Shaina Malonzo was sitting with her family as Typhoon Sinlaku stalled over Saipan.
Then came a sound she will never forget.
“We heard the roof tearing apart,” she said. “And it just flew away.”
For the next several hours, the Northern Marianas national badminton player and high schooler huddled with her family beneath the only section of the house still covered.
When they emerged, the storm had passed. In its wake, a long road to recovery.
The aftermath of Typhoon Sinlaku at Shaina Malonzo’s home in Saipan. The storm disrupted daily life across the Northern Mariana Islands and damaged homes, infrastructure and sporting facilities. Photo: Supplied.
Across Saipan, many residents were experiencing a painful sense of déjà vu.
For those who had already lived through Typhoon Yutu in 2018, the destruction felt painfully familiar.
A 17-year-old local line judge, who asked not to be identified, was among them.
“The first time I stepped outside and saw the trees, and everything broken down, it really saddened me,” he said.
“It had taken us so long to rebuild after Typhoon Yutu, and knowing we would have to start over again was difficult.”
In the weeks after Sinlaku, badminton was no longer the priority.
Like many families across Saipan, Shaina’s family was focused on more immediate concerns. Power remained unreliable, water was scarce and daily life revolved around cleaning up, repairing damage and helping relatives recover.
The gym that normally buzzed with rallies, squeaking shoes and shouted encouragement fell quiet. Tournaments disappeared from the calendar. Training sessions became impossible. For many young players, weeks passed without stepping on court.
Even months later, signs of the storm remained. Water damage and mould had rendered two of the badminton courts unusable. On the remaining court, players trained without proper lighting, relying on daylight filtering through damaged windows. In many ways, the facility reflected the wider recovery taking place across the island, functional, but far from fully restored.
For two months, Shaina barely touched a racket.
The first time she regularly picked one up again was not for her own training.
“The only chance I got to hit the shuttle again was helping the kids,” she said.
Through the Youth Advisory Group programme, Shaina helped run activities for younger players eager to return to the sport. In a community still recovering from the storm, for a few hours each week, the focus shifted from damaged homes and repairs to rallies and games.
Three months after Sinlaku, the Northern Mariana Islands prepared to welcome the international badminton community back to Saipan.
Yet, the return of the tournaments was never the sole focus. As the Northern Marianas Badminton Association worked alongside local and federal agencies to support affected families, volunteers and officials also prepared venues for the arrival of players and officials from around the world.
For Shaina, the return of international competition has provided more than just an opportunity to compete. After months of disrupted training, the tournament has allowed her to reconnect with the wider badminton community, meet players from other countries and learn from athletes with greater resources and experience.
“It’s really nice. I’m kind of happy because having these tournaments back means I can have fun again and meet more people,” she said. “I use these events as a chance to learn what I can fix and how to get better.”
For the 17-year-old line judge, the return of international badminton represented something the local community does not get to experience often.
“Having an international event in Saipan is already quite rare,” he said. “It’s really cool to meet new people and see the different backgrounds and cultures. The fact that we’re all from different places but often have similar stories is really interesting to me.”
“The fact that we’re still able to hold this tournament just really makes me happy,” the line judge said. “No matter what challenges we face, we’re still able to host events and reconnect with people from around the world.”
The training courts are still not fully restored. But for three weeks in Saipan, the Gilbert C. Ada Gymnasium was once again filled with sounds that had been absent for months: shuttles flying, volunteers at work and players from across Oceania and beyond gathering together.
In April, Shaina Malonzo had huddled with her family beneath the only section of roof left intact as Typhoon Sinlaku tore through Saipan.
Three months later, she was back on court at the YONEX Northern Marianas Open and CROWNE PLAZA Saipan International.
Many of those around her had spent the previous months repairing homes, clearing debris, supporting neighbours or helping prepare the tournaments’ return.
Mere months after many families sheltered through one of the most destructive storms in recent memory, Saipan was once again welcoming the world.
And for the community that worked tirelessly to make it happen, that was a victory of its own.
