NC ASA State Tournament

Congrats to Cobras!

Congratulations to the Carolina Cobras for winning the NC ASA State 18U Championship. This team is experienced, very talented and well coached. The morning game today between the Lady Blues and the Carolina Cobras was a tight one as usual, with the contest being decided in the 8th inning, 3 - 2 in favor of the Cobras. The Lady Blues played hard the rest of the day, beating the Sun Devils, Triangle Lightning and Carolina Cardinals - Mchone, to get back to the Championship game. Based on the fact that the Carolina Cobras had already qualified for the ASA Nationals by winning a qualifier in Simpsonville, the Lady Blues only needed to finish in the runner up position to the Cobras, in order to get a berth in the Nationals as well. The Lady Blues chose not to play in the Championship game, as the girls were extremely exhausted, and the game would have lasted to nearly 9:30pm, not including the "if" game if it was necessary. The Blues really did not want to risk injury to any player, with the Independene Tournament in Boulder beginning this coming Wednesday.

There was a lot of great softball played this weekend at Renaissance. There are a lot of great teams, and great athletes playing ball in the great state of NC. I hope more NC teams can get qualified to play in the Nationals being held in Moline, IL. this year.

Good luck to everyone the rest of the season.

 

Blues would have to win twice

Botton line they qualified for the Nationals. The Cobra's already qualified.

Watched some very good softball teams this weekend. Lots of very good softball players from NC.

 

Way to go COBRAS!! Great softball games today, Congrats to the Blues for fighting back through the losers bracket today.

 

I'm sorry but if your not going to play to win a tournament to try to win it then don't play. Just getting a "birth" to another tounney is enough? It is really sad the direction travelball is going. More concern about getting seen by college coaches and just playing than actually trying to win. The showcases don't even have a champion????? Glad I came up old school when you took pride in winning and giving it all till the end and don't give me the line about it being hot I remember my girls playing 7 and 8 games in one day at 90 degree + weather with no ill effect

 

I have to agree with you on this one! It just doesn't seem quite right. I would have mixed feelings having that trophy. I'm sure the ones awarded the trophy would rather have earned on the field of play.

 

How do you turn down an ASA State Championship? I would think that would be quite an honor! What message does that send about North Carolina? The message I interpret is that the ASA State Championship is not important! I hope the team(s) that actually hold the title of ASA State Champions hold that title in higher regard!! I don't know any of the Cobras but everything I've ever heard of them tells me that they do value the honor--anyway.

 

Hey CD and phreak.....

.......you say its screwed up that the cobras and blues did not play on into the late day afternoon Sunday. Ya'll also say that TB has gone heywire. And something about showcase stuff.
1. ASA is showcase because of the pure talent period. But the NC state ASA tourn. is a tourn. that results in a bid to the nationals. If you don't understand that, then theres no need for me or anyone else to continue explaining why its not necessary for the two teams to play a 3rd and 4th time.
2. ASA is win and move on, Period!
3. The Cobras respect the Blues I'm sure, and recognize that on any given day they could lose to such an awesome team.
4. The Blues respect the Cobras and know that they have what it takes to beat them on any given day.
5. Thet played twice this weekend and both games were nailbiters.


So...why play any more Sunday, when both teams are tired, and risk injury for nothing other than talk?

Congrats Blues!!!!
Congrats Cobras!!!!

Represent NC "injury free" and in full strength!!!!! Marlin, distant cousin.

 

The point is to qualify!!

The point of a qualifier tournament is qualify for the national tournament. Period. In this situation, the Cobras already had a bid so even if they won it, the bid from this tournament would go to the 2nd place team. Having already played a good number of games on the weekend, the Blues didn't NEED to play any more...they achieved their goal of qualifying for the national tournament! Why subject the kids to another 1 or 2 games when they had already played enough that weekend? The Blues are headed out to Colorado for the next week where they will showcase their skills to college coaches from across the country. Why not save the kids a little bit so they are fresh and play better out there when there are a ton of college coaches around than play another 2 games to accomplish exactly the same thing?

Old school mentality in sports is long gone. The days of no water breaks for football players or running them til they drop or playing 8 games in one day are gone! Those days did not make anyone better and we know it today. The only thing those type of old school mentalities can do is hurt the kids in the long run and burn them out of the sport. We just had a spirited discussion on this board a few weeks ago about a coach running a team after a hot day where they played 3 games. Now, central-d, you're saying that playing all day in 90+ degree heat is no excuse for not playing because your girls played 7 or 8 games a day in that....well, here are your words from that discussion...


central-d
Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2003
Posts: 177


Why does it allways get back to what will happen in college. The majority of the girls playing travelball aren't playing to get to play in college their playing to have fun. As it should be. As one on here said many mant times I hear and see coaches joking and laughing about how he really jump his girls butts or made them run till they nearly dropped. They think it makes tham look big to be able to control a group of young girls but it just makes them look very small to me. Yes you do need some disipline but more importantly you need to let the kids have fun that is what it is all about, or at least should be

central-d
Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2003
Posts: 177


Nothing personal meant (that is why no names posted) but just trying to inform pareants just because someone calls them selves a coach don't make them one. More to coaching than just teaching the game. Some care more about looking maucho in front of everyone than they do about helping the girls. Probablly the case in the girls running in the heat. Wrong place, wrong time!






If it is not ok to run kids in 100+ heat after they had played only 3 games, why is ok to make them play another 1 or 2 games after they have already played 3 or 4 games that day? It wasn't cool today by any means and the humidity was just as bad today as it was 3 weeks ago.

The point of the tournament was to qualify for the national tournament and that is exactly what the Blues did. Instead of playing well into the night for a meaningless title, the Blues parents and kids could get home, clean up, do laundry and get ready to fly out to Colorado tomorrow.

As far as showcases not having a champion, my question is WHO CARES? Certainly not the college coaches who are there to watch the girls play. As a college coach, I don't care one bit about who wins and who loses in showcase tournaments. Winning and losing is not the point...competing is important as we want to see how kids compete, but the point of SHOWCASE tournaments is to SHOWCASE your skills for college coaches. The point of qualifiers is to QUALIFY! If you have to win the tournament to do so, you have to win. If you have to just be in the final 2 to qualify, then that is what you do.

And while I am on a rant, I'd like to make another point to travel ball coaches about showcase tournaments. PLEASE don't argue calls with the umpire when there is a time limit on the games. We don't care who wins and loses and if you waste time by arguing calls and balls and strikes, all you are doing is taking time away from your players to be seen by us. That might be the only game of the day we can see your team play. It is a showcase tournament meant to showcase your player's abilities, please let them do so.

SO congrats to Rodney and the Lady Blues for getting the job done. Good luck to all those teams heading out to Colorado for the week and whatever other tournaments everyone is going to. Have a great holiday weekend and play safe with the fireworks!

 

Like I said it is sad the turn travel softball has taken. You stated a "meaningless title". Who decides what is or isn't meaningless. I guess App. States football national title are meaningless since it was majoe D1?
And not taking anything from the Blues organization which could be the best in the state. Just not the message I would want my DDs to learn. When your tired or ready to quit,just quit. I was always taught to finish what you start no matter what and always taught my girls the same and now in their adult lives they it shows. Those type lessons have helped them more than anything learned in college and yes one did get a scholarship and played in college without ever playing "showcase"

 

I do understand most of the above. What I don't agree with is turning down a State Championship. That, in my opinion, means someone thought that Championship was unimportant. Someone is proud of that championship, I'm sure!