The Micro Cup will be held on Oct. 23 and 24, 2010 at the Meyuns Seaplane Ramp.
SOCC team captain Richard Sikkel has an eight-man team, but only six paddlers compete at a time and the triple event holds multiple heats.
The Saipan team is made up of Gil Birnbrich, Jim Sirok, Justin Mariano, Joe Pyrzski, Jesse Santos, Jason Tarkong, and Scott Hayden.
In last year’s competition, the island of Saipan was dubbed the host island and about 15 boats came to compete.
Last year the Saipan team fended off first place in the 500m sprint and runner-up both in the 1500m sprint and 12-mile long distance events.
The host team collected 46 points that were good enough to give SOCC the overall championship honors over Guam’s Haggan (42) and Animum Tasi Metgot (41).
This year, female paddlers will not only be entered to compete but also highly encourage.
An independent seven-woman team from the Marianas Pacific Paddlers has also been training under Coach Anne Jordan since the summer and is looking forward for its first time trip to Palau for the Micro Cup.
Jordan has been involved with canoeing on island for over 10 years and has attended six Micro Cup events.
She also has coached numerous school teams and exhibited youth paddling clinics in the past.
The women’s group is fairly new but the women have great chemistry together. The team has been training five times a week for the past two months. The group is composed of young and experienced paddlers so the team is setting their goals for a medal.
Leading the team is captain and co-coach, Juliette Sword. Her crewmates include Jordan, Eileen Fleming, Andrea and Valerie Hofschneider, Vaaia Erica Leuta and Leilani Nielson.
Last year, Guam’s Poksai won the overall championship in the women’s division with its 50 points besting Metgot’s 45 and Animum Tasi Fotten’s 39.
The Micronesian Cup was founded in 1999 by a Guam surf shop owner named Linda Yeomans and is considered today as the largest outrigger event in Micronesia.
Every year paddlers from all over the Western Pacific such Australia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Japan, Guam, and Palau meet up and compete for the Micro Cup bragging rights.
