Sports in Aruba

Elio Heronimo President and members of the organizing committee for the Latin American Senior Baseball League Championships announced that Aruba, host for this major sports event, expects to welcome delegations from eleven member nations.

Delegations from Bonaire, Curaçao, St. Maarten, Venezuela, Colombia, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Guatemala, Panama, Domincan Republic and the U.S. Virgin Islands will begin arriving on July 15. They will face off against two home teams from Aruba, the defending Latin American Champions from last year.

Players are between the ages of 14 to 16 and the games will begin on Aruba on July 17 until the 25th. Winners will be eligible to compete in the Senior League World Series taking place in Bangor, Maine, in August.

Three ball parks around the island will be venues for the competitions. The inaugural game will be at the Winston Ballpark in Macuarima, the other two stadiums include Joe Laveist in San Nicolas and Dragon Hitters in Barcadera.

Committee members mentioned how proud they are of the accomplishments of the Aruba team, which came in second in the World Series 2009, and how important it is for islanders to support their teams during the Latin American Championships.

Tickets for the games are only 5 Arubian florins for adults, and 2 florins for children ($2.85 and $1.20, respectively) and hope to see local residents filling the bleachers to cheer on their players.

Story courtesy of The Morning News

In the first stop of the PWA Canaries Tours, two-time freestyle world champion, Aruba’s own Sarah-Quita Offringa (Starboard, Vandal) claimed her place in the winner’s final after out styling Swiss freestyle flavour, Laure Treboux (Fanatic, North). Sarah-Quita had a double celebration as the 4th of July was also her birthday.

In the final, Sarah-Quita faced Venezuelan Yoli Freites De Brendt (Fanatic, North), a formidable competitor. The heat was close throughout, but the world champion pulled out all of the stops in the second half, with a switch chachoo, one-handed spock 540, and a flaka diablo.

It was an intense week of world-class competition for the forty-four professional sailors that congregated in Costa Teguise to battle it out at the Lanzarote World Cup.

RESULTS:

Women
1st Sarah-Quita Offringa (Starboard, Vandal)
2nd Yolanda Freites De Brendt (Fanatic, North)
3rd Laure Treboux (Fanatic, North)

Men
1st Jose ‘Gollito’ Estredo (Fanatic, North)
2nd Kiri Thode (Starboard, Gaastra)
3rd Tonky Frans (F2, Gaastra)

Story courtesy of The Morning News

Aruba’s Minister of Public Health and Sport, Richard Visser, recently joined with organizers of the Copa Aruba to announce the upcoming Copa Aruba, an international soccer competition in the Master and Super Master Divisions.

The tournament will open on October 30, and matches will be conducted at the Guillermo Trinidad Stadium in Dakota. Collaborating on this project is Rogerio Donato of CIA Travel, Brazil, and Aruba’s Voetball Bond, represented by President Rufo Kelly and Ron Helder.

The tournament will feature twenty teams of veteran soccer stars in age categories of 40, 50 and 60 years from Brazil, Aruba, Curacao and Bonaire, competing from October 30 through November 4 for the coveted Copa Aruba 2010. Mr. Rogerio reported he expects to bring 600 Brazilian soccer fanatics to Aruba to attend the games. Those traveling to Aruba are offered a very appealing one-week travel package, including entrance to the games.

The matches will also be interspersed with soccer clinics for island youth and football clubs by the visiting Brazilian players and coaches. Aruba’s Minister of Sport, and Minister of Tourism, Transport and Labor, Otmar Oduber, applaud this initiative for Aruban athletes both young and mature; they encourage islanders to attend and cheer on their home teams.

Football fans will also have the opportumit to meet ex-star player of Brazil’s sellection Bebeto who was named the Godfather of the Copa Aruba 2010 Tournament. Bebeto will also be giving a football clinic to Aruban kids and also different Aruban football clubs. This event will be covered by the Brazilian press.

Story courtesy of The Morning News

Organizers Say: “This will be an unforgettable one”

Yesterday afternoon at Moomba Beach, the Aruba Hi-Winds 2010 organizing team Maartje Dolfing, Frank and Wim Eelens, Evert Bongers, Marin Bijl, Ron Henriquez together with Aruba Tourism Authority Events Coordinator Amayra Boekhoudt informed the local press about the upcoming races and activities from June 30-July 5. “We are ready to get started!” they said.

During Hi-Winds there will be many entertaining and energizing activities in addition to the competition: a Capoeira Workshop (combination of martial arts, music and dance), a Jerk Dance Competition, a Zumba Workshop, Bula’s sexy Fashion Show and the Sparetime Bodypaint Competition.

MUSIC BANDS
The finest musical prodigies will be showcased starting this coming Friday with DJ Jason and DJ Theo. On Saturday the ongoing Party on the Beach will continue with Earplugs with the dulcet tones of Enry and the joyful sound of his instrumental band. They will be followed by Caribelectro band Datapanik, releasing the stress of the races after an exciting day of surfing and kite competition. For an unforgettable experience make sure to be at the Huts on Sunday to watch reggae band Mystical Connection, followed by Datapanik’s second performance of the weekend. Guaranteed to get you in the mood for good times!

COMPETITION
Registration for all participating wind and kite-surfers is on Wednesday June 30th from 3-5 pm at the Hi-Winds site at the Fisherman’s Huts. The next 3 days the windsurf slalom competition will start at 10 am. Racers will blast around a downwind Z-shaped course approximately 2-4 kilometres long, skillfully jibing at full speeds around the floating buoys.

The kiteboarding freestyle competition will be held at Aruba’s north shore called ‘Boca Grandi’ and starts on Monday morning July 1st. The competitors will be judged on technique, style and the variety of their tricks. Rules are simple: you can use the whole bay, but make sure the judges see you!

One of the kite-judges is professional Jalou Langeree. She participates in PKRA (world cup) events since 2005 and collected 4 Dutch Championships, something nobody else ever accomplished. Langeree will also give kite-demonstrations during the Hi-Winds week.

FREE STYLING
The windsurf Freestyle Competition will be a real crowd pleaser with the titles: King, Prince and Kid of the Huts, to be won. On Saturday afternoon the qualifier competition will be held to determine the participants for Sunday’s big finals, starting at 11am at the Huts. On Monday July 5 all competitors and volunteers will gather at Paseo Herencia for the Dinner and Awards Ceremony.

At the end of the press conference at Moomba the committee wished all participants good luck. “In particular all the young kids, who are inspired by Aruba’s world champion Sarah-Quita Offringa’s huge successes and who are the backbone of the future of the Aruba Hi-Winds.“

Photos by Julia Renfro

Last week the long awaited dream began for the members of Sonrisa which is the foundation for persons with special needs. As softball is one of the most popular sports in Aruba as well as around the world, this group can now also participate in this great team sport. Training started and it was a great success. All of Sonrisa members are invited to participate no matter their age, gender or level. The purpose is to have fun, train for physical health, and enjoy competitions just like other softball leagues.

With a great effort from parents, Sonrisa teachers, guides and volunteers, the softball league has started. Anyone wishing to help the organization by means of donating any softball equipment (new or used), financial help to purchase uniforms, or assistance in coaching would be very much appreciated. Special thanks go to Antoine for letting us use the field to practice, and to Giovanni Trim for assisting us with pitching and coaching. You can reach at Sonrisa at 583-6297.

From June 30th to July 5th, 2010, Aruba will once again ride the waves of the Aruba Hi-Winds, the largest amateur windsurfing competition in the Caribbean. Now in its 24th year, the Aruba Hi-Winds features windsurfing and kite boarding events in various categories and open to professionals and amateurs alike.

Aruba provides the ideal setting for this windsurfing and kite boarding event, with its cooling trade winds, beautiful blue waters, and white sandy beaches. Visitors and locals can sign up for the competition or simply relax and take in the excitement from the beaches off the Fisherman’s Huts at Hadicurari, the location of the Hi-Winds events. The categories include men, women, masters, and kids and they feature course racing and freestyle for kite surfing, as well as a long distance race, and a King and Queen of the Huts competition.

The thrills don’t end with the water sports. The Aruba Hi-Winds is a non-stop party, with music, lunches, dinners, happy hours, and celebrations taking place on the beach throughout the entire six-day event. Highlights of the competition include a welcome dinner at Buster’s Garage on the first evening, as well as dinners hosted by Divi Hotel, de Suikertuin and Delifrance, Dunkin Donuts, and Casa Tua on the following nights. On Saturday and Sunday nights, parties featuring DJs and dance competitions will take place on the beach, and the awards ceremony and closing dinner will be held at Paseo Herencia/Taste of Belgium on Monday night.

The inaugural Hi-Winds competition, which started in 1987, became the first event dedicated to hosting world champions and professionals in the windsurfing community. When the organizing committee changed the Hi-Winds from a top race into an amateur event in 1997, the competition became what it is today — a fun celebration for all kinds of audiences!

To view a full event schedule, entry fees and competition requirements for Hi-Winds, please visit www.hiwinds-aruba.com.  For more information on travel to Aruba, please visit www.aruba.com.

Elio Heronimo President and members of the organizing committee for the Latin American Senior Baseball League Championships announced that Aruba expects to welcome delegations from eleven members of the conference as hosts of this major sports event.

Winners of the Latin American Senior League Championships will be eligible to compete in the Senior League World Series taking place in Bangor, Maine in August. Players are between the ages of 14 to 16 and the games will begin on Aruba on July 17 until the 25th.

Three ball parks around the island will be deployed for the competitions. The inaugural game will be at the Winston Ballpark in Macuarima, the other two stadiums include Joe Laveist in San Nicolas and Dragon Hitters in Barcadera.

Delegations from Bonaire, Curaçao, St. Maarten, Venezuela, Colombia, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Guatemala, Panama, Domincan Republic and the U.S. Virgin Islands will begin arriving on July 15. They will face off against two home teams from Aruba, the defending Latin American Champions from last year.

Committee members mentioned how proud they are of the accomplishments of the Aruba team, which came in second in the World Series 2009, and how important it is for islanders to support their teams during the Latin American Championships.

Tickets for the games are only 5 Arubian florins for adults, and 2 florins for children ($2.85 and $1.20, respectively) and hope to see local residents filling the bleachers to cheer on their players.

It was also mentioned that members of the committee will offer free clinics for those wishing to become involved with Little League as umpires beginning on August 23. Those wishing to participate this healthy pastime for youth can contact the A.L.L.U at a.l.l.umpires@gmail.com to inscribe or call Idelle Orman, tel 732-5567, Nel Frank, 567-9871, or Francis Growell at 593-9118 between the hours of 6:00 and 8:00 p.m.. “Little League teaches teamwork, sportsmanship and leadership,” commented Nel, “and this is the opportunity to become part of a solution for guiding our youth on a healthy path.”