Saipan Paddling Club team captain Tyler Andrew, left, steers his team to shore after placing first in the 1,500m race of the 24th Micronesian Cup at the Crowne Plaza Resort Saipan beach on Saturday.
The junior mixed teams vie for the lead after passing the starting point of the 1,500m race of the 24th Micronesian Cup at the Crowne Plaza Resort Saipan beach on Saturday.
SAIPAN topped several canoe races of the 24th Micronesian Cup at the Crowne Plaza Resort Saipan Beach on Friday and Saturday.
In the junior women’s V6 division, the Saipan Paddling Club reigned supreme by clocking 2:35.28 to clinch the gold medal. Following behind was Guam’s Puti’on Tasi at 2:43.99 for the silver medal and Guam’s Maneran Galaide at 2:50.33 for the bronze. In fourth place was Guam’s Taotao Galaide at 2:52.09 while Saipan Paddling Club 2 finished fifth at 2:59.23.
In the junior men’s V6 division, SPC 1 also came out on top to claim gold with a finish time of 2:15.45 followed by Puti’on Tasi at 2:21.65 for the silver medal, and Guam’s Taotao Galaide at 2:52.91 for the bronze. In fourth place was Maneran Galaide at 2:31.14 while SPC 2 came in fifth at 2:51.17.
In the junior mixed V6 division, SPC 1 won the gold medal with a time of 2:22.12 while SPC 2 earned the silver by clocking 2:25.37. Puti’on Tasi took the bronze at 2:27.57 while Taotao Galaide came in fourth at 2:33.00. Maneran Galaide was fifth at 2:34.90, and the Haggan Juniors of Guam were sixth at 2:43.39.
SPC also ruled the 1,500m race, but the officials results were not yet available as of press time Sunday evening.
Leading the CNMI junior team was Tyler Andrew. “Our performance was very good,” he added. Asked if the outcome was what he had expected, he answered, “It was definitely the goal but I wouldn’t say it was expected.”
With Guam and the Marshall Islands participating, the competition was going to be tough, but for Andrew, it only empowered his team to excel. “Competition was great. They really gave us a fight and boosted our adrenaline,” he said.
“Our chemistry is what gave us good results because we hang out a lot — even outside of practice — so that just makes us even better in the canoe and we work together as a team,” he said.
Tyler said their strategy was to keep their composure, stay on technique, and stay relaxed.
He also noted that the junior team had the “homewater” advantage. “We knew how the water and bumps work, all the spots. So we kind of had that leverage over the other teams,” Andrew said.
The results of the other races, including the open men’s, women’s, mix, and masters divisions, will be featured in the next editions of Variety.
