Boulder

This board has often debated Boulder and other tournaments, read the information below and you will see why the Blues attend, the competition is the best in country and we want to be a part of playing the best!

The field for the 2010 Independence Day Tournament in Boulder has been finalized and your

team has been selected as one of eighty teams to participate. The 2010 field will be one of

the strongest ever including teams from twenty seven states. Additionally, forty of the sixty

four teams who competed at the 2009 Gold Nationals in Oklahoma City will be participating

in this years tournament. Also, the 2009 ASA Gold National Champions, CA Sorcerer Phil,

the 2009 ASA 18A Champions, FL Tampa Mustangs, and the 2009 ASA 16U Champions,

OR NW Blaze will all be part of the Boulder tournament.



We will also be hosting a separate thirty two team 18U tournament in Louisville, CO. The top

six finishers will be guaranteed spots in the 2011 Boulder tournament. The 16U tournament

has been expanded to include forty eight teams and will once again be played in Longmont,

CO.



If you have not yet made hotel reservations I would urge you to do so as soon as possible.

Hotel space in this area is very tight during the week of the tournament. We are currently

updating our web site, but most of the lodging information is still current.



We appreciate the support you have given the tournament, and look forward to another

terrific event next summer. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions

regarding the tournament.



ONE FINAL NOTE.....WE DO NOT ALLOW 16U TEAMS TO PLAY "UP" IN EITHER OF THE

18U TOURNAMENTS. PLEASE LET ME KNOW IMMEDIATELY IF YOU HAVE BEEN

ACCEPTED INTO THE BOULDER TOURNAMENT BUT WILL BE COMPETING AS A 16U

TEAM AT ASA NATIONAL QUALIFIERS AND NATIONAL TOURNAMENTS. THERE WILL

BE NO EXCEPTIONS MADE.



Dan Burns

Tournament Director

303-442-7373

 

1. To be the best you can be, you don't have to beat the best, but you have to play the best. I'm 100% with you brother!

2. To be included in such high level gigs as Boulder and a few others is a bigtime plus right there. Hey every team is not awarded such an elite opporunity.

3. Keep raising the bar NC!

Fish

 

Thanks

This kind of tourney helps all NC teams as long as we can compete and have a good showing.
Thanks Fishman for the kind comments. We have a lot of work to do before Boulder.

 

Why is there not any tournaments like this in NC? I remember my DD saying to me after she attended her first NSCU clinic, "..Dad, I've got to start playing with and against better competition to get better..." Even when she was nothing but athletic ability she knew it was important. Like Coach Fish says.....To be the best you can be, you don't have to beat the best, but you have to play the best. That includes PLAYING UP.

 

From what I heard,this years East Coast Fireworks tournament was a step in that direction.It was held over the 4th at Walnut Creek.If the support from the teams continues to grow this one should only get bigger.The Cardinals Classic is a pretty good one also.

 

....Well lets take a look at your question ScalPal...The Cardinals put on a doggone good tourney every year that brings in alot of very good teams. Many of those teams are the same teams that you might play in Co. or the rising stars in Fla.
whats REALLY cool to me is that over the past years we can all look back on just how talented the teams in NC and SC have been and just playing these teams by chance in local statewide tourneys have put our kids on the field with ALOT of the best.
I think what RT is posting about the Blues going to Co. is kinda like an exclamation point in their schedule. I know he respects the very competitive nature of our NC/SC teams and without that competition the team may not be "ready or up to facing" the "so-called" best talent in a major tourney, such as the gig in Co.
The cool thing is that we in NC/SC DO rock with talent and playing eachother makes us better.

As for playing up, thats a personal choice that should definitely be considered.

last, maybe Cardcoach will help me out here a little bit, but its my understanding that there is only so much time in the year when college coaches can recruit, and the coaches, I believe, have a limited number of days that they can divide amongst the head coach and the assts. to attend tourneys.

Fish

PS: what the hell is up with my wolfpack football team!

 

Making a Point

Look Ray and Rick do a great job with their tournaments and there connections have brought several top quality Gold and A teams to their tournaments. Also, they do a fine job of attracting coaches and making sure they come every day! In NC and most of east coast they are #1!
All that said, Boulder has 40 of the top Gold teams in country and 40 of top A teams in country based on the Nationals in both classes including the 2009 national champions in both Gold and A! Of course the location does not hurt as it is beautiful!
I was not bragging simply pointing out why we go, no other reason!!!
NC will have to get more teams playing ASA, get a place like Rock Hill, Cary or Walnut Creek, some big time sponsors and have all NC teams working to together to bring the best our way.

 

making a point too...

I think you guys get too defensive. I wasn's saying anyone was doing a bad job, I was just wondering WHY we don't get BOULDER type tournaments here in NC. LBlues said it best. Not bragging, just explaining why they go to Boulder. To play the TOP 40 teams in the country. So....to build up and not tear down, my next question is this (will apologies to LBlues):How do we get more teams playing ASA, get a place like RocK Hill, Cary, or WC, get some BIGTME Sponsors, and have all the NC teams working to make it happen?

 

If you want a Boulder(esque) field you need to get the same level of college coaches that you have in CO to the event.

for that you need in part:

- a state of the art facility with EVERYTHING in one place (not across the road and definately not across town) and within easy walking distance including the fields, food and other amenities. The coaches will need to get true VIP treatment while in attendance. Ten fields minimum.

- a location which can double as a destination location. I heard from someone who went to Myrtle this year that they are greatly expanding the complex there at the AFB... this may be what we are talking about. Other than this no other current facility in the Carolinas fits this bill IMO. However, IMO Myrtle is too hot in mid summer for this to be what everyone wants. Boulder offers many things to do other than play and watch softball in a gorgeous low humidity environment.

- at the very least you will need to be able to draw gold level teams east fo the Mississippi river. I would doubt you could get CA teams... they really only go to Boulder for the "bragging rights". Every school we were interested in traveled to Cali one or more times to scout this past season from the east coast so they can simply stay at home.. the top schools all come to them. There are definately coaches in this economic environement who wish to cut their travel costs. I had some ask me in their office during recruiting what the best attended events were in the SE so a potential change in travel habits is possible.

Rick and others involved in ASA are working hard to try to make this happen. It will be a tough row to hoe and will have to be a perfect experience for both the coaches and the national level travel teams who attend to become the cadillac event on the east coast.

 

West Coast Teams

I'm with "dad" and LBlues - also, started this reply before the previous 2 posts..... took me a while.

Great thread - the debate for attending colorado has been going on for years. And, you are right, NC teams are VERY competitive and full of talent and can compete with anyone - anywhere.
Maybe someday, we will have a tournament in NC that equals the Colorado tournament or some of the other very big ones that college coaches mark on their schedule as a "Must attend" tournament. If your DD has no aspirations to play college ball or the play against the best competition - this post is a waste of your time.

Now, just my humble (informed) observation - as I have been on both sides of the "fence" - having not been there and what I heard, then, having been there and what I've seen and learned.

I think that the common denominator in all the big tournaments are the West Coast teams. I'm suprised that hasn't been mentioned here. It has been explained to me by major (top 25) D1 coaches (and smaller D1's as well) that what puts them "over the top" on whether or not to recruit a NC player is - how do they compete against the West Coast Teams? Which, fairly or not, are construed as the best out there. Why? Because unlike NC girls, Cal / Ariz / West Coast Softball players play year round - and ONLY play Softball - no volleyball, no basketball, Just Softball. Are they more talented? My opinion is NO. Are they better trained, coached and prepared? Absolutely. They are at a level of professionalism which makes you say "wow" when you see them. How do they get there? Well, To pay 5K per season to be on a team is nothing out there - some teams charge 10K. They practice at least 3 days a week, either as a team or on an individual basis with their professional trainers - year round - They are extremely "polished" whereas, some people will argue that NC players while talented are "raw". The WC players seem to be totally committed to their sport - possibly because their parents have laid out so much $$ and possibly because they don't know any other way. Possibly because it is just a totally different mentality.
Why? and, What do you get for that kind of money? -
One team I know of has 3 D1 college coaches on staff - and, are available for private lessons, team training, etc... daily and weekly. Some teams even have their OWN training facilities, etc... Travel teams. In other words, it's big business. Definately FOR PROFIT - with major corporate sponsors. This is not the exception but the rule. And, it applies to Gold ball and "A" ball. In NC, for the most part, although many players get private lessons from College Coaches, etc.., There, the whole team is going to the same people - the Team Coaches, Trainers, Players, Parents, etc.. are all on the same page.
I'm not making an argument as to whether it is right or wrong - it just is.

I don't know if it could be done for less money - because softball is a full time job for some those TB coaches / organizations with paid employees, etc... I suppose it could be and probably is - but, it would take someone much smarter than me to figure out how.
NEXT -
Consider this: If I'm a college coach - I want to get the most for my recruiting travel $$ (especially in this economy) - therefore, I want to see the highest level players, in the shortest period of time under ideal circumstances.... I go to the big tournaments (ALWAYS A.S.A. ) where the West Coast Teams are ...... If I'm really interested in a NC player - and know they are very good, I want to see them compete against the best. I may still recruit them if they don't but, I can tell you, they will not be listed as #1 or #2 on my "board" - and therefore, I probably wont give them as much $$$.
Perhaps some day, we will be able to attract the West Coast teams to NC to compete - and show them (as the Lady Blues, Cardinals and a few other "Gold" teams have been doing for some years now) that NC / SC / VA is home to some serious softball and great competition. this will bring the coaches from a National Level, and change the mentality of the big local schools (UNC, State, VT, SC, etc.) but then again, maybe the geographical location has alot to do with it - Colorado, while certainly not in the "middle" of the country is more of a centralized location for both coasts to come and compete. Although, some might argue, then how does Rising Stars (in Fla) do it?
As I said before, I am making no opinion - just stating the facts as I have learned them to be over the last couple years. Oh, and one other thing, alot of folks talk about the "expense" of going Colorado, etc... because of airfare, hotels, etc.. I have to tell you - you can do it for just a little more than it costs to go to a 4 day tournament in say, Florence, for example. When you add it all up, maybe it will cost you 20 - 25% more because of the airfare -all the other costs are the same or less.

My hope is that - as Rodney, Ray Rick and several other "far sighted" and knowledgable coaches have been saying for years - that somehow, NC teams will work together to create the atmosphere that attracts the best competition. In the 12 years that i have been involved in softball, I have seen it come a long, long way - but we still have a way to go....

Our hard working, talented NC players certainly do deserve it!
Sorry for the voluminous report - Its a "bye week" and I'm bored.....
Go Heels! - Watch out FSU!!!!
Go Niners!