According to Brian Eckert, secretary of SOCC, Saipan “is sending over a strong team to represent CNMI.”
Members of SOCC who will paddle in Guam waters include, Sonny Downer, David Palacios, Jim Sirok, Eric O’Malley, Gil Birnbrich, Richard Sikkel, and Eckert.
Sikkel is the team captain of the Saipan crew.
Birnbrich is a member of the NMI Kanu Racing Association.
The Saipan paddlers won the overall championship for the men’s division in the 2006 and 2007 Micronesian Cup Outrigger Canoe Races.
Eckert mentioned Saipan came in first by several minutes in the 26-mile open ocean race at the Mike Tongg Memorial Marathon Race in Guam last August.
“The SOCC team has been practicing regularly and diligently for the past few months in order to prepare for this event,” Eckert stated, saying the team has been practicing with “galaide” style canoe provided by Pacific Islands Club Saipan.
On October 18 and 19, the Micronesian Cup will witness open men, women, and mixed divisions.
“”We practice hard but the payoff comes when we see how well we do against teams from other places,” Sikkel said.
It is said that Saipan is expecting to pit against several canoe teams which belong in different clubs from Hong Kong, Japan, and Palau in the upcoming races.
There will be Sprint races on Saturday at Matapang Beach on Tumon Bay, Guam where a 500-meter and 1,000-meter race on a 250-meter course will take place.
Long distance races will also be conducted in Hagatna Boat Basin on Sunday.
Eckert explained that women’s teams will take an 11-mile course from the Boat Basin to Family Beach in Apra Harbor; the men’s teams will race back to the Boat Basin; then mixed teams will take turn and race seven miles from the said Basin to Matapang Beach.
