Volleyball players find home in NMIVA

The organization that provided some of the highest flying thrills with passes and kills wrapped up its first year of operations in the Commonwealth and is already looking ahead toward 2006 as the Northern Mariana Islands Volleyball Association has a full plate that starts next month.

Like a phoenix rising from the ashes, NMIVA got its start when local volleyball aficionados unanimously decided that something had to be done to replace the defunct and poorly managed Saipan Volleyball Association if the sport was to thrive in the CNMI.

With a core group of leadership that has years of playing, organizing, and planning to its credit, NMIVA now offers players at every level a reputable base of operations for all indoor and outdoor events.

The association took off like a shot in 2005 by welcoming teams from across Saipan and from neighboring Guam to participate in the wildly successful Jam Attack indoor in January.

A month later, NMIVA gained further credibility with the return of the Marianas Cup Beach Volleyball Festival, and continued to roll with the popular Miller Lite 4-Person Beach Volleyball League in the spring. School was out, but there was no break in the action during the summer with the Seaside Grill Beach Volleyball Tournament that attracted a number of top players to the PIC, and sent a men’s and women’s team Palau for the 2005 South Pacific Mini Games in July.

Once again, NMIVA partnered with the business community to bring the Miller Lite 4-Person Beach Volleyball League back for a fall session, and the association added the equally competitive and comical BSEA/Rudeger Outdoor tournament last month.

Though they are one of the most recent additions to the Northern Marianas Amateur Sports Association, NMIVA organizers aren’t wasting anytime in preparing for the upcoming 2006 Micronesian Games.

To date, they have already hosted two of the qualifying tournaments on the sands of San Antonio and Garapan at the Pacific Islands Club and the Hyatt Regency Saipan, respectively, and they are planning on welcoming the newly renamed Fiesta Resort and Spa to the beachside family in the future as well.

Tryouts for the Men’s and Women’s Indoor teams are also ongoing under the well-trained eyes of NMIVA vice president Taula Peter and treasurer Kitinan Intharaluk.

A crowd of leapers has already assembled to try its hand at representing the CNMI in the Games, but none have overlooked the premiere outdoor event of the year that draws professionals and pretenders from throughout the region—the Marianas Cup Beach Volleyball Festival is just around the corner.

This year, Koichi Nishimura and Tatsuo Yamamoto cruised to an easy win in the men’s division 13th Marianas Cup Beach Volleyball Festival at the PIC in February, while Ryoko Tokuno and Chiaki Kusuhara rallied from the depths of the loser’s bracket to down the team that sent them there in the finals on the women’s side. With little more than a month and a half remaining before the 14th edition of the sandy tradition, players are already beginning to prepare for what NMIVA secretary Steve Nguyen said “promises to be nothing less than sensational!”

Nguyen said that NMIVA boasts a membership base that includes players with diverse professions, talent levels, and hobbies all unified by their desire to bump, set, and spike on the sand and hard courts of Saipan.

“They come from all walks of life—from PIC Clubmates, to teachers, lawyers, and surfers. No matter what level of player you are, NMIVA invites you to come out and join them for some fun and excitement. Whether you play beach or indoor volleyball, NMIVA welcomes you with open arms,” he said.

For more information about volleyball’s governing body in the CNMI, contact NMIVA president Jon Cramer by calling 235-6231 ext. 148 or via email at jon@picsaipan.com, Peter by calling 483-2493 or via email at taulap@gmail.com, or Nguyen by calling 234-0522 or via email at soundsticks@gmail.com.