Dutch Women Softball Team

2008

USA Tour II - Day 16

ALLENTOWN / PHILADELPHIA (Pennsylvania, USA) / CHICAGO / SOUTH BELOIT (Illinois, USA) - On Monday, the Dutch National Softball Team traveled from Pennsylvania to Illinois for the third week of this monthlong tour through the USA. Next week, the team will to yet another state.

At 7:30 AM, the team assembled in the lobby of our hotel in Allentown, then boarded the bus and went en route to Philadelphia International Airport, where we had breakfast. Our flight to Chicago was delayed, due to the late arrival of the plane out of Chicago, because of bad weather. Originally, we should have departed at 11:40 AM, which was then pushed back to 12:25 PM, but eventually, we left took off at 12:45 PM, so more than an hour later than scheduled. Before departing, it was announced that there was a possibility of thunderstorms and turbulence in the Chicago-area. During the flight, you webmaster listened to the conversations between Air Traffic Control and the planes in the area and about 45 minutes in the flight, it was reported by one of the air traffic controllers to the cockpit of our plane that there were severe storms in Indiana, Illinois and Missouri. While there were some dark (rain)clouds hanging above downtown Chicago (which is in Illinois), we experienced no storms and no turbulence and Captain A.J. Shields guided his Boeing 737-300 safely to O'Hare International Airport after a flight of one hour and 40 minutes. By the way, a few days ago, out-of-season tornadoes hit some neighbouring states hard, resulting in heavy rains and flooding. When we arrived in Chicago, it was 72 degrees Fahrenheit (low 20s in Celsius), so almost 30 degrees lower than the day before when we went to Philadelphia.

While waiting for our luggage at O'Hare, we were able to see a part of the soccergame of the Netherlands against reigning world champion Italy during the European Championships, which were opened last weekend. So, it was possible to see the Dutch taking a 2-0 lead. Later, during the busride to our hotel, we learned that the Dutch had won 3-0. We left Chicago (where it rained a little when we left) at 2:35 PM for the busride to South Beloit, where our hotel is located. On our way to this city, we passed Rockford, where the Dutch Team will play four games against the Rockford Thunder, starting on Wednesday-evening. At the Chicago/Rockford Airport, Head Coach Liz Kelly, Assistant Coaches Mary-Ann Hatt, Rob Walgien, Business Manager Caroline Theunissen and Physical Therapist Rob Oskam left the bus to pick up the vans we will use the coming days, while Coach Linda Wells and Media Officer Marco Stoovelaar remained with the team on the way to our hotel in South Beloit, which is located on the border of the states Illinois and Wisconsin. We arrived at 4:05 PM at our hotel, then all luggage was unloaded. The players brought everything into the lobby, then to the rooms, before going to dinner at the local Italian restaurant. A short while later, the staff joined the team after the vans with their drivers also had arrived at the hotel.

Did Noémi Boekel and Dana Horeman celebrate their birthday on the first American trip, today Kim Kluijskens was having hers. Happy birthday!

Early Monday-morning, the team drove through the streets of Allentown

A busride of about one-and-a-half-hour brought us to Philadelhia Airport

Breakfast at Philadelphia Airport

The United-plane takes off from Philadelphia Airport en route to Chicagp

On our approach to O'Hare International Airport in Chicago, rainclouds covered the 'windy city'

After arriving in Chicago, it was back on the bus to South Beloit

Physical Therapist Rob Oskam assists with putting the bags on the bus

Then it was unloading again and putting everything in the lobby of our hotel in South Beloit

Go back to the schedule of the 2nd USA Tour