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In 2011, Marco Stoovelaar (who celebrates his birthday on October 21) again serves as the team's Media Officer and Statistician as well as being the Webmaster of the official site of the Dutch National Teams.
After the Dutch Softball Team captures the European title in Valencia (Spain) in 2009, Marco's moustache is removed, as the team held him to a promise he had made some weeks earlier.
In 2008, he makes his comeback with the national squad after serving as the dug-out scorer for the team in 1991-1993 under then-Head Coach George Presburg.
In September of 2007, Marco is named the Media Officer of the National Squad.
In October of 2009, Marco takes the same position for the Dutch National Junior Teams.
From 1994-1996, together with Monne Reitsma, Marco is one of the co-editors of Baseball & Softball News, the official magazine of the Dutch Federation (KNBSB).
In 1997 and 1998, Monne, Marco and Barbara Peeters form the editorial staff of the same magazine.
From 1992-2002, Marco is the senior columnist, covering Western Europe, for International Baseball Rundown, during the entire run of this global magazine.
In his journalistic career, Marco covers baseball, softball and ice hockey for De Courant Nieuws van de Dag and De Telegraaf newspapers since 1989.
Throughout the years, he also writes about baseball and softball for the magazines Inside, Double Play, Swing, PlayOff, American Sports, Baseball & Softball News, Baseball & Softball Magazine and Inside Revisited, most of which also serve as official magazine of the Dutch Federation.
He also writes several baseball/softball-articles for Haarlems Dagblad-newspaper and the ANP Press Agency.
Besides this all, he provides commentators of NOS Studio Sport with background information since 1986 during the (live) TV-broadcasts, which include the World Championships (1986, 2005 and 2009), European Championships (1995 and 2003), Haarlem Baseball Weeks (all since 1988) and World Port Tournaments (all since 1987).
He also covered all Major League World Series since 1977.
Since November 1997, Marco also is the webmaster of website Grand Slam * Stats & News, which covers (international) baseball and softball in both Dutch and English with recaps, stories and statistics.
In April of 2009, Marco becomes the Editor-in-Chief of Internet-baseball/softball-magazine Playball Journal, working together with former national team player Dana Horeman, who is one of the editors and reporters for this magazine, as originally also was her sister Lyanne, who also has been a member of the National Team in the past.
Throughout the years, Marco is involved in more than 100 international baseball and softball events and travels around with the Dutch National Baseball, Softball Women and Softball Men Teams.
Included therein are the Olympic Games in Atlanta in 1996 (in attendance), in Sydney in 2000, in Athens in 2004 (both working with the NOS-commentators in the TV-studio in Hilversum) and in Beijing in 2008 and all baseball World Cups since 1982.
For most of these events, Marco is on the location himself, which brings him to tournaments or events in Austria, Belgium, Canada, China, Cuba, Curaçao, Czech Republic, England, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Korea, Mexico, New Zealand, the Philippines, San Marino, Spain, Sweden, Taiwan, Turkey, USA, Venezuela and of course the Netherlands.
Marco's brother Ronald played and coached in the Dutch Major League for Amsterdam Pirates and participated with the Dutch National Baseball Team in the Olympic Games of 1988 in Seoul (Korea).
Marco's father Coen has been a baseball umpire and officiated games in the Dutch big league.
Marco interviewed numerous people involved in (international) baseball and softball, including
ISF-President Don Porter, IBAF-Presidents Robert Smith and Aldo Notari,
National Team Coaches Jim Stoeckel, Harvey Shapiro, Pat Murphy, Tom Petroff, Jan Dick Leurs, Robert Eenhoorn, Rod Delmonico, Brian Farley (all Dutch Baseball Team),
Nol Houtkamp, Don Wedman, George Presburg, Ruud Elfers, Craig Montvidas, Rob Walgien, Gonny Farley, Liz Kelly (all Dutch Women Softball Team) and
Willem Tuijn (Dutch Men Softball Team),
Silvano Ambrosioni, Giampiero Faraone, Marco Mazzieri (all Italy), Ernie Whitt, Terry Puhl (both Canada), Antonio Pacheco (Cuba), Davey Johnson (USA), numerous club coaches,
Dutch and international executives, umpires and (former National Team) players (including Hamilton Richardson, Hudson John, Herman Beidschat, Han Urbanus, Jan Smidt, Henk Keulemans, Ludy van Mourik, Els Spee en Ineke Mulder),
Major League-greats Bob Feller, Minnie Minoso, Roger Craig, umpire Doug Harvey, Lou Piniella, Bobby Valentine, Tom Lasorda (pictured right), Don Zimmer, Jim Lefebvre and Bruce Hurst,
Major League-players Andruw Jones, Randall Simon, Denis Martinez, Dustin Pedroia, Curtis Granderson, Brady Anderson and Jeremy Guthrie,
Dutch Major Leaguers Win Remmerswaal, Rikkert Faneyte, Robert Eenhoorn, Ralph Milliard and Rick van den Hurk,
Japanese legendary homerun-king Sadaharu Oh,
Team USA softball-player Jessica Mendoza,
but also
Dutch IOC-member Anton Geesink, former NOC*NSF chairman Erica Terpstra (pictured top left),
Dutch soccer legend Johan Cruijff,
American astronaut Mike Mullane,
British TV-actor Frank Thornton (Captain Peacock in 'Are You Being Served?') (pictured bottom left),
American TV-actor Brent Jasmer (Sly Donovan in 'The Bold and the Beautiful'),
Haarlem (Netherlands) Mayor Jaap Pop,
Dutch actor/gameshow-host Joost Prinsen and
Dutch political commentator Frits Wester.
Marco also made video-films, including coverage of the Dutch Baseball Team during the 1982 World Championships in Seoul (Korea), the Intercontinental Cup Baseball in Antwerp (Belgium) in 1983, the Dutch National Softball Team during the Winfield Cup in New Zealand in 1994, the Haarlem Baseball Week and three season-highlight-films of the baseball-team of Amsterdam Pirates from their road from the Second Division to the Dutch big league.
In 1986-1988, he also is the videocamera-operator during the successful baseball and softball youth camps of Pro-Motion, which are run by current National Team Head Coach Craig Montvidas.
In the eighties, Marco (pictured at right with ESPN's Erin Andrews) studies journalism and applies for the Dutch Film and TV Academy in Amsterdam.
He later does all technical aspects (camera, sound, editing, lighting, directing) for a theater talkshow, which is hosted by his uncle, presenter/actor René Plemp.
In the show, wellknown Dutch celebrities as Jos Brink, Frans van Dusschoten, Martine Bijl, Barrie Stevens, Hans Boskamp and Thérèse Steinmetz are being interviewed.
Besides softball and baseball, Marco's other interests include Film & TV (collecting movies), spaceflight and history.
Marco's favorite actors are Laurel & Hardy, Robin Williams, Jack Nicholson, Anthony Hopkins, Morgan Freeman, Rowan Atkinson and Johnny Depp.
His favorite actresses are Sandra Bullock, Meg Ryan, Keira Knightley, Hillary Swank, Judi Dench and Helen Mirren.
One of Marco's most memorable moments was a meeting with Pope John Paul II in 1991.
2011 --- In June, Marco participates with the Dutch National Team as Media Officer and Statistician in the Torneo 150 Anni Unitá d'Italia in Bollate (Italy) and therefore is a member of the team's staff when it plays the 100th game in history against Italy on June 2 ---
On August 6, Marco is a member of the staff as Media Officer and Statistician when the Dutch Team again captures the title during the European Championship in Italy.
2010 --- Due to working commitments, Marco is unable to travel with the Dutch National Softball Team to the World Championship in Venezuela ---
Later in the year, Marco is with the Dutch Junior Softball Team during the European Junior Championship in Vienna (Austria).
2009 --- On April 8, Marco and Team Manager Paul Boonstra accompany Head Coach Craig Montvidas and players Saskia Kosterink and Rebecca Soumeru to a a softball lecture at the Japanese School of Amsterdam ---
On August 1, during the European Championships in Valencia (Spain), Marco is a member of the staff when the Dutch Team captures the first European title in 19 years ---
Two weeks later, Marco again travels with Terrasvogels to be the team's dug-out scorer and media officer during the Cup Winners Cup Tournament in Parma (Italy) ---
On September 2, Marco and Head Coach Craig Montvidas accompany players Anne Blaauwgeers, Petra van Heijst, Saskia Kosterink and Rebecca Soumeru to Papendal to participate in the final of a fundraising for Right To Play.
2008 --- As the Media Officer and Statistician in the staff of the Dutch National Softball Team, Marco travels with the team twice to the American continent for a monthlong preparation for the Olympic Games ---
In the first American Trip, the team goes to California and Hawaii, in the second American Tour, the team plays professional teams from the National Pro Fastpitch (NPF) in Pennsylvania, Illinois and Ohio ---
Hereafter, three games are played during the Holland Tour, followed by the naming of the Olympic roster on July 14 ---
The Japan Tour, including participation in the Tri-Nation Tournament, follows shortly hereafter ---
From Japan, it's on to Beijing for the Olympic Games. In Beijing, he also covers the softball-tournament for De Telegraaf-newspaper ---
In September, Marco travels with reigning Dutch softball-champion Terrasvogels to Prague (Czech Republic) to be their dug-out scorer during the European Cup-tournament.
2007 --- In September, Marco is added to the staff of the Dutch National Softball Team as its Press Officer.
2005 --- Marco is decorated with the Award of Merit by the Royal Dutch Baseball and Softball Association.
1997 --- In November of this year, Marco launches his website Grand Slam * Stats & News, which covers (international) baseball and softball in both Dutch and English with recaps, stories and statistics.
1996 --- Marco is awarded the 'Slugger', the highest recognition by the Dutch Federation for promotional contributions and activities.
1996 - 2001 --- In these years, Marco is a member of the Organizing Committee of the Haarlem Baseball Week, handling press affairs. In 1999, he is the press officer of the Haarlem Softball Week.
1992 --- Early this year, Marco is the dug-out scorer of the Dutch National Men Softball Team and travels with it to the World Championships in the Philippines.
1991 --- Marco is the color commentator during the World Series between the Atlanta Braves and Minnesota Twins for Screensport Television, sharing the commentator seat with Rick Bolt ---
Earlier in the year, he becomes the official librarian and historian of the Royal Dutch Baseball and Softball Association (KNBSB).
1991 - 1993 --- Marco is the dug-out scorer of the Dutch National Softball Team under then-Head Coach George Presburg ---
In 1991, the Dutch team wins the international Haarlem Softball Week, the only time it did.
1988 --- Marco becomes a member of the Scoring Committee of the KNBSB ---
Since this year, he also is one of the editors of the daily magazines that are provided to the spectators during the Haarlem Baseball Week and the Haarlem Softball Week (since 1987). In 2007, he makes his debut as one of the editors during the World Port Tournament.
1981 --- Marco sets a world record by scoring the entire 52 hour, 12 minute, 218 inning game played by the baseball team of Amsterdam Pirates against six different teams during the Official World Endurance Record for longest baseball-game ever.
1978 - 1995 --- Marco is the dug-out scorer for the baseball team of Amsterdam Pirates, being active with the team in more than 500 games on the big league-level.
1977 --- Marco makes his debut as an Official Scorer in the Dutch Softball Major League and sets a record, as he becomes the youngest Official Scorer in history, a record which still stands ---
Together with Feiko Drost and Ben Goorts, Marco holds the record for most years being active as an Official Scorer, as they will be in their 34th season in 2010 ---
Also this year, he becomes the co-editor with Kees van Vegten of the weekly-magazine of Amsterdam Pirates.
The two provide the members of the club every week with a new magazine for 17 years, after which Marco has to step down in 1993 due to increasing working commitments ---
In 1977, Marco also writes his first journalistic article, covering the World Series for Inside, which back then is the official magazine of the Dutch Federation.
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