NMI bags 1 gold, 2 silver, 3 bronze in Micro Cup

The Saipan Paddling Club showed out for the 28-member CNMI delegation in the 25th Annual Micronesian Cup Canoe Race in Palau held from Oct. 24-26 as they bagged a total of six medals—one gold, two silver, and three bronze.

Some members of the CNMI team are familiar with Palau’s waters as they competed in the recent Pacific Mini Games, and while they didn’t bring home any medals then, they got to bring some hardware back this time around.

Despite the unpredictability and challenging weather and water conditions, the CNMI team opened the event with a bang as junior paddler Tyler Andrew struck gold in the V1 junior boys 500m sprints with a time of 3:08:01. Two more medals were then won by V1 paddlers, with Jenisha Dubrall bagging a bronze in the women's 500m sprint with a time of 3:21:13, and Joe Weaver also winning a bronze in the masters men 500m sprint at 3:12:63.

In the V6 races, teamwork and power pushed the SPC women’s team to clinch silver with a time of 3:09.57; the mixed team also won silver at 5:35:94; and the 1,000m women’s team bagged bronze at 6:11:94.

The team was made up of SPC’s Dubrall, Andrew, Weaver, Dayna Macaranas, Grace Choi, Michael Tan, Catherine Atalig, Liza Atalig, Naomi Billimon, Jerome Ignacio, Erryne Dasalla, Marianas Pacific Paddlers’ Cassandra Camacho, Halle Martineau, Solly Takai, Naomi Lizama, Nina Manglona, Dee Hermosilia, Joan Reyes, Chico Reyes, Zack Dela Cruz, Ohren Ohry, Elizabeth Church, Maria Ornes, Max Garcia, Annie Trusso, Selm Taitano, Beth Deleon Guerrero. They were coached by national team coach and national federation president Justin Andrew.

Dubrall, SPC women’s team captain and steerswoman earned a total of four medals—three with her team and one for her solo race. She said coming down to Palau to compete again after not finishing her race in the Mini Games felt like a chance at redemption not just for herself, but for the CNMI team as a whole. “The last time I was here, I couldn’t even finish my race, and Saipan didn’t take home any medals. So being able to return and actually earn a few this time meant a lot. As the steerswoman, I felt much more confident and comfortable in Palau’s waters after learning so much about them this past summer. It was exciting to see familiar faces and revisit our favorite spots—I don’t think we could ever get tired of Palau,” she said.

When asked about the performance of her team, she said, “Our women’s crew is a brand-new team, and this was our first competition together. Half of our paddlers started just this year, yet everyone adapted

with heart and determination. Earlier this year, we struggled to keep up with other Saipan teams, but we grew stronger every practice and worked our way to the top. I’m grateful to our coach for trusting Dayna and me to lead the team—it was my first leadership role, and while I was nervous at first, seeing our results made every challenge worth it. As for my V1 race, I earned bronze at the last Micronesian Cup but was far behind the silver medalist. This year, I faced an even tougher field but stayed with the front pack the entire way. That progress means the world to me.”

The team’s strategy throughout? Paddle with their body, mind, heart, and soul. “Technique and teamwork are built long before race day, and that’s what carried us through. We’re a small team, which makes our bond stronger—we’ve shared tough moments, long talks, and even tears. But all of that made us a family,” said Dubrall.

As for the toughest part of the competition, she said it was their limited roster during all their events. “Each of us had to race in multiple events and switch between seats constantly. It was exhausting, but it taught us resilience. And my favorite moment? Crossing the finish line in our women’s race—seeing everyone’s faces light up when we realized we’d earned our first medal. That moment made all the hard work and training completely worth it.”

Although it’s an annual Micronesian region competition, for the first time, a Hawaiian and a Seattle based team competed and some are even World Sprints qualifiers. Guam and Marshall Islands also made the journey to Palau. With that, Dubrall said of this year’s competition, “Just being able to keep up with them, and even beat a few, felt like an honor. We faced some of the toughest paddlers out there, and it pushed us to dig deeper and find strength we didn’t know we had.”