James W. Feger who taught in Hopwood Junior High School since 1981 and in Marianas High School Junior since 1985 introduced and further developed Rocball here.
A Vietnam veteran honorably discharged from U.S. Marine Corps in 1970 and taught English in Japan during his early years of retirement, Feger found Saipan to be his own home.
Teaching in Hopwood allowed Feger to introduce to Saipan high school students the Rocball, a non-contact game derivative of volleyball which also bears the resemblance of football or soccer due to presence of net in the middle and goals at both ends of the court.
Although there are similarities to volleyball and soccer, Rocball is a totally different kind of sport, which CNMI should be proud to be part of its development.
Through out its growing process, Rocball had become one of the most successful intramural sports in the Public School System and NMI community since 1995.
House Resolution 17-57 which the House unanimously passed during last Wednesday’s session said Rocball’s becoming an annual sport event in the CNMI “would not have been possible without the ingenuity of and creativity of James W. Feger.”
For bringing in the Rocball here, the Saipan and Northern Islands municipal council honored Feger in 1997.
The Rotary Club of Saipan also awarded him citizen of the year from July 2010 to 2011 for his “insurmountable vision and effort to the sports community in the CNMI.”
“It is befitting that the achievements and contributions of James W. Feger be recognized by the House of Representatives of the 17th Legislature,” the resolution introduced by Rep. Raymond D. Palacios said.
