Gross eyes December or January MISO opening

Marianas Interscholastic Sports Organization executive director Nick Gross is hoping to get the 2015-2016 MISO going either in December before the Christmas break or early January.

Marianas High School’s Su A Kim, left, and a teammate watch as a Kagman player prepares to make a putt in the Marianas Interscholastic Sports Organization golf season last May at the Laolao Bay Golf & Resort. MISO’s calendar of events will have changes after most of the venues they’ve been using were damaged by typhoons. (Jon Perez)

Gross, in an email sent out to their member schools, said all of MISO’s sports activities are currently on hold due to lack of venues after several facilities they used sustained damage after several typhoons hit Saipan.

The Public School System’s extended school hours and other conflicts with the scheduling also contributed to the cancellation of MISO events.

“We are hopeful that we will be able to commence operations (either) in December or January on a modified schedule, but still offer the full array of opportunities to the children of the CNMI in safe (and) drug-free venues,” added Gross.

Some of MISO’s games are held at the Marianas High School Gymnasium, American Memorial Park tennis courts, and the Miguel “Tan Ge” Pangelinan softball field.

Under MISO’s schedule, boys volleyball and girls basketball should have started last month and will run up to November. Boys basketball follows from January to March while girls volleyball are held from January to February.

Tennis and golf, two of the new sports MISO offered last season, are played in March and May, while girls softball is held from April to May. Outrigger canoe is the final event in June, before the school year ends.

Gross said he and the other MISO officials would probably propose a modified schedule for a jamboree type of a tournament.

“Most likely, season schedules will cease for school year 2015-2016. We will be proposing a modified schedule of two weekends (Friday evening, Saturdays and Sundays when needed), two weeks apart, of ‘Jamboree Friendship Tournaments’ (three or more games for all schools).”

He added that they would hold a coaches meeting after the proposed second jamboree to determine the seeding for the regular MISO end-of-the-season, double-elimination tournament.

Gross said they remain confident MISO’s programs will grow and expand further to include other sports that would interest the CNMI youth.

“This year’s circumstances are only a speed-bump that will be overcome due to popular demand.

Numerous schools, coaches, and officials have reached out expressing support for the programs. Student bodies across the CNMI have embraced and demanded the opportunity to express wellness, compete with peers (while maintaining grade point averages), and unite our islands,” Gross said.

“This demand and the broad range of stakeholders will ensure that MISO will continue to provide meaningful athletic opportunity for the CNMI youth in a safe and drug-free environment.”

Gross ended that they still encourage the CNMI youth to engage in other forms of physical activity to remain active. “In the meantime we encourage everyone to get out and enjoy incorporating fitness into their daily lives.”