The athletes have only four days now and coach Elias Rangamar wishes he could go back to the time they were about to begin the training.
All they have to do now, he said in an interview yesterday is have an “active rest” while getting themselves ready for the events.
What he means of the “active rest” Rangamar said is let the athletes “relax” as they continue practicing with less loads, which they have been doing since last week.
Rangamar have prepared a schedule for practice that supposed to start in January but it was not followed due to a lot of important activities in school and other sports events.
It was only two weeks ago that the athletes became free of other commitments, and the time was already running out for them to get the kind of training the coach was expecting them to have.
These few days Rangamar said should be spent for “relaxing.” Instead of three hours and five to six days a week, the athletes in the past few days had to spend only one to two hours a day and only two to three days a week doing the practice.
In preparation for any athletic competitions, Rangamar said athletes can not continue rigid training all the way to day of the event because they will end up suffering fatigues while the competitions are about the start.
Rangamar however remains confident NMI athletes who will also compete in the Grand Prix
Series are going to win. He said he knows each athlete has been spending time on their own practicing.
Jesus T. Iguel said he knows there were times wasted that is why he has been trying to make it up by practicing on his own, outside the schedule.
Iguel who is also a member of Saipan All Stars team for the Big League said he has been inserting extra two hours practicing for Oceania tournaments during daily practice for the Asia-Pacific Regional Baseball Tournament.
“The baseball practice starts at 4 p.m, everyday. I come to the field two hours earlier so I can practice running for the Oceania competitions,” Iguel said.
Tyron Omar the NMI’s fastest sprinter said that aside from practice as scheduled by their coach, he also spend extra time practicing to maintain what he got.
“I’ve been doing a lot of hard work now,” Omar said adding that he continues flexing his muscles by playing other sports like basketball.
He said he feels he is getting enough time practicing and is good enough to join even the Grand Prix Series.
Aside from Iguel and Omar, the other athletes who are participating in the Oceania tournaments are Dexter Dillay, Ketson Kabiriel, Sylvan Rangamar, Jericho Cruz, Yvonne Bennet, Yvette Bennet, Jacque Wonenberg, Jenequa Benavente, Li’amwar Rangamar, Lina Manalili, Mathew Mancao, Trevor Ogumoro, Greg Duatin, Relynn Sapong, Nick Gross, Luis Iguel and Juan Iguel.
