Anyone (else) here playing Co? Fireworks/Sparkler?

[Big Daddy]

Very informative post.
Thank you.

 

[livingontheroad]

Hi all. Colorado here. This past season we drove 20 minutes for the Sparkler, 15 minutes for Independence Day and 5 minutes for the Fireworks tournaments. Our DD was at 14U this past season and now at 18A because of scouts advise and recomendations. At the Fireworks, we saw a lot of "scouts" and chatted to a lot, but what we found out was they were there to see a particular 2 or 3 players that invited them. Or the coach did. At the Sparkler, we saw more clip boards that a wal-mart back to school aisle. Teams from EVERYWHERE and just as many scouts just there on a game to game mission instead of just a couple of targets. We aren't / weren't shy about striking up a conversation, and at least a dozen watched our DD for a couple of innings, and told us she did not belong in 14s and that she had better move up real quick or get overlooked. But they were everywhere and talked very freely with "spectators" if you just said something to them. We didn't see but maybe a handful at the Fireworks, or they weren't anywhere near us and we were at the big complex that had all age divisions. The Independence is very elite and tough talent, but awesome. The Sparkler has SO MANY levels of talent and from all over the US, and outside the US as well. Our DD and some girls set up shade tents and invited random teams / girls to join them for somewhat of a pic nic gab session in between games. They had a ball and made SO many friends vs. Hi, you wanna trade a pin.... etc. One team from Oregon couldn't beat a pinata, but had the best parents, players, coaches and all around attitude and sportsmanship. During the Sparkler you couldn't spit in any direction in the Metro area without hitting a field with awesome games going on. We weren't trying to get our 14U scouted or crazy stuff like that, but we learned so much for the time that she may be in that position. Enjoy.

What you describe is exactly opposite of what most described this yr. Check on heybucket for others reports. No scouts at sparkler, and fireworks was loaded , Im talking mostly 16 and 18U. Watched a few of ome of the best 14U teams in the country play at sparkler, top finishers at ASA, did not see a single college represented there. Did not hear of any either.

Generally, sparkler is poor, but with a few good teams, maybe 10. The Fireworks is much more competitive. Oodles of local Colorado teams, and teams from surrounding states in sparkler. I have yet to figure out why, with the softball prescence there, in an area the size of the frontrange around Denver, that Colorado cannot field more nationally competitive teams!

 

[changeupskill]

Independence in Boulder if far premier. But, we know who we talked to at the Sparkler and Fireworks. I like all three of them personally. Having tougher competition in CO that can compete nationally is the grand ole question. Well, my opinion is that over in treehuggerville, the parents have problems with 3 hour practices or pushing their kids. Over in Pamperstown, coaches aren't allowed to completely be in charge of the team because the smart mouthed kids are allowed to roll their eyes and talk back when and how they want. Show up 15 minutes late (or more) with no excuse, practice with half effort. I know a TON of coaches as well as my DDs past coaches and have seen and heard some doozy stories. A coach makes the team sprint around the bases after 3 errors in practice, and after about the second one some girls just don't run because "they are tired" and the parents tell them they don't have to. I know one 14U coach that plays at 16U level ALOT and beats up on teams and places well out of state. If a player is making errors in practice, he starts pounding 20-30 balls in a row right at them to fix it. It works. He doesn't allow parents to talk, wave or interact with their kids at all during practice or games or they go home. But since he is in such high demand, he is able to do that. Other coaches have parents going onto the field giving their kids water and coaching from the sidelines vs making them listen to the coach and do as they are told. and OMG, if a kid is not playing enough or as many innings as the parents expected, its hell to pay. During the game, after the game, and the next day as well. Forget about the players doing their own talking to the coach about what they can do to get back into the top 9 players etc. Parents fight their battles and end up just hurting their kid in the long run. They are just soft. Very few hardcord parents or players willing to give everything they can to be the best. Its given to them by someone else. They just don't get the big picture about working hard for what you want. There are alot of coaches with good intentions and quite frankly the ability, but if a parent get upset, they quit and that mom or dad goes and starts their own team. So yet another team get watered down in talent like most of the others. The top teams we know of, don't have daddies coaching and the players listen.