Weekend Disapointment in Pennsylvania !!

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Feb 12, 2014
244
16
DD and her team played in a "Showcase" this weekend which was a complete joke, might as well called it a five game friendly

1 - We received an email one week before "showcase" asking us to submit rosters and also requesting a list of coaches our girls have invited so the information could be posted, they described this one week before as an "OPEN" showcase, this was a new term for myself and our entire coaching staff. They didn't invite one coach as an organization; they counted on the attending players to do the inviting only.

2 – This showcase was advertised as a PGF event, but was not listed on PGF site when searched later on.

3 – We are told the games will be played by PGF Rules with the exception of the following:
Game Rules (PGF w/the following exceptions):

• “Games are 7 innings or 1 hour 25 minutes - finish the inning.”
Our 1st game was against one of the teams whose organization was running the “showcase” – we were struggling and the score was 10-4 after 6 inning. The umpire calls the came base on the run rule being 6 after six inning. There was still 15 minutes left on the 1:25 clock. I speak to tournament representative, turns out there was some confusion between the “Showcase” director and the assigning umpire. Two sets of rules were sent out. The present represitive apologizes, offers us a 6th game all is well.
We arrive on Sunday, and we are told they changed mind and this run rule after 6 would still be enforced. Well I went ballistic on this guy, I felt bad afterwards. – Never saw the actual tournament director ONCE, only spoke to him on phone.
My argument was that once they made the exceptions as shown above, that was rules since it was posted on then “Showcase” site.

4 – Last but not least, you could always tell the fields which had the organizers of the “showcase” playing on it, they had people out there tamping home plate and pitchers mound, field was completely dragged, and the fields were being hosed down.

5 – The recommended a hotel which was 40 minutes away, and we needed to take two toll roads to get to the complex.

As a parent and a team director I was very disappointed this weekend. Am I over reacting of do you think I have a legit beef ? :mad:
 
Last edited:

JAD

Feb 20, 2012
8,231
38
Georgia
Welcome to the "good ole boy" showcase network. While showcases can provide a great opportunity for players to be seen by college coaches, they have become a HUGE money grab by the tournament organizers. New showcases are popping up every year and the bigger, more established showcases are renting more fields and expanding the number of teams they allow to participate. I would highly recommend having your HC reach out to some of the college coaches your players are interested in to find out which showcases they recommend the team attend.

I have also noticed that even at the big showcases, the college coaches show up for pool play on Thur and Fri, but the number of them still around Saturday afternoon and Sunday for bracket play are pretty slim. I guess they do not want to use up all of their recruiting days, or they prefer to spend at least some of the weekend with their families.
 
Dec 5, 2012
4,143
63
Mid West
I have also noticed that even at the big showcases, the college coaches show up for pool play on Thur and Fri, but the number of them still around Saturday afternoon and Sunday for bracket play are pretty slim.

I've noticed that as well..... IMO, I thought it was because they primarily wanted to see as many kids as poss....looking for that diamond in the rough. By late sat or sun, the majority of the teams have been eliminated and are gone.
Again, showcases are supposed to be about exposure for your uncommitted players. However, we continually find these a-hole, money grab directors that use the name showcase to draw a bigger crowd, but host a piddily tourney at a run down facility....
Do your research well in advance, and send emails to all coaches of schools your interested in with your schedule and let them know we're your going to be. Then follow up with your stats from the weekend. Keep an open chain of mail, even if they never respond!
 
Apr 5, 2009
748
28
NE Kansas
If I was a college coach, I would only be showing up at places where I

a) was well fed and had peers to visit with
b) was treated with respect
c) had players there whom have been developing a relationship with my program

other than that, it sounds like a good place for my TA's to show up.
 
Jun 27, 2011
5,089
0
North Carolina
The opportunity to exploit people through showcases, private lessons and college camps is growing at a high rate of speed.

I'm not saying all (or even most) of those profiting from those avenues are unscrupulous, but the fruit is ripe for the picking for those who are. You've got parents who want to do anything to put their kids in the best position to play college sports, and they'll pay hundreds if not thousands of dollars chasing that goal, and these parents and players are largely ignorant of the process. Learning the ropes is not easy because good sources of information are not readily available. Your travel coach or private coach that you trust is often ignorant of the process or won't level with you. College camps aren't worth the price unless you are a legitimate prospect for the team, you just want to go once for the fun of it, or you've just got a bunch of disposable income.
 

rdbass

It wasn't me.
Jun 5, 2010
9,131
83
Not here.
If I was a college coach, I would only be showing up at places where I

a) was well fed and had peers to visit with
b) was treated with respect
c) had players there whom have been developing a relationship with my program

other than that, it sounds like a good place for my TA's to show up.

I was just at a college showcase Tourney this weekend hosted by my DD organization in PA.
a) was well fed and had peers to visit with
Each college coach received a voucher for free food and beverages.
b) was treated with respect
Provided parking closest to the fields. I like to think everyone was respected whether college coach or not.
had players there whom have been developing a relationship with my program
Seems most college coaches were there to see specific players.
I was assigned to 'field duties'. Most teams thank us for how well maintained the fields were. Also my DD's team didn't get the 'best' field to play on, in my opinion because they were the host team.
 

JAD

Feb 20, 2012
8,231
38
Georgia
Wishy washy rules are for making a bad reputation

The problem I have with the rules is that the tournament organizers tell us that college coaches want to see teams "play to win", but none of the college coaches stick around for bracket play. When the pool games seed the tournament it also makes for an interesting coaching decision...."do we give our uncommitted players preferential treatment, or do we play pool games to win to get a better seed?".
 
Jul 13, 2015
19
0
Let's make this clear. College coaches don't go there to find players. They go see the ones they are aleady communicating with. The work is done before the showcase.

Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk
 

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