rush and Lemon Lime bagged the next two spots.

Other participating teams include Mango-Orange, Mountain Blast, Green Squale, and Fruit Punch.

Strawberry-Melon captain Richard Asuncion was recognized as the best captain of the tournament, while Ayumi Cajigan of Mountain Blast took home the most improved player award.