Interscholastic caging returns next month

Kagman High School’s Joelin Mettao, left, tries to get past the defense of Saipan Southern High School’s Florencia Manibusan during their game in the 2014-2015 MISO caging at the Marianas High School Gymnasium. (Jon Perez)

A basketball tournament similar to the one Marianas Interscholastic Sports Organization used to have will start next month, according to former MISO official Nick Gross.

Gross announced the good news at the Northern Marianas Sports Association meeting last Thursday at the conference room of the Gilbert C. Ada Gymnasium as he also sought the help of NMSA-member federations to assist them in running future tournaments for middle and high school students from both public and private schools.

“We will have the basketball season starting in November and it will run for about six weeks. This is the best we could come up for now after meeting with all the stakeholders,” Gross said.

Gross added that they are planning to have the middle school games from Monday to Thursday and the high school matches on weekends.

“Hopefully we can finish everything by December or before the Ada Gym undergoes renovation,” the Marianas High School teacher said.

The boys and girls interscholastic caging will be played at the Ada Gym as the MHS Gymnasium is still damaged and it is unlikely to get the fix it needs this year or early next. The only air-conditioned gym on Saipan sustained significant damage from Typhoon Soudelor in August last year. Without a venue for its basketball and volleyball games, MISO shelved the rest of its programs for the 2015-2016 season.

“We will try to utilize the gym in Koblerville for our volleyball games, which we plan to start after the Christmas break,” Gross said.

The former MISO head also explained they have limited options as far as finding venues for their games is concerned because of safety and transportation issues.

“We have courts in the villages, but we have to consider if they are safe to use for our students. Also, we have to consider transporting students to these venues. For example, we have the court in San Antonio and Kagman is playing against Saipan Southern High School, so the gas expenses will be considerably high for the Ayuyus—that’s additional $100 for weeks.

As for seeking NMSA members’ help, Gross said they need the expertise of the federations to make sure they are running the tournament, according to each sport’s rules. In the past, the students themselves worked as volunteers in MISO leagues. On a couple of occasions, officials from NMSA-member federations, like the outrigger canoe group, helped MISO run races.

“Maybe we can work out a MoU with NMSA and the involved federation. We are open to a dialogue as we really need to keep this interscholastic competition going and make sure we’re doing in the right way,” said Gross, who will also consult with interscholastic league officials in Guam to improve their program.