TRAC donates bikes to youth athletes

The six youth athletes pose with the bikes they receive from Triathlon Association of the CNMI during a brief turnover ceremony last Saturday at the Kilili Beach. (Roselyn B. Monroyo)

Triathlon Association of the CNMI turned over bikes to six individuals, hoping to get more U18 athletes involved in the sport.

The group, headed by its president Ricky Castro, handed the new road bikes to Tania Tan, Aoi Braxton, Kaithlynn Andrei Chavez, Isaiah Aleksenko, Simon Shah, and Isaiah He during a brief ceremony last Saturday at Kilili Beach. Braxton, Aleksenko, and Chavez, and Braxton are members of local swim clubs and do biking for cross training. They competed in Taga Kids—a side event of Tagaman Triathlon—in the past, while Chavez also did a triathlon competition in the Philippines. Tan bikes for cross training in tennis and running, while Shah and He are from Agape Christian School, joining the growing list of ACS students getting hooked in different sports on Saipan.

“We are hoping to form teams with other Agape students so that we can join the Tagaman Triathlon this March,” Shan said.

Agape principal Kok H. Pang, who accompanied Shan and He in the turnover ceremony, said their school encourages students to pursue the sport they are interested in, saying being active in competitions and training will not only make them better students, but also better persons.

“Three or four years ago, one of our students, Caleb Wang, got into triathlon and he did very well. He is now in college in Florida and the discipline he learned from doing sport is helping him in his studies and life,” Pang said.

“Win or lose, it’s nice to get involved because sports, like triathlon, helps build character,” the Agape principal added.

Chavez, who suits up the Saipan Swim Club and plays soccer with TanHoldings Football Club, thanked TRAC for the donation, adding that she will have an easier time training, as the road bike she got will replace the heavier mountain bike she has been using for the past few years.

Meanwhile, Castro said they were able to donate six bikes because of the generosity of various companies, which have been supporting TRAC-organized events. The group’s donors include T Galleria/DFS Saipan, TanHoldings, Kanoa Resort, Bridge Capital, LLC, Triple J Motors, IT&E, and Gatorade/Pacific Trading, Corp.

“We would like to express our deep gratitude to our generous sponsors for without them we will not be able to keep the program and hold races,” Castro said.

“We want to see more youth athletes try triathlon and hopefully they could also join this year’s Tagaman even if it’s only in the team competition. That’s a good start for them,” the TRAC president said.

The Tagaman Triathlon will hit the road on March 30.