| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Scribe |
Posted - 10/06/2009 : 21:00:58
We are a new 11U team and have begun planning for our 2010 season. We've decided that we would like our team’s season-ending event to be a tournament within driving distance of ATL. That being said, I know of the Ripken Experience in Myrtle Beach and the Grand Slam event in PCB, FL. Any folks out there have experience (bad/good) with either of these events that you’d like to share? Would you recommend either event?
Also, anyone have suggestions on other tournaments that would provide a memorable end of season event? Timeframe would be the middle/late part of June.
Thanks in advance.
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| 22 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| gausssa |
Posted - 12/22/2009 : 20:02:00
Hadn't been on in fiew days and just got cought up.
10bb: Let me start by saying I in know way want to cut Grand Slam. I also know LT pretty well and have played in many of his events over the years and 2 of his World Series in Panama City and had a great time. (hell, won 1 of the W.S JUST 2 YEARS AGO) He has been nothing but "class" to me everytime i have spoke to him. I have nothing bad to say about him or Grand Slam Baseball.(re-read the post) What I said was the "facilities" blows PC away and i still say that. That was a opinion of mine and never did i say anything neg about Larry or Grand Slam.budfrog1: the post was taken out of content and was never meant to be a cut to you nor your organ.
frydaddy: Global WS for Orange Beach/Gulf Shores 10u,12u and 14u July 7-11 and 9u ,11u, 13u July 14-18 |
| Rick Cosper |
Posted - 12/22/2009 : 10:29:40
Nations Baseball has several National Championships and Worlds Series being held at various vacation destinations this coming summer.
The Ultimate Open World Series - (6 game guarantee)
Savannah, Ga.
July 7-11
Age Groups: 9u-13u
Gulf Coast Select Nationals
Select teams only
Pensacola, Fl.
July 18 - 24
Age Groups: 9u-14u
Other National Tournaments on the North Carolina Coast and Florida Coast are listed at: http://nationals.nations-baseball.com/default/index.cfm |
| bmoser |
Posted - 12/22/2009 : 09:11:06
Frydaddy:
USSSA was supposed to release all their post season dates and venues by December 20th. I just checked and still not there. They are likely still trying to nail down all the host venues. We're talking Sub- States, States and World Series for all age groups and all classifications so that's 1500+ tourney's at 100+ venues.
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| Alter-Ego |
Posted - 12/21/2009 : 22:43:09
Yea, especially at Cooperstown where there are 95-100 teams all marching out on the field. They could eliminate the marching out on the field and cut a lot of the time down. Also at closing ceremonies.
Even 32 teams at the Elite still takes a while.
I agree that the boys really just want to get started playing ball.
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| PS Iron Pigs |
Posted - 12/21/2009 : 20:44:26
I think the Opening and Closing Ceremonies add to the experience and not diminish it. Of course this is our first year and we haven't had the pleasure of the experience, so maybe I can let you know more after the summer, but our team's looking forward to the "Baseball and Family Vacation" this year. We're a 10u team so maybe by 12 it will be a little different, but I hope not. In the long run I think the kids will remember the entire event and not just baseball. |
| whits23 |
Posted - 12/21/2009 : 19:50:48
..my gripe with the opening and closing ceramonies is that they are a pain and are mainly done to get another day worth of revenue. The triple crown one at myrtle, the aau at disney and the cooperstown one are all like spending a day in agony waiting for it to end
Most parents,kids and coaches all hate them..lets play more ball and less non ball activities |
| budfrog1 |
Posted - 12/21/2009 : 18:53:03
quote:
Originally posted by gausssa
The USSSA Global Sports World Series is a 7 game guarantee this year with the opening cerimonies on Wednesday and baseball Thursday -Sunday. Gulf Shores/Orange Beach facilities (blows PC away) and family oriented. Will fill up very fast in every age group with the success we had last year.
I am biased of course but I feel a trip to the beach is a great time for anyone, regardless of where it is. PC Beach has been great for us and we try and give teams at least one day off during the event (sometimes two) so that families can enjoy the beach and attractions. You have to decide if you want to PLAY BASEBALL or IF you want to try and have a FUN time AND play baseball. You can do both, just depends on how you want to approach the trip. I don't have any personal expierences with the Orange Beach area so I can't say one way or the other. It's no secret that the USSSA folks don't care too much for Grand Slam and that's ok. Competition breeds for better events for the teams and more importantly the kids. I have known Bubba for a long time and have always spoken very fondly of him. He will do a good job for the big boys and I never have had a cross word or slap at him, still don't. Happy Holidays from Grand Slam Tournaments! |
| Frydaddy |
Posted - 12/21/2009 : 17:37:07
quote:
Originally posted by gausssa
The USSSA Global Sports World Series is a 7 game guarantee this year with the opening cerimonies on Wednesday and baseball Thursday -Sunday. Gulf Shores/Orange Beach facilities (blows PC away) and family oriented. Will fill up very fast in every age group with the success we had last year.
WHEN will this be held? |
| 10 BB |
Posted - 12/21/2009 : 10:38:06
Bubba before you go and try to cut the GrandSlam Tournaments down because I know they put on some class tournaments let me fill you in on something. I personally know that Larry Thompson has supported our team in our quest of a National Title at the Disney Elite 32.
With that said you want find a bigger advocate for USSSA baseball than the Bay Bombers but Larry has done some good things for our team knowing that he was helping the USSSA organization at the same time and never a bad word was uttered. |
| gausssa |
Posted - 12/21/2009 : 09:04:13
The USSSA Global Sports World Series is a 7 game guarantee this year with the opening cerimonies on Wednesday and baseball Thursday -Sunday. Gulf Shores/Orange Beach facilities (blows PC away) and family oriented. Will fill up very fast in every age group with the success we had last year. |
| wjeggert |
Posted - 12/20/2009 : 20:40:35
Ripken was great.... Id stay at a non affiliate condo or resort rather than the myrtle woods.... stay on the beach. the myrtle woods were not user (baseball) kid friendly. |
| bmoser |
Posted - 12/20/2009 : 12:19:11
Any new thoughts on this?
Do you have to stay at Ripkin's condo's? Are they the best option?
Does playing Grand Slam tourneys beforehand improve seeding, or do they just pick teams from a hat?
How was the USSSA Global Sports W.S. in Alabama? Nice facility?
Does the info below look correct? Any other comments?
AAU- Disney (have to play in State tourney, 7 game guarantee)
Grand Slam - Panama City Beach (no qualifier, 4 game guarantee)
USSSA Global - Orange Beach, AL (easy to qualify, 6 game guarantee)
USSSA - ??? 2009 11U KS, TX, IL. 2010 sites to be announced Dec20th. (EZ to qualify, 5 game guarantee)
Ripkin- Myrtle Beach (no qualifier, 6 game minimum, 11 player minimum)
Nations - Select Division Panama City (must qualify locally, 5,6,or 7 game guarantees not clear)
Others? |
| Scribe |
Posted - 10/21/2009 : 21:45:24
Thanks to everyone who replied. The information has been quite useful and will definitely help us out with making our decision.
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| riverdog1 |
Posted - 10/09/2009 : 17:51:52
We have done all 4 (Disney, PCB, Ripken and Cooperstown).When we did PCB all the families stayed in the same resort so the boys could hang out together. Great time but hot. I might do that with my team this year.
Cooperstown is fun so try and do that at 12u. We also did the AAU nationals at Disney this year and competition was great but lots of rain delays. We are talking about 4 hours 2 days in a row. We made that our vacation for the summer so when the tournament was over we hit the parks.
We did Ripken last summer. The great thing about that is the boys get unlimited access to putt-putt golf, water park, and Nascar go-carts. They also give discounts to the other family members. The competition was AA-Major. All the fields are field turf so there is never any rain outs. I really enjoyed it. |
| billbclk |
Posted - 10/09/2009 : 12:12:50
My thoughts are at 11U you are between BIG trip tournament ages. At 10U/12U Cooperstown comes into play and we all know that is a big commitment. Why not just go to PCB, Destin or Pensacola and play a regular tournament near the beach and get geared up to play Cooperstown at 12U.
I took my 13U team to Pace, FL and played what I call a "baseball only" weekend tournament. We got there early enough to do our beach and pool thing independent of the tournament and had a good time.
I also took my 12U team to the Disney Salute to Baseball tournament (during the 4th of July week). Disney was all that you would think a Disney event would be plus they are very well suited to handle bad weather and crowds. Games are scheduled to allow you time to beat the heat and rain. Each day you usually are finished in time to spend lots of cash at their facilities. The packages were tremendous and the competition was good as well. Recently I have noticed that with our economy woes Disney has soften a bit on their requirements about housing.
In 2007 we paid ~$2100 for a family of 4 for our package and had a blast (played like crap but we were at Disney). The package included a room at a Disney resort, transportation to/from the Wide World of Sports playing facility and passes to three parks. They put the teams in the same resort so families were near each other. I would have done it again at 14U (you get one game on the Braves Minor league field 14U – 18U) but it did not make since in a bad economy.
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| zwndad |
Posted - 10/09/2009 : 10:51:02
I would agree with bambino_dad that competition at Disney will be stouter top to bottom than Ripken. You see all levels of competition from AA to Major. I don't know what level of play Scribe's new 11U team will have, but if you're AAA or below, Ripken may be more to your liking. If you're looking for the absolute highest level of competition, you may be a little disappointed compared to Disney. I think it just depends on what you are looking for. |
| Alter-Ego |
Posted - 10/09/2009 : 09:14:47
I don't believe USSSA events require you to purchase any certain # of packages but they do reward you if you do. For example, if your team uses one of their hotels or condo rental companies, for at least 10 families, they will refund your $1000 entry fee back for the Elite. |
| rock44melnix |
Posted - 10/08/2009 : 08:09:19
The AAU event in Disney is pretty good as well. Facilities obviously are nice and at the 11U v 10U which we played this past season, much larger number of teams seem to enter it each year. AAU does a pretty good job overall too on this as well as the state/qualifier events. Additionally, AAU events don't require your team to purchase a minimum number of "packages" to play there, which I believe is part of the requirement with USSSA events. We had a great experience there and competitive yet fun time. |
| bambino_dad |
Posted - 10/07/2009 : 20:07:34
Played once at Ripken as 10u. It was well worth the trip. Excellent facilites and ballfields. There was a wholesome atmosphere for the family, plus the tournament itself was well-organized. But having been to Disney a few times, I'd still give them the edge interms of competition though. |
| zwndad |
Posted - 10/07/2009 : 10:25:35
My 13 year-old went to the Ripken Tournament in Myrtle Beach a couple of years ago. The facilities are amazing. Our only downfall was the field size for our guys. That was their first 60x90 tournament (they have no 54x80 fields), so we and the other GA teams struggled to hit against the slower pitching from that distance.
However, it looked like the younger age groups would have been a great experience. I have talked to 3 teams who went at age 12 who loved it. If you decide to do that or want more info, just let me know. I'm happy to share, and we have some logistics "lessons learned" on how we would do it different in the future. |
| AA17Dad |
Posted - 10/07/2009 : 08:47:59
WE have played in the Grandslam W/S PCB.for the last 2 years( Not Really a World Series anyone can write a check and get in it ). and have had a great time. Kinda like a tournament vacation combo. You have to make TEAM rules about swimming before games and getting them to bed at a decent hour ( no different than any other out of town tournaments ) but it can get out of control on the beach. Franklin park is a pretty good facility. It aint East Cobb but....but it is well ran.
Some folks have a hard time with all of the distractions at the beach but we always go a couple of days early and stay a day or 2 after the tournament ends.
Of coarse we had a pretty lively bunch of parents that were alot of fun to kick around with and hang out on the beach half the night ( after the boys are put to bed )
Never been to the Ripken Tournament but I'd expect it is top notch. |
| bmoser |
Posted - 10/07/2009 : 07:36:21
Scribe:
We went the USSSA States/World Series route in Kissimmee (not Disney)to end the Spring season, and it was a dissapointment. Another group went to Tennessee and thought it was just okay. From those I spoke to who went to PCB, and from the feedback I garnered from our team, an event venue near the beach is more fun. The only non-beach end-of-season venue I'd go in the future would be the USSSA Elite 32, but that one's tough to get invited to...gotta win a NIT or S-NIT or get special invite I think. I went to see some of it while we in Kissimmee, and it was special. I spoke to several parents, and they were all enjoying it.
Bottom line...if you're Elite do Disney, if not, do the beach! |
