Our kids’ first superheroes, cheerleader, and coach

Nick Gross and family, wife Rhonda Camacho Gross, back of photo, and children Beatrice, Victoria, Phoenix, Windsor, and Carver. (CONTRIBUTED PHOTOS)

Fathers are there for our first breath, our first steps, and are our first cheerleaders and fans. This Father’s Day, we honor our fathers who have been our lifelong superheroes and supporters as they shape all aspects of our lives.

Fortunately for the CNMI, it has an abundance of fathers and father figures who all deserve to be honored this Sunday and throughout the rest of the year for their involvement and active roles in the lives of their children, whether as fledgling coaches, cheerleaders, or their kids’ very first fans.

Nick Gross, father, athlete, and husband, knows what it’s like to wear all three hats. As the Athletic Program director for the Public School System, he and his wife, Rhonda Camacho Gross, are both lifelong educators who do their best to support their five children—Victoria, 18; Phoenix, 14; Beatrice, 11; Windsor, 10; and Carver, 9—and be whatever their kids need them to be, whether as coaches, as cheerleaders, or as besotted fans.

Individually, Nick said, all their children have their own interests in sports and physical health, and over the years have participated in cross country, volleyball, basketball, badminton, soccer, and track and field.

“The experiences we’ve had, both on-island and off, have guided us in raising our own children. While our kids have navigated elementary school, we encourage and support them in participating in as many sports, camps, clubs, etc. as possible,” said Nick.

When asked which values and characteristics they try to impart to their children to prepare for the future, Nick said, “We both agree that through these varied experiences our children will be equipped with tools to more effectively negotiate life with a love for movement/sport, outdoor activities, and the arts, which translates to a healthier lifestyle and health benefits that will positively affect their health, both physical and mental, for a lifetime. More specifically, of the values inherent in sport participation, both individual and team, are vast. A few that come to mind are perseverance, sportsmanship, dedication, and leadership.”

Edward Dela Cruz Jr., with wife Anastasia Agafonova Dela Cruz, and 1-year-old Alexander “Sasha” Agafonov Dela Cruz.

He added, “Although we may not discuss these values directly, or at least frequently with our kids, we can easily connect the dots and support these values as our children progress through their childhood(s). Implemented correctly, sports have the unique ability to teach kids about the importance of these values and the role they play in society.”

At 44-years-old, Nick enjoys everything sports and fitness related, but he claims he does not really practice what he preaches to the degree that he’d like. On that note though, he said “I look forward to representing the NMI as a master athlete in the upcoming Oceania Masters Athletics Championships in late June, as well as representing Team NMI at the 2023 Solomon Islands Pacific Games as our chef de mission.”

“Stay active, CNMI and Happy Father’s Day to all!” he said.

As for new father Edward Dela Cruz Jr., whose son, Alexander “Sasha” Agafanov Dela Cruz is just a year old, the values that Edward wants to instill in him are “good character, integrity, discipline, accountability, empathy, and just overall always doing the right thing.”

Edward has been married to Anastasia Agafonova Dela Cruz for three years and five months now, and both can be seen running with Sasha in his stroller up and down the Beach Road Pathway.

Edward, at 31 years old, is the president of the running club Run Saipan, runs every day, participates in the sports of athletics, and is a firefighter for the Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting.

When talking about his son joining sports eventually, he said: “Whatever sport he wants to play as he gets older, I’ll be his No. 1 fan. If he doesn’t join track and wants to be in James Lee’s basketball federation, I will bite the bullet and throw full support, but we will see. He’s definitely not going to grow up like his father on video games.”

These fathers are just a small sample of fathers who do everything to make it happen at work and at home—and we honor every single father, father figure, stepfather, and all fathers out there who are basically superheroes in disguise.