| SOFTBALL TIPS |
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| SITE STUFF |
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ARCHIVES
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June 26, 2005 |
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April 04, 2010 |
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April 18, 2010 |
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April 25, 2010 |
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| SOFTBALL LINKS |
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Cat's Village!
by Dave
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
For years and years, our friends have told of a wonderful experience their sons had with their travel baseball teams. Those teams qualified for and played in a very large tournament held annually at Cooperstown (NY) Dreams Park near the Baseball Hall of Fame. This year, my wife kept constant contact with a close friend whose son was playing in the event. His team finished in the top 10 out of about 100 teams. According to the friend, the experience was the most meaningful baseball experience of his life to date. My wife and her friend mused that it is too bad there is not a similar experience for girls fastpitch softball. They apparently jumped the gun. There is now such an experience available.
Cat Osterman has partnered with USSSA and investors to develop what I believe may become the greatest possible tournament experience for youth softball players. Information regarding the tournament and overall experience is available at Cat's Village. I will provide you with a synapsis of that information plus some editorial because I feel this development may be the most important positive one for US softball in quite some time and I really want everyone to look into it. I want it to be a success of incredible magnitude.
The first things that come to my mind when I think about a trip out of state to some far off location to play softball are 1) how much does it cost and 2) where is it located - what is there to do when not playing softball so we can justify spending our family vacation there.
First off, the basic cost is, IMHO, fairly reasonable. According to the web site's FAQ, "For six days and five nights, the retail price is $599 (per player/coach). If your team signs up before January 1, 2010, however, you can take advantage of the special rate of $399 per player and coach. That price includes fourteen meals, lodging, an eight-game guarantee, and a coveted U.S. Girls Softball Hall of Fame Ring and Bracelet that each girl will receive upon induction into the Hall of Fame." Note that players and coaches stay on the complex in team clubhouses.
Of course, if parents and/or the rest of the family make the trek, you need to factor in lodging expenses for them. I cannot possibly run down all the alternatives and their costs but suffice it to say that in the area, there are a ton of hotels and motels at various price levels. It seems to me that choices abound and one can plan such a trip at a reasonable cost, starting at about $50 per night.
Secondly, the event is held in the riverfront city of Bellevue, NE which is located close to Omaha. Based on the spectators and family information page, there is plenty to do there, including visiting local zoos/aquariums, air force base; other attractions / entertainment provided at the complex (3-story high water slide, family BBQ, comedy night); and, for adults, some local casinos found only a few minutes away. We have friends who live in nearby Omaha and they claim there is plenty more to do in the area.
My next consideration is the level of play and the condition of fields at the tournament. There is no way for me to know the precise level of play but teams do have to provide a resume. Presumably, Cat's organization will look for a high caliber of teams as the Cooperstown baseball tournament does. Those teams will likely be from all over the country plus Canada. The fields are brand spanking new and one can imagine that the organization will place their highest priority on maintenance of the highest caliber fields. I'm extrapolating and putting in my own editorial comments (hopes) but I cannot imagine such an enterprise allowing the playing experience to be second rate.
The park is located on a 40 acre site which has 6 fields. Each week during which play is held (July 5-10, 12-17, 19-24, 26-31) will be exclusively for a single age group, 14U, 16U, 12U, and 18U, respectively. 32 teams will compete during each period. Each team will play an 8 game guaranteed minimum, of course, weather permitting.
There are some ancillary questions you most likely have. I cvan't answer them all. I imagine that if you spend some time on the web site, many answers are available there. I will note that for relatives not making the trip, games are broafdcast over the internet which is a very nice feature. The minimum number of participants is 11 players and 3 coaches. Teams must have their own insurance. It appears that everything has been considered in putting this thing together.
I have always encouraged fastpitch softball parents and coaches to venture outside your comfort zone to attend far off tournaments like PONY, NSA, FAST, ASA, USSSA national tournaments. There is a limit to the experience gained by playing only local tournaments with 3 Saturday games followed by single or even double elimination Sundays. Yes, it can be somewhat expensive to take a "softball vacation" but the experience gained is invaluable. And this particular venture seems to be priced at a reasonable rate which should make it available to most teams and individuals. If your girls are going to stand outside the local supermarket on Superbowl Sunday, this would seem to be a worthy goal to achieve in the process.Labels: Tournaments, youth tournament teams
Permanent Link: Cat's Village!
 
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