Interscholastic canoe season on

In this file photo, Kagman High School paddlers make a turn during the 1,000m finals in the 2019-2020 Public School System Interscholastic High School Canoe Race Series in the waters off Kilili Beach. (Saipan Tribune)

The 2020-2021 Public School System Interscholastic High School Canoe Race Series got the green light and will kick off the season on Feb. 13 at the Kilili Beach Park.

PSS Student Support Services Athletic Program director Nick Gross confirmed that outrigger canoe races for high school students will go ahead, as they have already secured permission from the Bureau of Environmental and Coastal Quality and the Governor’s COVID-19 Task Force. BECQ is the permitting agency for activities that will be done in beaches on island, while big-crowd events at this time of the pandemic should get clearance from the task force first.

The canoe competition will be the third tournament that PSS will be hosting for this school year and second in 2021, as the district is slowly, but safely resuming its interscholastic sports program by holding low-risk events. PSS started with the cross country season (elementary, middle school, and high school) in November and now has the 4v4 beach volleyball for high school that began late last month.

“We are set. We should have the men’s and women’s teams from Kagman High School, Saipan Southern High School, and Marianas High School,” said Gross, who also extended the canoe competition invites to private schools.

The Feb. 13 kick-off will serve as warm-up races for the Dolphins, Manta Rays, and Ayuyus, as no points will be at stake in the men’s, women’s, and co-ed 500m and 1,00m events. The next two legs, scheduled for Feb. 20 and March 6, will have teams battling for points in the same events, while double points will be up for grabs in the sprints finale slated for March. 13.

In the long-distance race, it will only be a one-time event with the 4.5-mile race on Feb. 27 also starting at Kilili Beach with a turnaround point between the 13 Fisherman Monument and the Lighthouse Chanel. The long-distance race will also feature three divisions—men’s, women’s, and co-ed.

Participating teams have until Feb. 10 to turn in their rosters for the competition that PSS is coordinating with the Northern Marianas National Paddle Sports Federation.

Last year, before the COVID-19 pandemic cancelled the remaining sports events on island, including interscholastic competitions, PSS was able to complete its canoe season.

MHS emerged as the champion in the women’s division after collecting 68 points against the 48 and 35 of Kagman and Saipan Southern. In the men’s, the Ayuyus were the runaway winner with their 85 points, as the Manta Rays and Dolphins gained only 49 and 15 markers, respectively.

Kagman also bagged the co-ed championship after scoring 80 points in last season’s series and topped both the men’s and women’s long distance races.