Cruz, Ramsey named to tennis team

The Northern Mariana Islands Tennis Association formally named four men’s players to the CNMI National Tennis Team for this year’s Pacific Mini Games.

NMITA president Jeff Race earlier gave 2017 Samoa Mini Games gold medalists Colin Sinclair and Robbie Schorr automatic slots to the men’s national team. Last Friday, the CNMI Sports Hall of Famer added Bobby Cruz and Colin Ramsey to the lineup.

Race said he ended up picking Cruz and Ramsey after the other candidates—Morris Villanueva, 2017 Mini Games veteran Ken Song, and Tony Atalig—couldn’t take part in a tryout for various reasons.

“For the men, we didn’t need to have a selection competition. Morris chose not to try out. Ken is doing an internship this summer and I have not received any confirmation from Tony.”

It can also be recalled that Cruz was also part of the Mini Games team five years ago but missed going to Apia after losing his passport a few days before leaving for the Samoan capital.

“Bobby is a really steady influence on everybody. Also he wants to help coach because he can. If we have multiple matches going on in the team competition maybe I can be at boys games if the girls are also playing. He can then take one and I could take the other, He has some coaching experience and he also is a very positive person,” he said.

Race, meanwhile, sees big things for the still developing Ramsey.

“Colin is just a very mellow and laid-back guy who works hard on his tennis game. I’d say he’s a been very, very disciplined in the last six months about his training and it’s really paying off in the way his game is looking. His game is just much, much solid now compared to six months ago. That comes from him playing and training a lot because you figure a lot of things outside when you’re playing that much,” he said.

As for the holdovers, Race said Sinclair and Schorr have only gotten better five years removed from their men’s doubles gold in Apia.

“You have to start with Colin Sinclair because he’s Mr. Gold Medal for us. It’s like there’s no competition. I’m sure the players that he played in 2019 have been working on their game since then. I’m sure Clement Mainguy of Vanuatu, who gave him the hardest time, I think Colin beat him with 6-3, 6-2, has gotten better. But he’s not as good as Colin and we can see that from his Davis Cup results. I’m sure Matthew Stubbings of Papua New Guinea has also improved as well.”

While everyone knows that the son of former Saipan residents Peter and Kathryn Sinclair is the top player in Oceania, Race said the 26-year-old has astute leadership skills as well.

“There’s something that Colin brings that people don’t really talk about and that is he really brings leadership with him. He was a really good team leader in Samoa and he really sets a great example for the other players.”

Sinclair’s leadership was in full display even prior to the Mini Games in Samoa.

“I’m sure Robbie [Schorr] will probably laugh at this now. Robbie had been staying in Fiji for a month or six weeks and been competing in some ITF tournaments and stuff when we sort of picked him up on the way to the Games. He was having an attitude problem you know and I had spoken to him and he kind of just walked off in a kinda very juvenile way when I was talking to him about it.”

However, the now Pacific William Woods University sophomore’s attitude did a complete 180-degree turn soon after meeting Sinclair.

“Then Colin got there in the middle of the night when Robbie was sleeping and we go out training the next day and Robbie totally lost his attitude problem. He’s like ‘this guy is amazing. He’s my teammate and I’m not going to make a fool of myself in front of this guy.’ So Robbie took the lead from Colin and Colin is just like he’s so professional in everything that he does. He’s a professional tennis player and that professionalism and leadership really was sort of set the tone for the other players—the guys and the girls—in the Games. Colin really brings that and plus he’s a lot of fun. He’s always joking around and he’s a super positive guy. He’s got the Peter Sinclair attitude.”

As for Schorr, Race said the ACC Academic Honor Roll and ITA Scholar-Athlete surely has improved by leaps and bounds since the last time he saw him.

“We’re five years down the road from him playing when he was a very good player then helping us win a gold medal in 2017 when he was still a high school kid. So, now that he’s a college player he’ll be bringing a lot more in to this situation,” he said.