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Dutch Softball Team attends National Sports Gala
 Nederlandse tekst
AMSTERDAM (Neth.) - Tonight, Tuesday, December 15, the players of the Dutch National Softball Team attended the annual Sports Gala, organized by the NOS and NOC*NSF.
During the event, awards were handed out to the yearly Male and Female Athlete of the Year, as well as the Team of the Year.
The event was held again at the RAI Congress Center in Dutch capital Amsterdam.
Despite winning the first European title in 19 years with an almost entirely new (and young) team and having a successful season with good outings during the Holland Tour, Canada Cup and World Cup of Softball, the Dutch National Women Softball Team (which was nominated by the Dutch Federation) unfortunately was not nominated for the national title Sports Team of the Year.
Nominated for this annual award were the National Women Volleyball Team (who win the silver medal on the European Championships), National Dressage Team (European champion teams) and the National Women Swimming Relay Team (World champion 4x100 meters).
The award went to the swimming team.
Other winners were Epke Zonderland (Gymnastics (winner World Cup; 2nd place World Championship), Male Athlete of the Year), Marianne Vos (Cycling (World/European champion cyclocross; Silver on the road), Female Athlete of the Year), Monique van der Vorst (Cycling/Triatlon (Silver World Championship on the road), Handicapped Athlete of the Year) and Louis van Gaal (Soccer (Dutch title AZ), Coach of the Year).
Also nominated were Edward Gal (Dressage) and Sven Kramer (Speed skating) for Male Athlete of the Year, Renate Groenewold (Speed skating) and Marhinde Verkerk (Judo) for Female Athlete of the Year, Thierry Schmitter (Sailing) and Esther Vergeer (Tennis) for Handicapped Athelete of the Year and Vera Pauw (Women soccer team) and Avital Selinger (Women volleyball team) for Coach of the Year.
Except for the Coach of the Year, all voting was done by athletes who were in attendance, resulting in the winners of the Jaap Eden Award.
Dutch sportsjournalists and newspapers editors had nominated the athletes and coaches for the different awards.
The awards were handed out during a live broadcast of the event, which was hosted again by Dione de Graaff and Mart Smeets, anchors of NOS Studio Sport.
 
On the photo at left, Solange Starrenburg pictured with teammate Meike Witteveen
and right with former National Team-players Dana Horeman and Nina van Huissteden
The latter is a member of the Atletes Commission of the NOC
Solange Starrenburg, Virginie Anneveld and Meike Witteveen
Karin Tuk, Britt Vonk and Solange Starrenburg
Nadine Marinus, Kim Donkers, Solange Starrenburg,
Judith Diepeveen and Anne Vlietstra
Merel Oosterveld and Nathalie Gosewehr
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