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Sports screech to a halt due to Chaba
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Posted on Aug 28 2004
Local sports ceased due to a knock out punch courtesy of Supertyphoon Chaba.
Chaba, which terrorized the Marianas last Sunday with winds of up to 180mph, left many sports organizations without a venue for play.
The Gilbert C. Ada Gymnasium, for example, was home to three ongoing cage leagues—2004 UFO-San Miguel Cup, Inter Restaurant Basketball League, and the Saipan Rotary Summer Youth Basketball League.
Both the UFO and IRBL were both heading towards their semifinals stage when interfered by the untimely weather.
Due to Chaba’s wrath, hundreds of people were displaced from their homes, many of whom would now be sheltered at the Ada facility.
Also sustaining damage were the Francisco Palacios baseball field, the Oleai Sports Complex softball field, and the Dandan softball field—home of the Belau Softball League.
The Saipan Fisherman Association also postponed its prestigious fishing derby, originally scheduled to begin yesterday, and rescheduled the event for Sept. 11-12.
Also, the Northern Mariana Islands Track and Field Federation postponed its All Schools 1st fall Island Relay scheduled for yesterday.
The week was not entirely out of sports as several NMI ambassadors competed in off island events.
Tim Quan placed eighth in the 2004 ITF Pacific Oceania Junior Tennis Championships in Lautoka, Fiji, and thus, qualified to compete in both singles and doubles competition of the Air Pacific Oceania Closed Junior Tennis Championships.
Also, the CNMI Little League All Stars took on the best of international competition at the Little League World Series in South Williamsport, Pennsylvania, and despite dropping all three of their games, had much to be proud of as they fought hard in each and lost by only small margins.
On island, over 150 early birds took Marpi by storm, participating in the 4th Annual Saipan International School 5K Fun Run.
Top finishers include Dirk Sharer, Russ Quinn, Jack Kabiriel, Melissa Coleman, Suzanne Kindel, Teanna Stevesen, Vicki Taitano, Reylene Sapong, Gabriel Race, and Danny Arthur among others. (Brad Ruszala)
