THE Northern Mariana Islands Volleyball Association is starting the new year with a new set of board members who were elected on Monday, Jan. 18.
The 2021-2023 board members are Tyce Mister, Shawn Davis, Kathy Winkfield, Chris Nelson, Ryan Camacho, Mychal Omar and Somia Quan.
They will meet this week to determine who will serve as the officers.
“Thanks to all of those who put their names up for nomination to the NMIVA,” outgoing president Laurie Peterka said.
“ It is encouraging to see the renewed interest. I am confident that the new board will provide great leadership to move the NMIVA forward — and there are lots to look forward to! I also want to thank my outgoing board members Sean Frink and Mike Pai for their time, commitment and dedication.”
Peterka helped found the NMIVA in 2004 and became its president in 2008.
She successfully grew the sport by expanding training programs for coaches and technical officials as well as by holding the Marianas Cup Beach Volleyball Festival.
Indoor events were also held through partnership with schools and the Junior All-Stars program.
“Everything came to a crashing halt when Super Typhoon Soudelor hit Saipan in Aug. 2015,” Peterka recalled. “The NMIVA’s human capacity dropped to almost zero literally overnight. Efforts to reorganize were compounded by Super Typhoon Yutu in 2018,” she added.
But she said the incoming board “will enjoy the chance to hit the ground running with the [Fédération Internationale de Volleyball] technical assistance grant ready to be executed and the chance to participate in the MANGO Lemmei/Mai nonprofit incubator project.”
Founded in 2004, the NMIVA is the Northern Marianas Sports Association’s recognized member national federation for the CNMI for beach and indoor volleyball sports.
The NMIVA maintains accredited memberships with the Oceania Zonal Volleyball Association, the Asian Volleyball Confederation and the Federation Internationale de Volleyball.
The NMIVA also maintains strong working relationships with the Public School System’s interscholastic sports program, the Commonwealth Coalition of Private Schools Sports Association and the Guam Volleyball Association.
For more information, email or call Laurie Peterka at [email protected] or 483-7499.
