Later this summer some of the top young rugby sevens players from around the Pacific Rim will come to American Samoa for the 2010 Youth Summer U-18 Rugby International 7’s Tournament. The tournament is scheduled for July 13-14 and it is for 15 to 18 year olds that are interested in competing in the game in high school and beyond.  It is being held in conjunction with The Department of Parks and Recreation and the Ta’ita’itama Underage Drinking Prevention initiative, and the Marist Saint Joseph’s Old Boys of American Samoa. Teams from Tonga, Samoa, and Hawaii are expected to attend as...
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The London Wasps are traditionally one of the top professional clubs in English rugby. Founded in 1867, they have won at least one of each of the major European competitions or knock-out tournaments in the past decade. Most recently they took home the Heineken Cup in 2007 and the Guiness Premiership title in 2008. Although they recently lost a series of key players in James Haskell and tom palmer, they are very pleased with the play of Samoan Sakaria Taulafo. The club is so pleased with Taufalo’s play that they recently offered him a three year contract as a reward for his excellent...
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The tradition of elite boxing dates back more than a century as the noble sport’s roots ate back to the late 1800’s. Champions have come from all corners of the world. Some have become mythic figures, while other are tragic tales of excess. On Friday a group of young fighters will take a major step towards greater glory as a pair of boxing tournaments for the Prime Minister’s Cup and the Goodwill Cup will take place on Samoa. The event is attracting young, hungry fighters from American Samoa and Samoa and will be a prelude towards a possible berth in the 2012 London Olympics. First, the...
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Teams from around the South Pacific recently came to the 11th Steinlager I’a Lapo’a International Fishing Tournament held in Samoan waters. The championship of the event will stay right here, however, as the Lady Saele, a boat right out of Samoa, took home top honors in the tournament. Captain of the boats Muliaga David Petersen had a very successful tournament by accumulating 604.8 points. That total was reached despite the first two days being cancelled because of inclement weather. The rough seas brought about by the poor weather meant that anglers could only get out on Friday,...
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Even the eyes of Samoa, a relative minnow in the world of international soccer, are starting to turn to South Africa with the start of the World Cup little more than two weeks away. It helps that a pair of South Pacific teams are in the World Cup Finals. It is the first time that both Australia and New Zealand have made the Finals in the same year thanks to a new qualification group for the Aussies. Instead of fighting New Zealand for the lone chance to qualify from Oceana the Socceroos moved to the Asian Football Confederation. The move was done to guarantee a qualification spot, as the...
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He is known mostly for his hair. In the United States Troy Polamalu has recently done a series of commercials for the shampoo Head and Shoulders, focusing on his flowing Polynesian mane that has become his signature on the field. That mane has become a lasting image of the Pittsburgh Steelers as Polamalu has led the fame NFL squad to a pair of Super Bowl victories in the last five seasons. He is more than hair though. He is also an excellent football player that wants to give back to his Samoan roots by helping others to follow in his footsteps. His extremely successful seven year NFL career...
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There are plenty of reasons to enjoy the weather and culture of American Samoa. The warm trade winds and South Pacific waters are more than enough to attract many foreign visitors. Over the next week, however, twelve boats from Australia, New Zealand, and Samoa have an additional reason to enjoy the clear South Pacific waters around American Samoa. The 11th annual Steinlager International I’a Lapo’a Fishing Tournament will be going on through Saturday featuring these twelve out of town boats as well as eight more local boats. The event begins on Wednesday, May 19th with a 7:05 am shotgun...
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When people think of Samoan athletes they often picture hulking offensive linemen. Rugby also comes to mind because of the physical nature of the game and the stature that many Samoan men carry. Dana Hills high school athlete Peter Tago bucks this trend, however. Tago is a standout pitcher and one of the top high school baseball prospects in the country from his Southern California high school. He is ranked as the 29th best high school prospect according to Rivals.com, and he is a possible first round pick in the Major League Baseball draft in June. Tago was originally born in Harbor City,...
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CLICK ON IMAGE TO THE RIGHT FOR ENHANCED VERSION Florence Tuto’atasi Wasko didn’t start out planning to be a physical therapist. She didn’t start out planning to study medicine at all. Her passion was tennis (with soccer a close second) and as she grew up on the island of Tutuila, under the watchful eye of “wonderful coaches” and supportive parents, she became skilled in the sport. A native of Nu’uuli, and a 2002 graduate of Fa’asao High School, Florence was visiting her parents, John and Lua’ao Wasko for the Christmas holidays when Samoa News caught up with...
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CLICK ON IMAGE TO THE RIGHT FOR ENHANCED VERSION Utah Valley University girls Volleyball team, headed by Polynesian Sam Atoa, boats of 3 solid young volleyball players that Polynesians can be proud of.  Faith Tusiaseina, Chelsea Fa’alogo, & Jaicee Kuresa, are all on this year’s squad.  Below are their bio’s with some snippets of each athlete.  We wish them a spectacular season and appreciate their charitable efforts as well (they have publicly declared a relief effort to help Samoa with aid).  Keep up the great work! FAITH TUSIASEINA Sophomore (2009): Saw action...
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