Tournament checklist

gamommax3 · Feb 27, 2018

YOCOACH said:
I have yet to see anyone mention camping chairs. Gotta sit right? And the bleachers suck! Fruits high in water content such as Grapes, Watermelon, Cantaloupe, oranges, grapefruit, etc. AVOID pineapple as its a natural diuretic and will cause dehydration. Gatorade or equivalent. Remember that it was designed to replenish the body after the game and not during. The general rule my team has is at least a one for one ratio of water to gatorade. I tell them 2 to 1 if at all possible. Peanut butter is a great source of protein and sticks with them longer than carbs. Pickles are a great source of electrolytes without having to drink sports drinks. If you're doing lunchmeat, chicken is the best option since it won't make them sleepy like turkey does. Whole grain wheat or any other whole grain bread will also last them longer than white if thinking sandwiches. Most types of cheese are okay and stay away from soda (pop, coke, Pepsi, mountain dew etc.) Start hydrating on wednesdays. Drink a lot of water between then and the start of the tourney. They can never replace it as fast as they will sweat it out over the weekend no matter how much they drink; especially if they are a catcher or a pitcher.

LOL All of the posts above you mentioned chairs! I double checked that I put it in my post. Thought I had lost my mind for a minute

Ariel116 said:
I have this down to a fine art now and can pack for a tournament pretty fast. Tent, camp chairs, wagon, grizzly cooler (that I pre-chill the evening before), Smart-water, cokes (for me and maybe a few for my kid when she wants something with flavor), large backpack filled with go-pro/camera gear & sunscreen, and a bin in my car filled with non-perishable stuff like toilet paper, baby wipes, mosquito repellant, extra waters, etc. In my cooler I bring basics- watermelon, drinks, slim-jims, grapes, cheese sticks, crackers, frog tog, etc. My kid usually just snacks until we can get away for a bit and get something good to eat. We don't play 1 day tournaments any more but when we did, we would bring stuff to make basic sandwiches. If it's going to be below 50, my heater buddy goes too. Now for the really important stuff- throw a roll of toilet paper in your car for when the park runs out. You will thank me later for this tip.

I don't pack for tournaments anymore. I just have to repack my cooler each weekend. I am sure it sucks for my gas mileage! Everything else stays in the car all the time.

Please tell me there are other softball parents that do this....

YOCOACH · Feb 27, 2018

gamommax3 said:
LOL All of the posts above you mentioned chairs! I double checked that I put it in my post. Thought I had lost my mind for a minute

I don't pack for tournaments anymore. I just have to repack my cooler each weekend. I am sure it sucks for my gas mileage! Everything else stays in the car all the time. Please tell me there are other softball parents that do this....

Sorry, missed it! And yes, I don't take anything out of the car year round.

bmakj · Feb 28, 2018

if your DD uses one, extra mouthguards (DD wears one when she catches). we try to keep a couple spares (unmolded, but usable in a pinch) in her bag.

BuckeyeBW · Feb 28, 2018

We bought a p/u truck with a lockable cover just so we could leave the gear in it. This also allows the cab to not be so smelly, unless my daughter takes her socks off. A pop up is a necessity if you ask me. We play in Michigan and Ohio a lot. I even bought the walls to put on the popup to block wind and rain, and once or twice, snow. Our team also seems to bring enough picnic blankets to cover an outfield, the girls like to lay on them and rest, play cards/games etc. this keeps them from running around. Our team/parents get along very well so we are usually well organized with bringing food/snacks/drinks. We usually have meals planned, enough for the whole team families. A good team mom(s) can make life much easier especially on the younger teams.

Eric F · Feb 28, 2018

Over the years of transitioning from 8U rec All-Stars to 14U TB, the amount of stuff I haul from car to field has gotten smaller. I hate dealing with a pop-up canopy, and I found an awesome alternative...

https://www.amazon.com/Kelsyus-Orig...pID=51dcVCdm6HL&preST=_SY300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch

Cart, chair (or 2), backpack, small soft-side RTIC cooler. If the parking lot is close enough, I'll leave the cart and cooler in the car.

Classof2020 · Feb 28, 2018

Tons of great ideas above in addition to this stuff I tend to have a lot of little just in case things in the bottom of my tourney bag or in my car that has come up in the past and people will come to me to see if I have just what they need - pens & pencils in case I'm pulled in to keep score at the last minute, extra hair ties, small scissors, extra bungee cords, duct tape, nail clippers, super glue (daughter is a pitcher and we have repaired finger tips and blisters with it), lip balm, underwrap, crossword puzzle book (for when I've run my battery too low on the phone haha) and of course TONS of seeds to help me keep my mouth shut

I will be adding my new pocket radar this year too

BT3100 · Mar 4, 2018

No one mentioned the beer!!

Great lists above. One year in and you will be a pro. One of the items I carry is the micro jump starter. Always seems to be a parent who needs a jump start from time to time.

Cyder517 · Mar 4, 2018

This is dd’s 4th yr in travel and I’m “that” mom who still doesn’t have her act together. If you can get as much done the night before. I’m a hypocrite and a procrastinator but believe me, no matter how early you wake up “ish” just seems to happen on tournament days. Also make sure to bring ibuprofen and band aids.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

nixxy311 · Mar 5, 2018

Made it through the first tournament without any real problems. Probably a little over prepared..
Our entire team brought a lot of stuff together - like sandwiches, fruit, etc
Couple of other things we noticed that as a team we'll add..
Folding table for food - since we had things for the girls to eat we didn't really have anywhere to put it - except on top of coolers.
Something for trash..they do have trash cans set up but closer to where we were sitting so they girls wouldn't have to walk super far for them.

pjshaff · Mar 5, 2018

nixxy311 said:
Made it through the first tournament without any real problems. Probably a little over prepared..
Our entire team brought a lot of stuff together - like sandwiches, fruit, etc
Couple of other things we noticed that as a team we'll add..
Folding table for food - since we had things for the girls to eat we didn't really have anywhere to put it - except on top of coolers.
Something for trash..they do have trash cans set up but closer to where we were sitting so they girls wouldn't have to walk super far for them.

Honestly it's better to be over prepared than not, the girls on our teams always came to me because they knew that I (almost) always had what they needed. You can always tie a couple of large garbage bags to a tent if there aren't any cans near. I also saw where someone attached a cheap dollar store hanging shoe holder (like the kind that will hold about 10 pairs of shoes) to the tent and put all picnic necessities in there and they are not all in one spot. I miss these days but I get my fix by watching friends kids play. And my son too, but he plays soccer

Tournament checklist

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gamommax3

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Classof2020

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