By Roselyn B. Monroyo
Variety News Staff

WITH six months left before the 13th Pacific Games, NMI beach volleyball coach Russ Quinn said their preparations for the quadrennial meet is on track.
“In terms of readiness for the Pacific Games in August, I feel we are progressing nicely,” said Quinn, who resumes the series of training sessions he is conducting for NMI players today after a month-long break.
“We are spending a lot time focusing on the fundamentals of the game. This will continue until the final selection process is completed,” he added.
The training sessions are held every Wednesday and will end next month.
The Northern Mariana Islands Volleyball Association is expected to name the men’s and women’s teams at the end of February after the series of qualifying tournaments is done.
“Once the teams are selected, the hard work begins. We will shift to a more strategic and fitness-based training. We will start a weightlifting program, a plyometric (jump training program) and many drills that will help them peak in August,” Quinn said.
Two players each in the men’s and women’s division will be selected to represent the NMI in the Pacific Games.
Quinn has more than 10 players in the series of training sessions, which started in October last year, and he is happy with the NMI athletes’ response to the clinics so far.
“I like what I am seeing. There is commitment, enthusiasm and the desire to get better. I am working these athletes pretty hard. We do sprint work, plyometrics, endurance and strengthening exercises,” Quinn said.
When asked to gauge the players from 1 to 10 with one the lowest and 10 the highest based on Quinn’s evaluation criteria, which include overall fitness/shape, attitude, cooperation, skill level and techniques, the NMI coach said the participants are at 6.
“We are progressing in each of the areas mentioned,” Quinn said.
The players’ attendance in series of training sessions will account for 20 percent of the selection process, while 15 percent will come from Quinn’s evaluation of each player.
Two points will be awarded to every player for attending each session. Failure to attend 50 percent or more of the training sessions will result in disqualification.
The remaining 65 percent will be from the series of qualifying tournaments. Three more trials are left and players get points in each qualifier based on how they finish in each tournament.
“After the last qualifier is completed, we will be increasing our training. I will specifically focus on the players that are going to the Pacific Games. Having said that, we will continue to have informal games and if individuals would like to seek pointers, I will be happy to give them,” Quinn said.
“The area I see needing improvement is the players’ explosiveness. This is absolutely essential in beach volleyball. Being able to recognize and react to shots from your opponents. It requires a lot of court time.
Quinn added that he’s seeing the series of training sessions as a way to prepare not only the island representatives to the Pacific Games in Apia, Samoa, but also the young players who will be competing in future tournaments.