Guam Masters Baseball Club are hoping to relive some past glories at this year’s event. Photo: Angela Bacic
Wednesday 9 November 2016
By Angela Bacic
Jupiters Pan Pacific Masters Games (JPPMG) originals, the Guam Masters Baseball Club, are hoping to relive some past glories at this year’s event.
The Guam club has competed in every JPPMG since the games started in 1998. They started with gold medals in the 35+ and 40+ divisions and have had success winning gold in 2004, again in the 35+ and 40+ divisions, but their last medal was a silver four years ago in 2012.
The team comes from all over the island nation of Guam, in Micronesia, and club president David Quitugua (59) and vice president Jesse Sablan (53) said while medals were a focus, there were many more reasons why the team made the trip every two years.
“Our ultimate goal, of course, is to get the gold, but we just want a medal,” David said.
“Of course everyone who plays wants medals, but ultimately (we want to) have fun and enjoy ourselves here,” Jesse said.
But it has been a costly exercise for the club to make the trip to the Gold Coast for the event, as it has cost each player about $3100.
The Guam contingent had plenty of praise for masters games’ convenor and Surfers Paradise club president Tony McPhail, and his wife Lee, for their assistance in getting the team to the event every two years.
“Tony and Lee McPhail are the greatest hosts,” Jesse said.
Baseball has been held at Surfers Paradise Baseball Club since the Jupiters Pan Pacific Masters Games started and this year 40 teams from across Australia and from overseas are competing for a podium finish.
Despite the obstacles involved, the Guam Masters have encouraged other international masters teams to come out to the JPPMG.
– David Quitugua
After each match, they gift each player in the opposing team, including the wives, a memento of the match.
Guam has won two of their opening four games in the men’s 50+ division with two games still to go before the competition concludes on Saturday 12 November.
The 10th biennial Jupiters Pan Pacific Masters Games is being held 5 – 13 November 2016 on the Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia.
The event showcases competition in 43 sports and is hosting 13,000 participants from Queensland, interstate and overseas.
