I know it well. I lived near Cherryville a few years, and Gastonia or HIckory were our destinations for culture! DD has two years of college under her belt now, but cut her travel ball teeth in Top Gun tournaments around Charlotte before finally stepping up to better teams. I'm so grateful for the years of practicing and traveling together. I miss that!
We did the Top-Gun cash cow thing also, she never played in another Top-Gun tournament after first year 12U, and we NEVER missed it! I'm with you, Anna will be a junior this year and I miss it more than I can put into words!
Is she still playing? Every now and then I get to catch DD during the summer. Apparently she's "too big" for the help when teammates are around during the school year.