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Dutch Team arrives in Oklahoma City
SURREY / VANCOUVER, British Columbia (Canada) / AMSTERDAM (Neth.) / DENVER, Colorado / DETROIT, Michigan / OKLAHOMA CITY, Oklahoma (USA) - The Dutch National Softball Team traveled from Vancouver in Canada to Oklahoma City in the USA on Monday.
From Surrey, where the Canada Cup Tournament took place, the team went to Vancouver and from there, it flew to Denver in the American state of Colorado.
Because of thunderstorms, the plane had to circle around for awhile before landing.
Despite the fact that the connecting flight to Oklahoma City also came in with a delay, the team had less than 30 minutes to get from one plane to another.
Because of the delay by bad weather in Denver, the plane arrived almost 30 minutes later than scheduled in Oklahoma City on Monday-evening.
At Will Rogers World Airport, the internatinal airport of Oklahoma City, the team was welcomed by Robert Pittman and his daughter (the Pittman's are the host family for the Dutch during this event) and representatives of the organization of the World Cup of Softball.
Also welcoming the team at the airport was Media Officer Marco Stoovelaar, who arrived in Oklahoma City 4 1/2 hours earlier (flying from Amsterdam via Detroit) in the afternoon together with Dutch umpire Rob Veldkamp, who will officiate during the event.
From the airport, it was a short ride to the Marriott Hotel, where the team will stay, as will Australia, Italy and Japan.
At the hotel, the checking in went smoothly and then it was off to a nearby (Mexican) restaurant for our first meal in Oklahoma City.
In the restaurant, we also were able to watch some of the Homerun Derby, which preceedes the annual Major League All Star Game.
To be followed by our first night in an Oklahoman bed.
For Team Manager Paul Boonstra and Media Officer Marco Stoovelaar that first night came after chancing into their third different room, due to some moving around in the room assignments.
Oh, by the way, today was some 107 degrees Fahrenheit, or 41 degrees (!) Celsius.
Yes, it was hot, very hot. But according to the weather predictions, it will get some cooler the next days, as it will be 'only' 36-37 degrees (!) Celsius then.
It will be a hot week!
Schedule World Cup of Softball
| Who is Will Rogers? |
A frequently mentioned name in the state of Oklahoma is that of Will Rogers.
For instance, the airport is named Will Rogers World Airport.
William Penn Adair (Will) Rogers (1879-1935) was a Cherokee-American cowboy, comedian, social commentator, vaudeville performer (having a famous pony with lasso act and also appearing in the famous Ziegfeld Follies in New York), radio personality and actor (playing alongside actors like Boris Karloff, Myrna Loy, Hattie McDaniel, Ray Milland, Maureen O'Sullivan and Mickey Rooney).
Will Rogers is known as Oklahoma's favorite son and was born as the youngest of eight children to a prominent Indian Territory family near Oologah (Oklahoma).
Will Rogers traveled around the world three times, made 71 movies (including 50 in the silent era), wrote more than 4000 newspaper columns and became worldfamous person, who was adored by the American people.
The state of Oklahoma has named many places and buildings after Will Rogers, including 13 public schools.
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| Where are we? |
The World Cup of Softball is being held in Oklahoma City, the capital and largest city of the state of Oklahoma.
With a population of almost 538.000 (more than 1.200.000 in the metropolitan area), the city ranks 31st in the USA in population.
Oklahoma City is the seventh largest city in the USA by land area.
Oil is a major product, as the city is situated in the middle of an oil field.
The city was founded during the Land Run on April 22, 1889.
Oklahoma City lies in a temperate, sub-humid climate with frequent variantions in weather daily and has consistenly hot and humid summer months.
Summers can be extremely hot from July through September with temperatures rising to nearly 43 degrees Celsius (110 degrees Fahrenheit), but with an average of 28 degrees C (82 F) in the month of July.
Oklahoma City has a severe weather season from March through August with tornadoes occuring in every month of the year.
Amongst notable people who were born, raised or lived in Oklahoma City are Major League Baseball-players Johnny Bench, Bobby Murcer and Mickey Mantle, movie director Ron Howard, actors Brad Pitt and James Garner, country & western singers Garth Brooks and Vince Gill, six Miss America's and six astronauts.
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Our hotel in Oklahoma City, the Marriott Hotel
A view of the hotel area and its swimming pool
The lobby of the Marriott Hotel
A statue of Will Rogers in front of the airport of Oklahoma city
The airport is named after the wellknown actor
An hour before the Dutch Team touched down, Australia arrived in Oklahoma City
And then the Dutch Team came in from Denver
Getting all the luggage and equipment...
...into the bus
More luggage has to be stowed into the bus
And then it's on to the hotel
Our host family, the Pittman's, had a nice present for everyone of us at the hotel
Of course, all the luggage and equipment also had to be unloaded again at the hotel
...and brought into the rooms
Waiting in the lobby for the keys to the rooms
Head Coach Craig Montvidas and Team Manager Paul Boonstra are checking the team in
Ready to go to the room after a travel day from Canada to Denver to oklahoma City
A moment to relax before getting the key to the room
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