Nick Gross
VETERAN athlete and CNMI Public School System Athletic Program Director Nick Gross has been named Team NMI chef de mission for the 2025 Pacific Mini Games, which will held from June 29 to July 9 in Koror, Palau.
Gross also served as the NMI chef de mission for the 2023 Pacific Games in the Solomon Islands.
“It is an honor,” he said in an interview with Variety. “At one level or another I’ve been involved in NMI sports since arriving on the island in 2003, so getting the opportunity to represent our islands as Chef and work with the National Federations in a capacity outside of interscholastic sports is truly gratifying.”
He said the Games “offer an opportunity for me to grow professionally and work with many of the athletes I’ve seen perform since they were young. Along with the sports, these Games allow me to re-unite and engage with sport leaders throughout Micronesia and the entire Pacific region regarding current best practices and unique barriers we each face in developing sports.”
In the 2023 Pacific Games, he said “Team NMI traveling via chartered flight directly into the Solomon Islands was a major feat. Beyond that, it’s difficult to pinpoint a specific experience as each and every medal won by our athletes was incredible! That being said, [long-distance runner] Tania Tan’s gold in the 10K & Pacific Games record was certainly a memorable one!”
As for this year’s Mini Games, Gross said, “It is…exciting to have another huge regional event in the North Pacific. The Games Council and the Local Organizing Committee in Palau have done a great job in preparing for these Games through sport infrastructure improvements and a new, open-aired gymnasiums to support the delivery of the Games, as well as the perpetuation of sports for Palauans.”
Team NMI plans to send participants for nine of the 12 sports in the Mini Games.
“Our teams are busy finalizing members and training in preparation,” Gross said. “I’m confident that we will be very well represented and bring many medals back to the NMI! Biba NMI!”
