“We came here in 2008, not knowing what to expect except the hot weather. It was a great experience and coming to Saipan gave us opportunities to excel in the sports we love and at the same time contribute to the community through coaching and organizing competitions,” said Kirk, who left Saipan with his wife in October last year. Here’s a list (not necessarily in order) of the feats they earned either as a couple or individual and their insights on each achievement.
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ROSELYN B. MONROYO
Game, set, and match ROSELYN B. MONROYO TAGA Sports Staff Writer
I
n three years, husband and wife Kirk and Carrie Schuler accomplished many things they never expected to be doing on the islands.
28 taga sports | JANUARY - MARCH 2012
REKINDLED THEIR LOVE FOR TENNIS AND SOCCER Kirk: I slowed down on competitive tennis for about a year after a torn ACL [anterior cruciate ligament]. A few months after our arrival on Saipan in September 2008, I became Ji Hoon Heo’s hitting partner and later I joined different tournaments from 2009 to 2010. Carrie: I was a club player for two years at Drake University, but then stopped playing after college. When we first came here, I started out with futsal and eventually played for MP United in women’s soccer. TAGA Sports: Kirk also played for Drake University in the NCAA Division I and gave Heo and coaches Jeff Race and Peter Loyola a run for their money. He also joined a couple of basketball leagues on Saipan, playing for CPA in the government caging and IT&E in the business league.
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BECAME MEMBERS OF THE CNMI NATIONAL TEAM Kirk: I was part of the CNMI National Team that played against Guam during the 4th Marianas Football Cup on Saipan in 2010. It was a great game, as we almost beat Guam and in the end forced a draw. Carrie: I played for the CNMI in the East Asian Football Federation Women’s Football Championship 2010 Semifinals Competition in Taiwan in August 2009 and was the captain during the 4th Annual Marianas Cup in 2010. I scored the CNMI women’s squad’s first ever goal in an international tournament during the EAFF event. It was one of my most memorable games with the national team, even though we lost to Guam, 1-5. TAGA Sports: Kirk and Carrie were only the second couple to suit up for the CNMI national football team at the same time. The first ones were Rebecca and Jason Schroeder. Kirk started playing in co-ed futsal league
before becoming one of the CNMI’s solid football defenders.
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JOINED CNMI U15 TEAM IN A HISTORIC TRIP TO TAIWAN Carrie: I was an official with the CNMI U15 Team that competed in the 2011 East Asian Football Federation U15 Youth Tournament. We made history, as we won our first game in an international tournament after beating Macau, 2-1. It was a great experience to see our young team celebrate after the victory. It was as if we won the championship in the tournament. TAGA Sports: In the CNMI’s first three appearances (2006, 2008, and 2010) in the EAFF youth tournament, the Commonwealth strikers went home winless and failed to score a single goal.
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COACHED MP UNITED BOYS U18 Kirk: It was tough coaching U18 teams as players in this age group can already make their own decisions during the game so your authority as a coach will be challenged often. With MP United, we have talented players so we just let them play their game and when we saw lapses, we didn’t overact and shout hard. Instead we called our players, huddled, and pointed out the mistake and corrected them. Carrie: We wish that MP United youth players will continue to improve their skills and someday they will represent the CNMI in international competitions too. TAGA Sports: With the Schulers coaching MP United boys U18, the club swept the spring and fall seasons of 2010 and won the 2011 spring championship.
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ORGANIZED TOURNAMENTS Kirk: I was the tournament director for the Tan Holdings Tennis Classic for two years. It was a pretty difficult task, as you have to do all the draws and spend long hours on the court for two weekends to check that everything is okay. However, at the end of the tournament, I felt happy after seeing a lot of youth players, both from Guam and Saipan, competing and accepting their trophies at the awards ceremony. TAGA Sports: Carrie assisted Kirk in organizing the Tan Holding’s Classic and when they left a month before the third edition of the annual netfest, former CNMI Team members Bobby Cruz and Lydia Tan took over the tournament director chores.