Apeldoorn Update #5 (Championship Sunday)
Sunday was the final day of the Robur Series for both teams.
The softball team opened with Robur58, the same team they had already lost twice to (12-6 and 7-3). However, this time it was different as #SaWTeamUSA avenged the loses with a thrilling 6-5 victory. Then then fell to a USA team 10-4. Although they finished just 1-6, the team made great strides throughout the week and lost a couple nail-biters. Most importantly, the experienced international softball. Team Leader Haylee Keating and Assistant Coach Kamyn Peterson-Rucker were asked to sub for an Austrian club team. It’s experiences like this that international travel is all about!
Our baseball team improved just a little bit too! In the semi-finals they beat the Scimistars 3-1, a team they lost to 8-1 earlier in the week. This set up a final with Cafe Jeroen, a team that previously beat us 13-3. #SaWTeamUSA pulled out an incredible 8-7 win in extra innings to take home the Robur Series title. We were told it was the first American team to win the tournament in 10 years! Congratulations to Coach Drew Roberts (St. Andrews University) and the squad for the thrilling tournament championship. The team finished 3-3-1 on the trip, but won the two that counted most and is Robur Series Champions!
Tomorrow the teams load up the bus and leave Apeldoorn for a 6 hour bus ride through Belgium to Paris for a couple days of sightseeing, good food, and a great experience. Stay tuned for more…
Apeldoorn Update #4 (Tournament Games and Monkey Zoo)
After the teams returned from Volendam they headed back to the ball fields. The baseball team lost a hard fought game 8-1 to the Scimistars, a Dutch Baseball Academy. The Softball team lost to the host team Robur58 in a very close 7-3 game that was tied 3-3 going into the last inning.
The highlight after the games was a karaoke party involving the teams and a Caribbean BBQ. Delegation Manager Clemmons was the main man on the mic and the players danced into the night (which takes a while to arrive when sundown is close to 10 pm!)
Saturday morning featured a itinerary add on of a trip to the monkey zoo. We heard about it after arriving in Apeldoorn. It didn’t disappoint as the monkeys were allowed to roam free and even land on your shoulder.
Saturday night is the start of the playoff round. We just heard the Baseball team avenged an earlier loss to the Robur58 Dreamteam, defeating them 10-2. The Softball team lost a heartbreaker 11-10 to the Braves, a Dutch club team.
Both squads will look to finish strong as the tourney winds up as they’ve been improving daily. Go #SaWTeamUSA !
Apeldoorn Update #3 (Robur Series play and Volendam)
It’s Friday afternoon in the Netherlands. Our teams have been busy with the pool play of the Robur Series. Our softball team is 1-2 so far and our baseball team is 1-1-1.
Friday morning the teams had some time off from the games and traveled to Volendam, a seaside old fishing village where they received a guided tour of the history of the village. The teams also toured a Cheese Farm where they sampled Dutch cheeses and also learned how to make the famous Dutch wooden shoes.
The teams are current en route back to Apeldoorn where they will play their last pool play games tonight and also enjoy a Caribbean BBQ and karaoke party after the games with the other teams in the tournament.
Apeldoorn Update #2 (Anne Frank house, opening ceremonies, first games)
Wednesday morning the team woke in Amsterdam and bused into the city to and toured the Anne Frank house. The athletes and parents experienced history first hand walking through house she hub in and wrote the famous book. After the tour they enjoyed some final free time in the city and then loaded the bus for the short drive over to Apeldoorn, home of the Robur Series.
The series began with opening ceremonies including a marching band, introduction of the teams and the national anthems of the different countries. Then both teams took on Robur ’58, the local team from the Netherlands.
Both teams were a little rusty on the field but came together in the end. The baseball team gave up 6 runs in the first inning and eventually were down 7-0. However, eventually the bats came alive and the team pulled together to cap a thrilling comeback to tie the game at 7-7. The game ended as a tie.
The softball game was just a wild as our girls got out to an early 5-0 lead and held on for a 6-5 win.
For those of you interested in a live stream… The wifi makes it possible only to live stream from a location in left field of the baseball stadium (not viewable for softball). So unfortunately we can’t get you watchable video. But we will do outlet best to add more pictures and updates.
More coming soon…
Apeldoorn Update #1 (Arrival in Amsterdam, Practice, and Canal Cruise)
The first day of #SaWTeamUSA ‘s trip to Europe was a long one! The teams gathered at JFK airport in New York to meet each other for the first time and board the long flight to the Netherlands. Upon landing the teams met their delegation managers at the airport and headed to their first practices to shake the rust off and prepare for the upcoming tournament.
After the practices the teams checked into their hotel in Amsterdam and then enjoyed a team meal and headed into town. The players and their guests toured the city and enjoyed a canal cruise through the water streets of the ancient city. A notable aspect of Amsterdam is the presence of so many bikes. In fact there are more bicycles than people in the city. Most of the travelers were fighting jet lag most of the day and were excited about being able to sleep finally at the end of the day.
This morning, Wednesdsay, the teams will have another long day as a 730 am wake up call begins the day that will include a tour of the Anne Frank house, travel across Holland to Apeldoorn, the opening ceremonies of the Robur Series, and ending with their first games at 7pm local time. The baseball team is scheduled to take on the Pakistan national team and the softball team will play they host team from Apeldoorn, Holland.
Please tune in to our Twitter/Periscope as wifi permitting we will attempt to broadcast the opening ceremonies and the games around 6pm local time (noon EST). Go #SaWTeamUSA !
Barbados Update #6 (Catamaran, Final Game, Depart for USA)
Update from Barbados – Our teams finished the tour with a great final few days. They enjoyed a Catamaran Cruise on Saturday, played, their final matches on Sunday, and then departed Barbados at 6:45 AM on Monday morning. The plane is currently en route to Miami scheduled to arrive at 10:45 am. A huge thank you to all the tour participants and especially to our wonderful coaches Jeremy Otkin and Aaron Denton. Below Coach Otkin and Denton recap the the final two days…
Coach Jeremy Otkin – Saturday we enjoyed an awesome time on the catamaran cruise swimming with the green sea turtles and different fish off the reef of Barbados. We also enjoyed a great meal of chicken, flying fish, and macaroni pie. In the evening many of the kids went to cheap side to do some shopping in Bridgetown and returned last night and sang karaoke at the hotel. Today was our final day of games in Barbados. The high school team finished the trip 5-0 beating the Barbados National High School team 90-74. The college team looked to avenge an earlier loss to the Combined Tridents coming back from 15 down to take a 6 point lead in the second half. However only having 6 players proved to be a difficult task as they were playing their 5th game in 9 days and the gas ran out as they fell 88-74. Overall the trip was a great experience and we finished 7-3 as a group (High School 5-0, College 2-3). The kids met many new friends they will be connected with for life and were able to explore the entire ins and outs of the island Barbados. Thank you again to STUDENTathleteWorld for another great experience playing sports and touring the world!
Coach Aaron Denton – What a trip! The 8 final things we learned in Barbados:
1. The natives are friendly. From start to finish we were treated with warm welcomes usually reserved for family and longtime friends.
2. Macaroni Pie is good! The staple on the island – macaroni pie (think Mac and cheese with a kick) – was enjoyed many times over the trip but maybe none as much as the homemade pie the ladies from the Barbados Basketball Association cooked for us after our final games.
3. Fish do really fly!! Are you kidding me? No we aren’t. On the catamaran Saturday we witnessed schools of flying fish fly as far as 150 yards out of the water. It was a treat for sure.
4. Flying fish – another island staple – is as tasty to eat as it is amazing to watch. We tried it twice (Oistins Friday and the Surfers Cafe Sunday) just to make sure. Think chicken with a kick.
5. Mangos are amazing. Local fruits and vegetables (& herbs likes bananas- we learned that) are delicious. They are also cheap and available all over town.
6. Who needs Gatorade when you have sugarcane?!? The choice energy boost for our third game in as many days wasn’t an energy drink but sugarcane graciously provided from the assistant BABA secretary Shikara. The guys enjoyed sugarcane during the games Friday to pep them up.
7. Raul can sing. Our youngest participant impressed all at karaoke Saturday night. The best part of any trip is the people you meet – both on your team and local – and this trip is no different. Where else can people from all over the country (from CA to CO to TX to NJ to MD to LA and more) become great friends and make connections in just under 200 hours?
8. There’s no place like home. One of the best parts of the trip is sharing it all with those we love back home – so here we come! The BABA made our trip home a little sweeter with several gifts of local flavor for all the players, parents and coaches.
PS – will you be next?
Barbados Update #5 (Fish Fry and 4th Matches)
Friday the boys enjoyed a day at the beach and met some vacationers from Northern Ireland. We played Friday night and the High School team beat the Warren Sports Club 78-69 to move to 4-0 on the trip. The College team played one of the best club teams on the island in the YMCA All-Stars and battled back from 20 down to take the lead only to lose 87-80 in the end (falling to 2-2 on the Tour). Last night we went down as a group and enjoyed oistens fish fry and music. Today (Saturday) we have the catamaran cruise and the kids are excited! – Coach Otkin
Barbados Update #4 (Cricket, Shopping, and 3rd Matches)
On Thursday the teams toured the Kensington Oval, the pre-eminent sporting facility on the island and is primarily used for cricket. Locally referred to as “The Mecca” of cricket, it has hosted many important and exciting cricket games between local, regional, and international teams during its more than 120-year history. The teams actually met the West Indies Cricket Coach and the Team Captain, the guys responsible for winning the Cricket World Cup. Our teams also did some shopping in downtown Bridgetown. At night they played their third matches and both teams came away with wins. Our high school group beat the Kolji Lions 80-71 and College guys won big against Warren Sports Club 96-61. Today, Friday, the teams will have some beach time, their fourth matches, and then they plan to go to the Oistins Fish Fry afterward. This is a must-do in Barbados. The food is the main draw – excellent fish, (tuna, swordfish, marlin, mahi-mahi, flying fish), lobster, chicken etc served in an extremely informal setting. You can get your fish grilled or fried depending on which vendor you choose from. It’s all cooked on the spot in front of you. There are two sources of music – one plays mostly back-in-time (Bob Marley, Platters, Jimmy Cliff, Jamaican ska, even old country and western!), the other calypso, including the current Crop Over hits. You can dance if you want or watch the others dance. Some nights there’s a live band. Saturday the teams will do a Catamaran Cruise, Sunday their 5th and final matches, and Monday the teams come home. Stay tuned for details and pictures
Barbados Update #3 (Beach, Rest, and Second Matches)
Yesterday (Wednesday) we enjoyed a great day at the beach. Many of the kids are really enjoying that aspect of the trip. Many of the kids also caught up on some rest yesterday after the long and exciting day on the jeep safari! Coach Denton spent the afternoon coaching and teaching the Barbados 16U girls basketball practice as their coach asked him if he would be willing to help them. It was a pretty cool experience for both the team and coach Denton. The high school team played last night against one of the local club teams. This team was more athletic and much better than our first opponent but we prevailed and came out on top 93-74. The college guys played a local undefeated club team called the Hawks and it was a tight game throughout the contest. In the end our guys won 92-89 handing the Hawks their first loss of the year. Today some of us are going to tour the Kensington Oval which is the Cricket stadium in town and after that shopping in Bridgetown at local shopping marts. We’ll be back in time to get some rest tonight before our third match ups of the trip! -Coach Otkin
Barbados Update #2 (Jeep Safari and Exploring the Island)
[Coach Otkin Update] – The jeep safari picked us up Tuesday morning at 8 am and the kids and parents loved it. We saw the different beach fronts, picked coconuts, took pictures with a monkey, and visited the famous mushroom rock. At the end of the safari we dined on local favorites macaroni pie and fish. After we got back to the hotel we all enjoyed the beach for the afternoon. In the evening Coach Denton took some of the kids to a local fish market and to watch the women’s basketball league while I stayed and watched the USA vs ARG game with some of the kids. Everyone had a great day and we’re looking forward to getting back in the gym tonight!
[Coach Denton Update] – What a first four plus days on the island. The guys and families are having a blast but are learning as much as we are playing. Top 8 things learned on the trip so far:
1. Barbados has another language; honking horns – Seriously many people communicate in Barbados by honking the horn at each other or pedestrians. Don’t think your New York City honking because Barbados is as friendly of a country as you will ever visit.
2. Facts and figures about Barbados – We overheard the high school team yesterday say to each other, ‘I know more about Barbados than I do about my own city.”
3. The country is even more beautiful than we thought – All you have to do is check Twitter out for the ridiculous pictures.
4. They haven’t had a hurricane is over 50 years.
5. The locals are excited to have us here – The assistant Secretary for the Barbados Amateur Basketball Association took a group of guys to see the ladies play and to a local fish spot that we are committed to revisiting before we leave!
6. Side trips are easy – With a bus fare of just a buck your free days are full of options. Whether you want to soak up the sun all day or head across the island you can do it. Some guys are looking to see the Kensington Oval (cricket stadium) and Harrison Cave later in the week.
7. Oistins is the place to be this weekend – A small fishing town just to the south of us (walking distance) is the place to be Friday and Saturday nights. How do we know? Well, our guides, our host, bus driver and safari driver all say the same thing. Don’t worry, we will send pictures.
8. Barbados consistently ranks in the top five in the world for clean tap water because the large amount of coral rock on the island works as a natural filter for the drinking water.
UWG Update #8 (Salzburg and the Salt Mines)
The last day in Europe is an exciting whirlwind for our SaW Tours contingents. After a long day in Italy on the beautiful Mediterranean the team woke up on Tuesday and headed for the Mountains. They went to Salzburg, an Austrian city on the German border, with views of the Eastern Alps. It’s known as the birthplace of Mozart and setting for the film “The Sound of Music.” The teams enjoys lunch in the city and some free time exploring. It’s really one of the most unique cities in Europe. Then they went to nearby to Salzbergwerk Berchtesgaden, the oldest Salt Mine in the world; operational in the 1500s! They toured the mine complete with miners’ slides, a salt lake & illuminated grotto. Then they enjoyed the beautiful scenery around the area for a last night celebration and farewell dinner. This area was also home to Hitler’s Eagles Nest where he hid out towards the end of WWII. The views are amazing as a mountain river passes through. It’s a great setting to share a last night with new friends. Tonight they will make their may towards Munich and stop at a hotel on the way. Tomorrow they leave for the State :(. Thanks for following our blog and we hope your loved ones had the time of their lives with #SaWTeamUSA.
Barbados Update #1 (Arrival, Beach and First Games)
Welcome to our Barbados blog. We will try to keep you updated throughout the trip with the events and scores and how the travelers are doing. Our teams arrived Saturday in Miami and met at the airport. After a slight delay they finally made it in to Barbados after midnight local time. The teams made it to their oceanside Hotel and checked in and got some rest. Sunday they enjoyed the beach, had their first practice sessions, and gathered at night to watch the NBA finals. On Monday the teams had their first matches. The games were held at Barbados Community College. Due to the National Gym being under repair this summer, this is the best gym on the island. That being said, it still doesn’t have air conditioning! So, the guys were hot and the games were long (International play is 10 minute quarters with 24 second shot clock). Our High School team won in commanding fashion over the Barbados National Team 16Us 91-55. Following that game, our College team lost to a club team names the Combine Tridents 87-73. Today, Tuesday, the teams are already up and eating breakfast and ready to head out to a Jeep Safari tour of the Island. More on that tomorrow, stay tuned…
UWG Update #7 (Ciao from Venice, Italy)
The United Games wound down on Sunday night with the medal ceremonies. Our #SaWTeamUSA contingent of 145 travelers was the largest contingent ever at the United World Games. They didn’t disappoint, taking home the most medals by any contingent (we think) with 7 (4 Silver, 3 Bronze). Although the Gold Medal escaped us in 2016, we will be back in 2017 to go for the Gold again! After the ceremonies, the teams gathered at beautiful Lake Wörthersee for a farewell BBQ at the lake. I guess the water was a little chilly but a few brave ones jumped in. The teams left Klagenfurt early Monday morning to travel by bus to Venice, Italy to enjoy one of the most unique and beautiful cities in the world. They toured Piazza San Marco, also known as St Mark’s Square, rode a famous Gondola through the water streets, toured a glass factory, and had an amazing authentic Italian dinner. After the long day, the teams headed back towards Austria. It’s one more adventurous day exploring in Salzburg and the Salt Mines before heading back to Germany and eventually the USA. I’ll update you on that tomorrow. Ciao!
UWG Update #6 (Going for the Gold!)
It’s Championship Sunday in Austria! What an eventful morning and afternoon for our SaW Team USA contingent. Nearly all our teams woke up with a chance to medal by the end of the day. In the end we took home a 9th place (U16 Boy’s Basketball) and 6th Place (U19 Girl’s Volleyball), 3 Bronze Medals (Tennis, U19 West Boy’s Basketball, U19 East Girl’s Basketball) and 4 Silver Medals (U14 Boy’s Basketball, U19 East Boy’s Basketball, U16 Girl’s Basketball, and U19 West Girl’s Basketball). Congrats to all these great ambassadors of the United States of America! Here are the results from the United World Games 2016…
UWG Update #5 (Saturday is Game Day!)
STUDENTathleteWorld Tours and the United World Games are about way more than sports. Already on the first 5 days of the trips our 145 travelers have visited historic and educational sites and experienced local authentic cuisine and culture. On the first day of the Games they experienced the Opening Ceremonies and had fellowship getting to know their opponents from the 35+ countries around the globe.
However, Saturday at the United World Games is about competing! It’s a crucial day because you need to do well to have a chance to play in Sunday’s finals and compete for a Gold, Silver, or Bronze medal. Here are the results from Saturday’s competitions. Check back Sunday night to see how our teams fared going for the Gold, Silver, and Bronze!
UWG Update #4 (Let the Games begin!)
After arriving in Klagenfurt, Austria, the home of the United World Games, the teams had a few practices and spent some free time exploring the city and going to the lake. Wednesday night they had went to an Oktoberfest party at Player’s town. They dined on delicious Schnitzel and tasty Gröstl and learned how to do the “Schuhplattl” dance, all authentic Austrian traditions.
Thursday morning meant the start of the United World Games. Over 8,000 athletes will play in these games over the weekend from over 35 countries! Below are the results from day 1 where our nine teams went a combined 11-5-1. As we write this the teams are at the Opening Ceremonies of the games. Stay tuned for more updates…
RESULTS FROM DAY 1
- U16 Girl’s Basketball – Beat DKKA 1 (Hungary) 50-39 and lost to WSG Radenthein Garnets (Austria) 60-45
- U19 East Girl’s Basketball – Beat AIST (USA) 49-45 and beat DKKA (Hungary) 35-25
- U19 West Girl’s Basketball – Beat The Heritage School (Zimbabwe) 86-2 and beat Újpest-MT (Hungary) 55-17
- U14 Boy’s Basketball – Beat Geuzencollege Jaguars 2 (Netherlands) 83-8 and beat ATUS Gratkorn (Austria) 98-37
- U16 Boy’s Basketball – Beat DLF/PLC 1 (Italy) 108-36 and lost to the Mongolia National Team (Mongolia) 50-47
- U19 East Boy’s Basketball – Lost to G-Town-Lazors (Germany) 53-41 and beat Wörthersee Piraten (Austria) 63-50
- U19 West Boy’s Basketball – Beat SV Polling (Germany) 122-28 and beat La Chat – Hawks Geneva (Switzerland) 52-15
- U19 Girls Volleyball – Lost to SG Einheit Zepernick (Germany) 2-0 and split 1-1 with Dutch Dordrecht AH (Netherlands)
- Tennis – If I’m reading this correctly it appears Casey Anderson lost a 3 set match 3:4, 4:1, 10:6 to Fabian Hasslacher
UWG Update #3 (Transfer to Austria, Medieval Dinner, and First Practices)
The United World Games trip is off to a great start! The teams left Germany early Wednesday morning for a beautiful drive through the Bavarian countryside and the Alps. Watching the social media posts nearly everyone was commenting on how beautiful the countryside was. The teams stopped halfway at Friesach (Austria) for the Spektakel theater and medieval lunch. The show/dinner is a really neat cultural experience and includes a torture wheel and some “knighting” of lucky athletes. After the show the teams made it to Klagenfurt, the site of the United World Games. Klagenfurt is a smallish town of only 100,000 people and very charming. The teams checked into two very nice hotels (Seepark and Sandwirth) which will be their homes for the next 6 nights. The teams also had their first team practices on Wednesday. Today, Thursday in Austria, will include a second practice, some free time in the new city, and at night an Oktoberfest party at the United World Games with all the other teams from nearly 50 countries around the World. I’ll save the details for tomorrow, so stay tuned to this blog…
UWG Update #2 – Day 1 (Arrival in Munich, Dachau, and German Culture)
We are happy to report a great first day of the UWG trip. We just had a FaceTime session with Richie Schueler from his hotel in Munich (it’s 11pm there) and he reports all went very smoothly! The flights were smooth (yah, everyone made the plane!). The three groups had a little different itineraries, but all three visited Dachau, a concentration camp near Munich, and got a history lesson they will never forget. The groups also had a traditional German meal at Hofbrauhaus, a really cool German eating experience. The groups also toured the city center of Munich. Most importantly, they bonded with new friends and made it through the day without jet lag. Now, they will have a great night sleep. Tomorrow is jam-packed. I’ll save the details for tomorrow, so stay tuned to this blog… Auf Wiedersehen!
Ciao from Italy – Return to USA
Our sixth blog post for our Mediterranean Tour is a bittersweet one as our teams finish their final games and get ready to head for home. On a good note, both teams ended with blowout wins over Santa Maria in Trastevere, Italy as the Women won 71-29 and the Men won 101-42. The Women finish the series with a 2-3 record and the Men were a perfect 5-0!
After the games and a good night sleep, the teams are currently checking out Rome and the Vatican. They will learn about Roman History by visiting the world famous Coliseum, the small allies of Rome, and of course the Trevi Fountain. The teams will have a farewell dinner tonight and board the plane tomorrow morning for the USA….
Pizza, Wine, and Hoops from Italy
It’s Tuesday night in Italy and the SaW Team USA Teams are finishing up their 5th matches in the five game friendly series versus Spain and Italy. We just heard the women won 71-29! The women finish up the series with a 2-3 record. The men are about to tip off and will put their 4-0 record to the test.
Monday night, in Peugia, the women lost a heart-breaker 56-54. The men won in a rout 89-52! The host team from Italy shared an all-you-can-eat pizza dinner with our teams after the games.
Also, since the last update the teams toured a 200 year old vineyard, sampled some wine and had a lunch of homemade salami and homegrown vegetables and olive oil. Tomorrow, the last stop on the tour is Rome. The teams will explore the city, relax, and get ready for Wednesday’s trip back to the USA. Stay tuned…