Koreans confirm for Tagaman

Organizers of the 17th Tagaman Triathlon received another boost to the books as a delegation of Korean triathletes confirmed its intention to participate in next April’s race when 12 racers paid their entry fees for the longest running triathlon in the Marianas.

While several of the VIPs were off island, a handful of committee members met briefly in the conference room of the Marianas Visitors Authority to exchange progress reports in an effort to make the 2006 race one of the best ever.

In all, the group numbers nearly 20 multisport enthusiasts from points between Pusan and Seoul, as the upcoming event looks to have competitors from around the globe descend upon Saipan come spring time.

With little more than four months to go, currently athletes from Guam, Japan, Korea, the Netherlands, Switzerland, France, the Philippines, and mainland United States residents are slated to join the CNMI’s homegrown crop of triathletes in the main event.

When they get here, the athletes may hear the tune of the new race theme song as organizers received a submission for the Tagaman Songwriting Contest. Saipan’s resident sage of sports was the first to drum up a tune as KMCV’s Bob Coldeen dropped off “Saipan Girl, Queen of the World” last week.

Aside from the new participants and the new theme song, the hot topic revolved around the revamping of the successful race’s website in an effort to draw more participants with an easy-to-use format and an up-to-date platform from which to launch the event into the future.

Planners have already moved into the next stages as the layout for the new site has not only been mapped, but looks to be up and running soon.

Organizers also finalized many of the events of the popular Saipan Sportsfest, and the schedule includes a number of new activities that built upon the success of last year’s popular weeklong list of events.

The participants and supporters of the 2006 edition are invited to avail of the Tank-2-Tank swims in the Saipan Lagoon, enter the American Softball-Barbeque Picnic with Volleyballs and Horseshoes, a hike to Forbidden Island and swim, a mini-golf competition at the Pacific Islands Club, paintball competition, go kart races, and the return of the sports clinics hosted by professional triathletes.