2nd Annual Kids' Marianas Cup

The Kids’ Marianas Cup followed on Sunday, March 15th with over 100 kids ages 10-15 years and a total of 20 teams to conclude a highly successful Marianas Cup Beach Volleyball Festival. Once again, the 2009 Kids’ Cup set a new record for the number of participants, spectators, coaches and sponsors. Team “Sons of the Beaches”, sponsored by Congressman Ed Salas captured first place while Team “Lamers” played 17 games to reach the finals and place 2nd. The kids soon asked if another beach volleyball tournament could be scheduled prior to the end of the school year in May. A BIG THANK YOU goes to Ms. Mili, Russ, Laurie, Kim and all the other volunteers and parents who helped organize and run the tournament.

Congratulations to Team Sons of the Beaches on their championship win! They each received personally autographed Phil Dalhausser balls and IT&E cell phones, text cards.
Team Lamers played many games to reach the finals and place second. They each won personally autographed Phil Dalhausser balls, IT&E text card and a
"PIC Waterpark Pass for Two".

Team Lamat Pwi Pwi coached by Robin Eugenio played well for their 3rd place win. They each won a "PIC Waterpark Pass for Two"and IT&E text cards.

4th Place winners received LISS backpacks & IT&E text cards.

The 5th place team won LISS t-shirts and IT&E text cards.

Team Lamers going for the block.

Barbara, Elijah and Sean Maycock of SDA School, cheering for their students in the Finals.

"Psycho" Yoshida eyeing the ball as Coach Amy looks on.

Congratulations to the 2009 Men's Marianas Cup Winners!

Congratulations to all the participants of the 17th Annual Marianas Cup Beach Volleyball Festival! This record event would not have been possible without our valuable sponsors, especially PIC Saipan, for providing over $50,000 in complimentary rooms & meals for the pros, media and return winners in addition to venue, staff and supplies.

This year, the Marianas Cup had 49 participants from the US mainland, Japan, Korea, Italy, Guam and Bali.

5th Place: Dave Rillera (Partner Saki Waka), Daisuke Matsumoto & Shigekazu Fujimatsu ($300)

4th Place: Chris Nelson & AVP Pro Jeff Carlucci ($600)

Men's 3rd place winners: Shinya Inoue & Shoji Wakiya ($1200 cash)

Mens' 2nd Place Winners: Phil Dalhausser & Tyce Mister ($2500 cash)

Phil brought out his Olympic Gold Medal for everyone to see.

The 2009 Winners are Paul Baxter & Hugo Dooner ($4000 cash, return rountrip airfare, complimentary accommodation & meals at PIC, free entry for 2010).

The Men's MVP went to Shoji Wakiya for his phenomenal block in the 3rd place

game against Phil & Tyce. He says that they'll win next year!

The biggest Marianas Cup ever!

The 17th Annual Marianas Cup Beach Volleyball Festival was an ultimate success. Not only did was PIC's main beach volleyball court jam-packed with enthusiastic spectators on Friday night, the FINALS drew another large crowd. And, the teams did NOT disappoint! The fans witnessed some incredibly thrilling games, with forceful spikes, amazing digs and eye-popping blocks!

Congratulations to ALL 104 participants of the 2009 Marianas Cup who helped make the event so spectacular! And of course, a big thank you goes to PIC Saipan for their generosity - over $50,000 in complimentary rooms & meals for pros, media and return winners in addition to the use of the venue, labor and supplies.

Pro Paul Baxter for his second consecutive title wins with former PIC Guam Clubmate,

Hugo Dooner, from California!

Paul & Hugo beat Phil Dalhausser & Tyce Mister in the Finals: 21-15.

Earlier in the day, Phil & Tyce played Shinya Inoue & Shoji Wakiya for third place. Shoji (in black shorts) "wowed" the crowd when he successfully blocked Phil and won the point. How many amateurs can say that? Shoj will likely include that on his resume.

Return winners Chie Iwana & Yoko Miki defended their 2008 Title to win the Women's Tournament. They received return airfare, compliments of Northwest Airlines, free hotel stay and meals by PIC Saipan and free entry by NMIVA. What a deal!

Federica Tonon and Daniela Gatteli moved up from the Loser's bracket to play Chie Iwana and Yoko Miki in the FINALS: 17-21. It was an exact re-match of the 2008 games.

Team USA Undefeated in Pro Exhibition

Friday night at PIC was home to the start of the 17th Annual Marianas Cup Beach Volleyball Festival with the highly anticipated Pro Exhibition. Team US defended their title and won all the matches against Japan and Korea.

Team USA: Phil Dalhausser & Paul Baxter, Jenn Snyder & Jenelle Koester
Team Japan: Shimpei Asao & Yasuo Nakaya, Shinako Tanaka, Hiromi Suzuki
Team Korea: Kyung Su Shin & Su Min Jin, Ji Youn Jung & Mi Hwa Shin

Jenelle Koester & Jenn Snyder defeated Team Japan and Team Korea in Friday night's Exhibition Match. Jenelle and Jenn love the Marianas Cup and this year marks their 2nd trip to the beautiful island of Saipan. In the pro raffle, Heather and Nicole won the chance to play with the American pros.

US Pros Visit Schools Today

Today, Phil Dalhausser, Paul Baxter and Jenn Snyder made their rounds to three local schools to share their wisdom on sports, training, commitment as well as answer any questions and sign autographs. Here, Jon Cramer, Marianas Cup Tournament Director, introduces the trio to the students at Saipan Community School.

Phil Dalhausser, Gold Olympian talks about his life-changing experiences at the
2008 Summer Beijing Olympics.

What an experience to meet professional athletes!

US Pros Arrive

US Gold Olympian Phil Dalhausser, fellow AVP pro Paul Baxter and Jennifer Snyder arrived yesterday for the 2009 Marianas Cup.

Today, they are visiting three schools, KSPN2 News and attending a special BBQ hosted for the Pros.

This afternoon, the Japanese pros arrive: Shimpei Aoki, Yasuo Nakaya, Hiromi Suzuki and Shinako Tanaka. Tomorrow, the Korean pros will join the fun: Ji Youn Jung, Mi Hwa Shin, Su Min Jun and Kyung Soo Shin.

On Thursday from 3-5pm at PIC's volleyball courts, all of the pros will be conducting a FREE Kids' Clinic.

On Friday morning, Jenelle Koester, the 4th AVP US pro will arrive just in time for the FREE Pro Exhibition Match that evening from 5-9pm.

Team entries are $60 per team with pro raffle tickets available for $10 per entry. The Pro Am tournament begins Saturday morning at 9am.

Finals will be played on Sunday evening at approximately 6pm.

For more information, please call Kanae Quinn at 235-6231, ext. 5130.

NMIVA thanks all the sponsors for contributing to this worthwhile, international event. Sponsors include: Aon Insurance, Aqua Resort Club, Burger & Comer, Chong’s Corporation, Delta Management Corporation, Glooay Mai Thai Spa, Gregg Elliott Artworks, Elite Printing, Hertz, Hyatt Regency Saipan, Island Apparel, IT&E, KSPN2, LISS, Marianas Eye Institute, Marianas Medical Center, Mariana Resort & Spa, Marianas Trekking, MVA, Microl Corporation, Miller Lite, Monster, No Ka Oi, NWA, PDI, Pacific Eagle Enterprises, Pepsi/Gatorade, PIC Guam, PIC Saipan, Rainbow Color, Saipan Grand Hotel, Seafix Inc., Shell Marianas, Star Sands Plaza, Stars & Stripes, Law Offices of Stephen J. Nutting, Tinian Dynasty Hotel & Casino, Topnotch, Traders Insurance, Triple J Wholesale, WDI Saipan (Tony Roma’s & Capricciosa’s).

Phil Dalhausser, US Gold Olympian ready for his 4th return to the Marianas Cup!

On August 21, 2008 at the Beijing Summer Olympics, the world witnessed the Men’s Finals of Beach Volleyball where Phil Dalhausser and partner Todd Rogers (Team USA) defeated Fabio Magahaes and Marcio Araujo (Team Brazil) in the third set of the deciding championship game in which the USA won 15-4. And with the gold medal, the US became the first country in Olympic beach volleyball history to sweep gold at the same Games.

Phil Dalhausser, age 29, standing at a lofty 6’9” received the nickname “the Beijing Beast” after capturing the gold last summer and earning the title of Men’s MVP. He and Rogers became the first US Men’s team to win a world title and they’ve won four of the seven international tournaments they’ve played in 2008. Dalhausser enjoyed a breakout year with Rogers in 2006, winning eight AVP Tour events and a FIVB event in Austria.

Dalhausser, the recent Olympian will come to the shores of Saipan next week to participate in the 17th Marianas Cup Beach Volleyball Festival scheduled for 6-8 March 2009. This year marks his fourth trip to the longest standing beach volleyball event in Micronesia. During his week-long visit, Dalhausser, along with the other pros, will visit schools, host the FREE Kids’ Volleyball Clinic at PIC on March 5th from 3-5pm and showcase his talents with Paul Baxter at the highly anticipated Exhibition Match against the Team Japan (Shimpei Aoki & Yasuo Nakaya) and Team Korea (

at the PIC Volleyball Courts will include a Kids’ Clinic run by the pros on 5 March from 3-5pm and the Kids’ Marianas Cup on Sunday, March 15th. The highly anticipated Exhibition Match among the US, Japan and Korean professionals is open to the public and will be held at PIC’s beach volleyball courts on Friday, 6 March 2009 starting at approximately 5pm.

The Northern Mariana Islands Volleyball Association (NMIVA) thanks all the sponsors for contributing to this worthwhile, international event. Sponsors include: Aon Insurance, Aqua Resort Club, Chong’s Corporation, Delta Management Corporation, Glooay Mai Thai Spa, Gregg Elliott Artworks, Hertz, Hyatt Regency Saipan, Island Apparel, IT&E, KSPN2, LISS, Marianas Eye Institute, Mariana Resort & Spa, Marianas Trekking, MVA, Microl Corporation, No Ka Oi, NWA, PDI, Pacific Eagle Enterprises, PIC Guam, PIC Saipan, PTC, Saipan Grand Hotel, Seafix Inc., Shell Marianas, Star Sands Plaza, Stars & Stripes, Law Offices of Stephen J. Nutting, Tinian Dynasty Hotel & Casino, Topnotch, Traders Insurance, Triple J Wholesale, WDI Saipan (Tony Roma’s & Capricciosa’s).

Facts about Marianas Cup 2009

Hafa Adai & Welcome!

…. to the 2009 Marianas Cup Beach Volleyball Festival, Micronesia’s longest running beach volleyball event! Hosted by the Pacific Islands Club Saipan since 1993, the event combines the talents of professional beach volleyball players and the enthusiasm of dedicated amateurs. In 2008, the event was officially sanctioned by FIVB, the sport’s official ruling body. In August 2008, FIVB’s Coach Tomas Santa Maria of Australia certified nine Saipan NMIVA members as FIVB Level I coaches.

Format:
Pro exhibition on Fri., 3/6/09 followed by pool play and double elimination on Sat., 3/7/09 and Sun., 3/8/09

Location:
Pacific Islands Club Saipan
# of Courts:
4 (2 men, 2 women)

Pro Raffle: Yes, you may win the chance to PLAY with a GOLD OLYMPIAN!
Each amateur team may purchase a raffle ticket for $10 each to obtain a chance to play with one of the pro teams from US, Japan and Korea. Each raffle winning amateur is teamed with a pro for the tournament. Professional players may not play together.

Entry Costs:
$60 per team; $10 for each raffle entry to earn chances to play w/pro

Entry includes:
Tournament T-shirt (autographed by Phil Dalhausser), Awards Banquet, Drink Tickets

Entry & Payment Deadline:
18:00 on Thur., 3/5/09

Entry Submission:
Jon Cramer:jpcramer@picguam.com or Kanae Quinn: dosm@picsaipan.com

Rules for Play:
FIVB Standard Two-person beach volleyball rules apply

Kids’ Clinic with Pros:
Phil Dalhausser & Paul Baxter along with Japanese and Korean pros to host a FREE Kids’ Beach Volleyball Clinic on Thursday, March 5th from 3-5pm at PIC.

Kids’ Marianas Cup on Saturday, March 14th:
Taking advantage of the excitement, PIC will host a Kids’ Marianas Cup the following weekend for kids ages 7-16 yrs with a maximum 16, four person teams.

Accommodation Discount at PIC for participants & fans:
Valid from 3-10 Mar 2009, PIC will offer a special discounted rate of $80 + 10% tax per room per night based on single / double occupancy. Triple rate is $105 + 10% tax per room per night.

Meal Discount:
Silver card (daily breakfast) = $12 adult / $6 child (2-11 yr) per day
Silver Select card (daily breakfast + lunch OR dinner) = $40 adult / $20 child (2-11yr)

For Reservations:
Contact PIC’s Reservations Office at (670)234-2042
Email:

reservations@picsaipan.com
Please mention Marianas Cup Beach Volleyball to obtain your discount.