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Interscholastic sports competitions return
Interscholastic basketball games were played at the Marianas High School Gymnasium before it was damaged by Typhoon Soudelor in 2015. Interscholastic sports competitions have been revived with Public School System athletics program director Nick Gross working on the schedule of tournaments for students in all levels. (Saipan Tribune)
Newly appointed Public School System athletics program director Nick Gross is bringing back interscholastic sports competitions this month with the staging of a basketball tournament among middle schools on Saipan.
Tanapag Middle School, Francisco Mendiola Sablan Middle School, Chacha Oceanview Middle School, Dandan Middle School, and Hopwood Middle School are the participating schools. The girls championship is set on April 19, while the following day will be the title match in the boys division.
Gross is also planning to conduct a two-day high school basketball tournament for girls on April 13 and 14, and for boys on April 27 and 28.
Tournament dates were made after Gross started with his new job at the Office of Student and Support Services in PSS last month under associate commissioner Yvonne Pangelinan.
“Although most of my time is spent preparing the activities for school year 2018-2019, we’re also working to provide sporting opportunities for students this school year as well,” said Gross, who was the executive director of the Marianas Interscholastic Sports Organization when he was still a physical education instructor at the Marianas High School.
MISO games in basketball, golf, softball, tennis, and volleyball were stopped after several facilities were damaged when Typhoon Soudelor hit Saipan in August 2015. The MHS Gymnasium, where basketball and volleyball games used to take place, sustained significant damage from Typhoon Soudelor and has yet to reopen.
With Gross back in spearheading interscholastic sports competitions on island, he has reached out to various local sports federations to help PSS facilitate tournaments for students.
