(Story by Marco Stoovelaar; Photo courtesy of Sparks Haarlem)
 Sparks Haarlem Sports Team of the Year in Haarlem
Nederlands
 HAARLEM (Neth.) -
The softball-team of Oolders Omaco Sparks Haarlem again has been voted Sports Team of the Year in the Municipality of Haarlem during the Haarlem Sports Elections.
The presentation of the awards was held on Tuesday-evening (December 8) at the Gravenzaal of the City Hall in Haarlem.
...Coach Erik Vrugt, Maxime van Dalen, Head Coach Peter van Dalen,...
...Anne Blaauwgeers and Cindy van der Zanden represented...
...Sparks Haarlem at the Haarlem Sports Elections...
(© Photo courtesy of Sparks Haarlem) |
It marks the third year in a row that a women softball-team has been named Sports Team of the Year and wins the statue that is named after sports pioneer Pim Mulier.
Baseball-champion Kinheim won in 2012.
Two years ago, in 2013, the last edition of the annual Topsport Gala Kennemerland took place.
During that event, the best athletes from the Kennemerland-area (Haarlem-area) were honored in the tent of Circus Herman Renz.
Back then, national champion and European Cup Winners Cup-winner Terrasvogels was named Sports Team of the Year.
Due to a lack of sponsoring, the Topsport Gala Kennemerland had to be cancelled in 2014.
However, to honor their champions, the Municipality of Haarlem and the Stichting Topsport Kennemerland decided to organize something together.
In December of last year, the Tribute to Topsportchampions Kennemerland was held, also at the City Hall in Haarlem.
Oolders Omaco Sparks Haarlem then also was voted Sports Team of the Year after staying unbeaten in the entire season, capturing the Dutch championship-title and winning the European Cup Winners Cup.
This time, the event was renamed again and now is called Haarlem Sports Elections.
For these elections, only athletes and teams from the city of Haarlem can be nonimated.
The presentation again took place at Haarlem's City Hall, which also had been the site of the event in previous years.
Before the unique location in 2013, the event also was held at the Philharmonie (theatre) in Haarlem.
Besides Sparks Haarlem, also nominated for the title Sports Team of the Year were Schaakvereniging Kennemer Combinatie (chess) and Petanque Union Kennemerland (P.U.K.) (pétanque).
The first won the championship-title in the First Division, the second was the national champion.
Sparks Haarlem again captured the national softball-title and won the bronze medal at the European Premiere Cup in Italy.
After all athletes were honored, there was a special musical performance by Fox & The Mayors.
That band included Haarlem's Mayor Bernt Schneiders (bass guitar), Haarlem's Deputy Mayor and Alderman for Sports Jack van der Hoek (vocals) and Haarlem's 'Night Mayor' Marcel Schmidt (drums).
Completing the band was Nick Vos.
Other winners tonight were:
Sports Talent of the Year (girls) - Esmee Visser (ice skating)
Sports Talent of the Year (boys) - Bram Schwarz (rowing)
Female Athlete of the Year - Kim Polling (judo)
Male Athlete of the Year - Henk Grol (judo)
Coach of the Year - Benito Maij (judo)
Sports Special - Michael van Berckel (tennis)
Sports Volunteer of the Year - Theo Bloemzaad (DSS soccer)
(December 9)
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