JEAN Sakovich, the cofounder of the Saipan Swim Club, will be honored at a ceremony this Sunday, April 14 at the Civic Center Beach, adjacent to Guma Sakman, SSC said.
Alongside her husband Bill Sakovich, she founded the club in 1974.
Coach Jean, as she was known, was a volunteer swim instructor whose “greatest joy has always been teaching the little ones how to swim,” according to the memorial website set up in her name.
She spent 31 years on Saipan, working first at the Intercontinental Hotel and then at the Seventh-day Adventist Dental Clinic.
In 2003, she was inducted into the Northern Mariana Islands Sports Hall of Fame. The next year, she and Bill relocated to Hawaii and joined the Warrior Aquatic Swim Club.
According to the Northern Marianas Sports Association, the Saipan Swim Club contributed 70 gold, 55 silver and 50 bronze medals to the CNMI medal haul in the Micronesian Games and the South Pacific Games.
Coach Jean passed away on Jan. 13, 2024 in Hilo, Hawaii at the age of 77.
This Sunday, the beachside ceremony in Susupe will coincide with a celebration of her life that is also taking place in Hilo, Hawaii.
The Saipan Swim Club requests that attendees bring flowers to scatter in the water. Attendees can enter the water using their preferred method, whether it’s swimming, paddling, or walking.
The Saipan Swim Club also requests that only natural and biodegradable materials be used for the memorial.
Two fundraising pages have been set up for the Warrior Aquatic Club and the Saipan Swim Club in honor of Coach Jean’s legacy. Funds will go to support learn-to-swim programs and overall team development.
The website set up in her honor can be found at https://inmemoryofjeansakovich.my.canva.site/.
