Independence Day Tourney,Colorado

Day 3 Colorado Sparkler

Carolina Comets look very sharp and hit the cover off the ball today and ended pool play with the #1 seed from their bracket 3-0-1. We beat the Lady Warriors (TX) who had run ruled every other team they played, and then we run ruled the Seattle Spice.

Game 1

Carolina Comets 4


Lady Warriors 0


Game 2

Carolina Comets 10


Seattle Spice 2


Good Luck to the girls tomorrow and all the NC teams that are playing in Colorado!!!

 

Stirrin' the pot... That was alot of fun last year, huh? Saw this thread and decided I wouldn't bite... was wondering how long it would take you to jump in there.


After a rough start caused primarily by nerves and a "thin" roster -

NC Lady Blues - 4 vs. CA SoCal Filly's Gold - 1 (Hey "Uncle" - gold team)

NC Lady Blues - 3 vs. NY Beachgirls - 0

Today the Blues play CA All American Sports Academy which, last year had 10 PAC 10 committed players.....

Go Blues!!!! Wish we could be there with ya!

 

There are 3 tournaments out in the Denver area right now. The oldest and "most prestigious" tournament is the one in Boulder, the Louisville Slugger Independence Day Tournament. They have 3 divisions...Gold (played in Bouler), 18U (played in Louisville) and 16U (played in Longmont). This was the 1st tournament in Colorado. Teams are invited to play based on their finish the previous years at various national tournaments, their finish the previous years at this tournament and program history and reputation. This is where most of the best teams from across the country play. By best, I mean those that have traditionally finished high in the various ASA national tournaments and have a reputation for putting kids into major Div I schools.

The 2nd tournament is the Fireworks Tournament in Aurora. They also have 18U and 16U divisions. This tournament was started after the Boulder tournament grew too big and too many teams were being left out. There are also many of the top travel ball programs in the country in this one as well. There is an application process for this tournament as well.

The 3rd tournament in the Sparkler Tournament held in Westminster. This tournament was started several years ago after the Boulder and Aurora tournaments stopped taking teams. This tournament has the most teams in it and I believe all you have to do to get in is pay. I may be wrong about that.

From a college coaches perspective, it is great to have so many teams in one location, but it can also be maddening as well. With so many teams in so many different places, even at the same tournament, it can be hard to see everything. The major programs will spend the majority of their time at Boulder and Aurora simply because of the ease to see so many top teams in one location. The Sparkler has many quality teams as well, but the tournament is more spread out in different locations and many times, you don't know the quality of teams that will be in it. As a smaller school coach in NC, I liked seeing NC kids play against teams from across the country to see how good they were. As the coach of a major program, its important to see kids from across the country competing against the best.

 

Why climb Mt Everest when you can stay in NC and climb Mt Michell?
Well if you live to climb you want to climb the biggest and baddest.
And it doesnt matter if you will climb mountains in college.

 

Day 4

Cardinals-Chandler 4
Ca Sorcerers 3
Gaylin Bennett hits a walk off HR for the game winner

 

Personal Preference, I guess...

The debate is really pretty simple: you either shell out the dough and go or you don't and wonder what you might have missed.

The only organizations that I know that have earned the right to go to the Independence Day tournament are the Cardinals and the Blues. If you ask folks on those teams, the experience is once (or twice) in a lifetime. I've never heard anyone that went say they wish that they had not. I guess it's one of those things that unless you go, you don't know what you missed.

Can you get signed staying at home? Sure. Can you play all the California, Texas, and Arizona teams with the Rocky Moutains as a backdrop? Probably not.

It all depends on what type of fish you're looking to catch....and what type of bait your wanting to put on your hook! (the fishing metaphor is for Marlinfan!)
DDD

 

.......please, call me fishpal!

You can put all the bait you want in the ocean and never catch a thing.
And you can go to a small pond in Pitt Co. and catch a trophy bass.


In the fall, the Marlinfan1s go to the hunting club, we eat good, have a blast and when we go into the woods to our stands, we go to where we think the best results of our time and fun will be.

HHHHHMMMMM?





OK, I'll just leave this thread with this....I'm all for raising the bar for our kids and if that means playing in Col. or Fla then go for it.

I took my kids and had a ball....and yes, DD plays for a school 5 miles from our house.

I would not trade those times for all the money I spent along the way.

Fish

 

I wish I could go, but I'm not a very good softball player. I guess I'll live vicariously through those that can play the game at a high level.

I'd love to hear from those that are there which colleges are represented.
Anyone able to give a list of some of the more well-known schools???

 

Day 4 of the Sparkler Tournament

Carolina Comets remain one of the four teams still undefeated and have played very well while here in Colorado.

Game 1

Carolina Comets 11
Nevada Lightning 1

Game 2

Carolina Comets 7
Texas Bombers 3

Game 3

Carolina Comets 6
Ft. Lauderdale Lightning 5

Comets will play the Wasco Diamonds tomorrow at 1:15 hopefully we will continue to play well and earn even more recognition for NC Softball.

 

Lady Blues send the Vipers back to GA

Lady Blues - 4

Atlanta Vipers - 1

Don't know all the details other than the Blues were playing again at 11am their time.


As for the trip, my DD is having a blast. Loves the area and would love to go back. I stayed home but she and Dad went. It's giving them some quality father/daughter time before she leaves the nest next month. Husband said coaches he knows of that are there are UNC-CH, UNCC, Penn State, VT. Those are the only ones he named. Maybe someone else can add to the list.