The Sports Leigh-Out Apr. 25-May 1, 2026

Hafa Adai and Tirow sports fans, this is Leigh Gases with this week’s Sports Leigh-Out brought to you by Joeten Motors!

It’s another week of recovery, here’s the latest from the sports community.

Chelsea bags double gold in Guam pickleball tourney

With Guam's Pickleball Spring Tournament pushed back due to the landfall of Super Typhoon Sinlaku, Saipan’s Chelsea Henzon went ahead and competed last April 25-26.

There, Henzon carried the CNMI flag proudly while the islands go through its recovery post-storm, and put her skill on display, winning two gold medals in the women’s singles advance and women’s double advance divisions.

Stay tuned for the full story.

BASA season suspended until further notice

For years and almost every Sunday, softball players and fans made their way to the Dan Dan Softball Field for fun, camaraderie, and exercise. But now, the 2026 Budweiser Belau Amateur Softball Association league is suspended until further notice due to extensive damage to the facility caused by Super Typhoon Sinlaku. The field is also home to Dan Dan Middle School and PSS Athletic Programs activities.

The typhoon caused significant damage to the field, including torn fencing, flooding and erosion of the infield, and damage to the dugouts, backstop, and press box, as well as loads of debris across the entire field. The lighting poles and bleachers also took a hit. “Right now, the field is unsafe for any activity,” said BASA board chair Hector Efraim.

As for the rest of the season, he said, “We are not canceling the season yet. The board and officers will meet after restoration and recovery efforts are underway to discuss options, including a shortened season or relocating games if we can secure an alternate field. No practices or games at Dan Dan field until repairs are done and it’s deemed safe.”

On the estimated timeline for when games can resume, he said there’s no firm date yet because they are still assessing the full scope of the damage. “We’ll share a timeline once the assessment is complete and we have contractor schedules. We’ll provide updates to all teams weekly, even if the update is that we’re still waiting on reports,” he said.

Efraim said the next steps in restoring the field are: first, a full safety and structural assessment with Dan Dan School officials, local authorities, and insurance adjusters; second, debris removal and clearing; and third, finalizing the repair plan with contractors once the insurance review is complete.

As for the biggest challenges in the cleanup and rebuilding process, Efraim said, “First is the insurance claims and funding process, which takes time. Second is contractor availability, since many facilities across Saipan were hit. Third is coordinating with Dan Dan School to make sure repairs are done right so the field is safe long-term, not just a quick fix. We want to rebuild better.”

When asked what his reaction was upon seeing the condition of the field, he said, “Heartbreaking. Dan Dan field is home for our softball family. Seeing it torn up like that was tough for all of us on the board. But my second reaction was resolve—we will rebuild and get our players back out there.”

Saipan Soccer School After School Program resumes with strong turnout, supporting community recovery

As our community continues to recover from the impact of Super Typhoon Sinlaku, the Tan Siu Lin Foundation (TSLF) and Saipan Soccer School (SSS), in partnership with the Northern Mariana Islands Football Association (NMIFA), has officially resumed its After School Program, welcoming back students and families with an encouraging and energetic first week.

The free youth program reopened on Monday, April 27, 2026, as part of the organizations’ commitment and ongoing efforts to create safe and supportive spaces where kids can play, learn, and stay active, especially during this difficult time of recovery. With many schools closed and programs postponed, the response from our community has been overwhelmingly positive, with both returning participants and new families joining the program.

Attendance during the first two days of the program reflected this great need, with over 40 new participants joining and serving nearly 80 participants each day.

Participants shared that returning to the After School Program has brought a sense of joy during a difficult time. “It lights us up with joy... there’s no power at home, and we’re happy to be back,” shared Faith, 12 years old, and Mary, 11 years old, while others echoed how meaningful it has been to have a space to gather outside of home. “It feels good to be back because we get to exercise and play soccer instead of just staying at home,” said Jomel, 11 years old, and “we get to be social...there’s a lot of people to meet,” added Jacob, 11 years old.

Students also highlighted how the program is helping them build their confidence, stay active, connect with others, and encouraged their peers to join. “It makes us better players and more confident,” said Venice, 10 years old, and Mary added that “you’ll make a lot of friends and it will be fun.”

Designed for children ages 6 to 12, the After School Program offers a fun and enriching environment where kids can learn, play, and grow together through a wide range of activities. With a focus on sports, including soccer, badminton, basketball, and volleyball, alongside arts and homework completion, the program supports both physical and academic development.

Saipan, Guam surfers and skaters aid families; MSSL events on hold

In the aftermath of Super Typhoon Sinlaku, small acts of coordination and community effort are helping fill urgent gaps across Saipan—especially among tight-knit groups like Saipan and Guam’s surfers and skaters.

It was a collective effort from Saipan’s Marianas Surf and Skate League and Guahan Bodyboarders, Guam Skate Network, Lotus Surf Shop, and Fokai.

The shipment from Guam included a few pallets of water and several boxes of reusable ice packs. With limited time and supplies, organizers focused on immediate needs. Some of the water was distributed directly to families within Saipan’s surfing and skate community, who then helped pass along remaining donations to others in their villages who needed them most. The ice packs were reserved for residents with medical needs.

“The reusable ice packs we focused on those individuals who needed to keep their medication cold. So for like individuals with diabetes for example, their medication needs to stay cold, so we prioritized those individuals that we were aware of for the ice packs,” said TJ Deleon Guerrero, chair of MSSL.

“Everything happened so fast we didn't have any time to plan anything or have enough to do pick up spots or any of that,” he added.

When asked if it will be a daily thing, he said it’s unfortunately not. “We did the most we could with the supplies we had. It only lasted for 2 days and we ran out. There is a lot of ground to cover and so little supplies.”

MSSL then would like to thank the surfing and skating community on Guam for sending these supplies. “They have their own battles with the storm and they still found time to help our community.  I would also like to thank all the surfers and skaters on Saipan who gave their time to help those in their village.”  

As recovery continues, Deleon Guerrero’s message for the community is “to stay strong and dig deep! We have a long road ahead of us and it’s not gonna be easy. So be patient, stay kind, share what you can, help with what you can, and stay off Facebook “speak up” groups as much as possible. We all have to move forward and we can get there faster if we all do a little bit to help.”

Run Saipan postpones races

The iconic Beach Road Pathway that stretches along the west coast of Saipan suffered severe devastation from the portion of the traffic light in Oleai to First Hawaiian Bank due to Super Typhoon Sinlaku.

The pathway that once carried countless footsteps and where people watched Saipan’s sunsets, is now reduced to rubble—concrete, wood, and rebar—devoid of activity.

Edward Dela Cruz Jr., president of Run Saipan—the running club that hosts races across the island year-round—said their May 4 race, which was supposed to be held along the pathway, has been postponed. Other 5K events are also on pause until further notice, as many of their running routes across Saipan are now unsafe.

Dela Cruz, one of a handful of streak runners on Saipan, said it was difficult to see the pathway destroyed.

“A lot of memories were made there, but knowing how resilient the people of the CNMI are—especially those who use the pathway—I know they’re finding alternative routes,” he said.

“I’ve been seeing more people running, jogging, or walking on the sand, so I know runners are persevering through this adversity.”

He added, “Hopefully the government can rebuild it—not now, even if it takes three or four years—but I’m confident that DPW [Department of Public Works] will get it back up again. For now, runners will just have to be content with running on the sand.”

The pathway, Dela Cruz said, was a common starting point for running streaks, including his own, and served as the primary venue for many of Run Saipan’s 5K events due to its safety, making its destruction especially difficult to see.

“Hopefully once everything has been cleared and the community has recovered, we’ll be able to return to that location for the 5K,” he said.

Dandan Golf Driving Range closed until further notice

In a social media post, the Dandan Golf Driving Range announced that they are closed until further notice due to damages sustained from Super Typhoon Sinlaku. 

“Because of the damage we have sustained, operations will be closed until we can make the facilities safe once again,” the post said.

Guam’s Queens of the Pacific organizes fundraiser for CNMI teams

Guam-based Queens of the Pacific softball organization set up a fundraiser to help out CNMI teams affected by Super Typhoon Sinlaku.

In their social media post on Instagram, they said, “Typhoon Sinlaku hit the Marianas in the worst way possible. As Guam was affected by the outskirts of the typhoon, our Sister Island (Saipan) was in direct hit of it. This past January, 670 Babes & K-Town Batties traveled to Guam to participate in the 1st ever QOP Tournament. We made such great connections, gained more friends, but most importantly created a bigger family. As a small softball community with strong hearts, let's rise together and help our Sisters & their families out.”

The donations they are accepting are water, butane, batteries, baby wipes, hygiene supplies, laundry detergent, towels, toiletries, portable fans, power banks, solar lights, cleaning supplies, and first aid kits.