- August
- ASA announces Candrea’s retirement as WNT head coach
- KFC Bound 4 Beijing Tour Nominated for SportsTravel Award
- Mendoza Finalist for the WSF Sportswoman of the Year
- Regional Coach-In-Residence – London
- Olympic Wrap-Up:A Message of Hope
- Japan upsets U.S. for gold
- Extra-inning heroics lift USA over Japan 4-1
- Catch the start of medal rounds on CNBC!
- Abbott records perfect game as U.S. sets Olympic home run record
- OLYMPIC SOFTBALL GAME SETTING FOR MAKE-A-WISH RECIPIENT
- USA defeats China 9-0; Finishes round robin play perfect
- Mother Nature wins out as USA vs. Canada is suspended
- USA comes from behind over Canada; Defeats Japan 7-0
- USA continues journey with 7-0 win over Chinese Taipei
- Osterman tosses no-hitter as U.S. beats Australia 3-0
- Nike USA Softball Authentic Jersey On Sale Now!
- Softball nears competition start with eventful past couple of days
- U.S. opens with Olympic record for most runs scored in a game
- USA Softball Sets Foot on Competition Venue
- USA Arrives in China; Going for 4th Consecutive Olympic Gold
Softball team arrives in Beijing ready for Golden experience
BEIJING, China --- After a long day of logging airlines miles, the USA Softball Women’s National team arrived in Beijing, China on Tuesday evening to begin its defense of three-consecutive Olympic Gold Medals. A week from competition that begins on August 12, the team spent three days of practice and training at Stanford University before processing in San Jose prior to departure.
“I can’t believe it is finally here,” said first-time Olympian Lauren Lappin. “This is something I have dreamed about my entire life and now it’s a reality. Processing was incredible with the outstanding apparel and everything was so well run. It is such an honor to be representing the U.S.”
“Yesterday was a long day, but we are pretty excited to be in China,” said 2004 Olympic Gold Medalist Kelly Kretschman. “This team is ready to start our journey towards our fourth gold medal.”
NOTE: On August 9, the entire 15-member team will be in attendance at a 4:30 p.m. press conference for interviews at the Main Press Center Room #1. Attached are an initial set of game notes that will be updated every game day and available in the press center at Fengtai Field and via http://www.usocpressbox.org/.
The athletes are looking forward to life in the village and all the experiences and relationships it brings. Monica Abbott (Salinas, Calif.), Andrea Duran (Selma, Calif.), Vicky Galindo (Union City, Calif.), Caitlin Lowe (Tustin, Calif.) and Lauren Lappin (Anaheim, Calif.) will all enter the Olympic village and arena for their first-time while veteran Laura Berg (Santa Fe Springs, Calif.) will look to make history with her fourth-consecutive gold medal.
“This is a really special time for me and our team,” said four-time Olympian Berg. “I have been blessed throughout my career to have outstanding teammates who continue the excellence of USA Softball. We are ready to get things going and go for the GOLD!”
The U.S. recently completed the KFC Bound 4 Beijing tour with a 59-1 record and will open up the Games with Venezuela on Aug.12th at noon/local time. Ten players will look to earn another gold medal while five members of the team will look for their first. At the 2004 Olympic Games, the USA tallied a 9-0 record, allowing only one run while breaking 18 individual and team records. However the road to a Gold Medal has not always been golden. In 2000, the team suffered three losses before going eight innings for a 2-1 victory against Japan in the Gold Medal game. They battled through five extra-inning games before taking home their second Gold Medal.
All of the seven round robin games and playoff games will be televised through the NBC Family of networks as well as http://www.nbcolympics.com/. Continue to check out http://www.usasoftball.com/ for the most up-to-date coverage of USA Softball at the 2008 Olympic Games.
For any media inquiries please contact:
Julie Bartel, jbartel@softball.org, 1-391-065-9461, China Cell
Holly Krivokapich, hollyk@softball.org, 1-391-066-0284, China Cell
About ASA
The Amateur Softball Association, founded in 1933, is the National Governing Body of softball in the United States and a member of the United States Olympic Committee. The ASA has become one of the nation’s largest sports organizations and now sanctions competition in every state through a network of 83 local associations. The ASA has grown from a few hundred teams in the early days to over 240,000 teams today, representing a membership of more than three million. For more information on the ASA, visit http://www.asasoftball.com/.
About USA Softball
USA Softball is the brand created, operated and owned by the ASA that links the USA Men’s, Women’s, Junior Boys’ and Junior Girls’ National Team programs together. USA Softball is responsible for training, equipping and promoting these four National Teams to compete in international and domestic competitions. The USA Softball Women’s National Team is one of the only two women’s sports involved in the Olympic movement to capture three consecutive gold medals at the Olympic Games since 1996. The U.S. women have also won eight World Championship titles including the last six consecutive as well as claimed two World Cup of Softball titles. For more information about USA Softball, please visit http://www.usasoftball.com/
