Sports in Aruba

Winning a World Champion title in the Professional Windsurfing Association is no mean feat; winning two in the same year is truly exceptional. At just 20 years of age, Sarah-Quita Offringa from Aruba has achieved just that – she is the PWA Women’s Slalom World Champion and the PWA Women’s Freestyle World Champion.

Offringa has finished on the podium at every single PWA Tour event she has contested this year. At five of the seven regattas she stood on top of the podium and in the Freestyle competition proved unbeatable. Her dominance is outstanding and her ability to excel in two very different disciplines of windsurfing is impressive.

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Just recently the European Windsurf Championship came to a close with its final race in Frans. It is here that the 13 year old young Aruban Steven Max achieved the highest title in the “Freestyle” category.

This windsurf championship consisted of four phases requiring each surfer to compete in different European countries such as England, Holland, Belgium and France for the final competitive round. Young Steven Max represented Aruba and beautifully displayed his skill and passion for “Freestyle” Windsurfing, winning the highest title in the category under 15 years of age, and second place in the category under 17 years of age.

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It was a very proud moment for Holland and Aruba when the Dutch National Team made baseball history in Panama in mid-October by winning the World Cup of the International Baseball Federation (IBAF). It was the first time since 1938 that a European team had taken the title, wresting it from the powerhouse team of Cuba which had remained undefeated for the past 26 years.

Considered the top team in Europe and sixth in the world by the IBAF, the Netherlands Team boasts quite a few excellent players originating from Aruba and Curacao, where baseball is an exalted sport. Aruba has some excellent players in Little League, such as this year’s Caribbean Champions, Junior League-last year and this year’s Latin Regional Champions and Senior League which won the 2010 World Series and this year’s Latin Regional Championships.

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Arturo Werleman, Director of the SVGA, the Foundation for the Mentally Challenged, and President of the Aruba Special Olympics Committee was joined by Karel Williams in announcing the commencement of 4 days of competitions beginning this evening at the Piedra Plat Entertainment Center with the ritual torch run and lighting at 6:00 PM.

A gala opening ceremony is planned, and the Aruba Special Olympics Committee urges all the community to come and cheer on their athletes who returned from the World Summer Games in Athens, Greece, earlier this year with several gold, silver and bronze medals.

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In celebration of his 20 years of playing with the major leagues, Aruban Calvin Maduro and his iCare Foundation will be hosting A Homerun Derby of Celebrity Softball at Joe Laveist Sport Park in San Nicolas on Saturday, November 26, with proceeds from the events to be donated to local worthwhile causes. Minister of Public Health and Sport, Richard Visser, was present for the announcement to demonstrate his enthusiasm for the project. The location for ticket sales has yet to be announced.

One of the event’s esteemed sponsors, Holiday Inn, will provide lodging for the Major League baseball luminaries participating in the fundraising softball games. Major League players can only play baseball for their teams, so exhibition games will be softball. Players confirming they will be on Aruba to participate are: Andruw Jones, Hensley Meulens, Roger Bernadina, Bobby Abreu, Andres Gallaraga, Omar Infante, Vladimir Guerrero, Pablo Sandoval, and Miguel Cabrera.

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20 year-old Sarah-Quita Offringa, who has been making windsurfing world history since she first turned pro at the age of 12 has another resoun­ding achievement to add to her resume: She is the youngest of a field of 5 men and 4 women to be selected as nominees for the coveted and prestigious ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year Award 2011.

Sarah-Quita is the first Aruban to be considered for the International Sailing Federation award, considered the Oscar of sailing, and is competing against Dee Caffari (GBR) – Record Breaking Round the World Yachts­woman, Alexandra Rickham (GBR) – ISAF Sailing World Cup Champion and IFDS World Champion, and Anna Tunnicliffe (USA) – ISAF Sailing World Cup Champion. Only two awards are given for male and female Sailors of the Year.

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While in Las Vegas, Aaron and Rosie Wallisever, owners of 5 Burgers Aruba, happened to see Aruba’s Little League team squaring off against the China Taipei powerhouse players for their second game in the Little League World Series 2011, broadcast live on ESPN from Williamssport, Pennsylvania, in the sports bar of the Mirage hotel.

This was the first year that Aruba Little Leaguers had won the Caribbean title since 1976, and all islanders were excited to see their team in the world championships. Unfortunately, they were immediately set against two of the strongest international teams on the roster, Japan and Taipei. Eventually, Japan faced off against youngsters from Huntington Beach, California to narrowly lose the championship to the U.S. team.

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For Aruban windsurfing prodigy Sarah-Quita Offringa, each year on the PWA circuit is another opportunity to set new records and enhance her reputation. Not content to be the youngest Women’s PWA World Champion in Freestyle for three years running since the age of 17 which made her the youngest in PWA history, she decided to pursue the title in Slalom Racing, and after being ranked 3rd last year, accomplished her goal during the Pegasus Airlines PWA World Cup in Alacati, Turkey.

At the close of competition on Sunday, August 15, she sailed away with the title of PWA Women’s World Champion in Slalom, after having again secured the top spot in Freestyle during the Sotavento Fuerte­ventura World Cup taking place in Spain from July 20 to August 1.

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