‘Winnings will go to buying Steelers jersey’

Sixteen-year-old Ignacio Aldan had a short stint playing defensive lineman for the Eastern Eagles years ago in the now-defunct Saipan Youth Football League.

It was fate then that Aldan won Fiesta Resort & Spa and Coors Lights’ Football Throwing Contest held during the halftime of the game between eventual Super Bowl XL champion Pittsburgh Steelers and runner-up Seattle Seahawks Monday.

The game was televised from two giant projector screens at the Garapan hotel’s Hibiscus Hall.

Aldan was joined in the throwing contest by petite Haidee Navarro, Andy Orsini, Seafix Inc. general manager Mark R. Blackburn, and local boxing promoter John Castro, who himself played quarterback in high school.

Early on it was the hefty Castro who appeared the dark horse to win the throwing contest, as he displayed genuine quarterback moves, starting his throwing motion a couple of feet inside the 20-yard line before retreating and then throwing a pass that missed the 17-inch diameter target by mere centimeters.

While Castro was wowing the crowd with his accuracy and throwing technique, the other four, including Aldan, struggled from 20 feet out and none of them even came close to hitting any part of the target.

Aldan’s attempt, for instance, ruffled the leaves of the tree behind the Coors’ Light logo-emblazoned and white-and-red plywood target, while Orsini and Blackburn either hooked or “shanked” the pigskin landing nowhere near the bull’s eye. Navarro’s try, meanwhile, didn’t even reach the 10-yard line.

All five got another chance in the 15-yard line with Castro begging Fiesta Resort and Pacific Trading Co. officials if he could have another try from the 20-yard line.

“I throw the football better from long distance,” he would later say.

All four showed remarkable improvement in their throwing technique, with three of them—Aldan, Castro, and Blackburn—hitting the target but not exactly passing the football through the 17-inch hole that would net them the $300 first place purse.

Castro again came the closest in bagging the prize with Blackburn and Aldan not that far behind. Orsini and Navarro also had commendable throws.

In his final attempt for the $300 reward, Aldan heaved a perfect throw from 10 yards out that went through the hole, eliciting a round of applause and whistles from the crowd.

Navarro and Orsini tried their best but bowed out from the competition. Castro, meanwhile, made it three-for-three close throws without going all the way, while Blackburn finally had his arm working for him and rattled in the pigskin to force sudden death between him and Aldan.

With the loudspeakers blaring the Rolling Stones halftime performance of “Satisfaction,” it needed five attempts from both Aldan and Blackburn to ultimately decide the winner of the inaugural Fiesta Resort Football Throwing Contest when Aldan’s eighth throw of the competition mercifully went through the target to the relief of everyone wanting to return to the air-conditioned comfort of the Hibiscus Hall.

Aldan, who went to watch the Super Bowl event with best friends Matthew Kintol and Andrew Tebuteb, said he was surprised to be picked and was more stunned when he won the contest.

He said he will use the $300 he won to buy the jersey of the winning team for Super Bowl XL, which turned out to be the Steelers.