GAPSS Tournament

[her mom]

So, I just have to let some frustration out in regards to the GAPSS tournament this past weekend. Maybe it was better for the older ages etc. but wasn't impressed for the 12u division. Well, maybe just in all. I am very frustrated at the fact that we could prepay for parking and or pay as we arrive etc. In regards to that, I have no problem paying to park IF the people are actually out there charging all day and not just the first day first game and then no where to be found. Not only that considering we played at the middle school fields or I should say field and HS field there should have been no charge for parking at all. AGAIN NOT against paying for parking if you are going to do it the whole time and be stationed out there to charge everyone etc. There were quite a few people upset with that. Not to mention, You make some pay for parking etc. but then there were no concessions of any sort. Other then a Kona ice station. I have been to numerous tournaments and even those that are in the middle of nowhere and or further away from actual concessions have had a make shift concession. With snacks and water and Gatorade etc. Those were no where to be found for the 12u. At least at the HS and MS field. I must say at least the Porta johns stayed cleaned. So, in all this tournament was not at all at the high standard that people have made it out to be. Again, at least for the 12u. Pretty sad to when you have an ump having the other team keep track of time and mind you had to keep turning around to ask how much more time, and doesn't even know the correct count and has to keep clearing it up with the field ump bc he kept getting questioned about it. THANK god for the younger field ump, he did a great job at keeping track of the count etc. NOT looking for rude comments and not trying to be rude even though it may come across like that. Just venting bc it just really made no sense,. and just wasn't a good impression.

 

[josie]

We had the same parking situation a couple weeks ago at a different tournament. Like you, I don't mind paying, but be consistent. We bought a pass on a Friday night to be used all weekend at two locations and no one checked it Saturday or Sunday. So teams playing only Saturday and Sunday got away with the no parking fee. It was a joke by Saturday night.

 

[mamoneyoh]

Did other age groups have blind draws for tournament brackets, or was that just for 14u?

 

[wpaguy]

I actually thought the Tournament was really good for 14u. I also purchased a parking pass and it was checked all 3 days. I thought the competition at 14u was really good, actually tougher than I expected . Yes I thought the Blind draw was a little odd, especially if you were 3-1 playing another 3-1 team Sunday morning. We had a great time . PS I believe all the money collected was going to a charity.

 

[manitoudan]

16u had blind draw .

 

[manitoudan]

Reminds me of ASA nationals my daughters 14u year .. 156 teams .. blind draw , we drew the defending national champ Corona Angels . Was neat seeing Lisa Fernadez , Rachel Lawson and 1/2 the PAC 12 on the backstop for a 14u game that started after midnight ( rain) . Wasnt neat losing right out of the gate .

 

[her mom]

I actually thought the Tournament was really good for 14u. I also purchased a parking pass and it was checked all 3 days. I thought the competition at 14u was really good, actually tougher than I expected . Yes I thought the Blind draw was a little odd, especially if you were 3-1 playing another 3-1 team Sunday morning. We had a great time . PS I believe all the money collected was going to a charity.

That's what I have heard for the older ages.

 

[Olentangy Joel]

The tournament is a fundraiser for all of the Olentangy school district softball programs. All of the volunteers are players/parents within the district. As you can guess from my screen name, we live and my daughter plays in the district. I understand the frustration of paying for parking and not having a person checking. Pre-paying the parking helps use volunteers in other places. If parking was paid daily, people would be tied up in line every day and volunteers would be needed all 3 days at parking. I worked parking at one of the 12U sites. By mid-morning on Saturday, all of the teams have already played a couple of games and 95% of the cars entering the sites already had a parking pass. I did a lot of waving to cars as they went past. At that point, it becomes where can you best use your volunteers - collecting $5 or $10 an hour or helping somewhere else?

Thanks to everyone who played in the tournament. I hope you enjoyed it. We played in the 14U division and I thought the competition was good as well. If you have any suggestions to improve the tournament, please contact Mike Wilson at td@gapss.org .

Thanks,
Joel Rubal

 

[mamoneyoh]

One thing that was perfect was the weather. It was great for the parents and the girls.

 

[travelball]

Yep the weather was just about perfect. Not a fan at all of blind draw. Not good for a high profile tournament.

 

[swohio]

This is when you know you have done a great job, if all the complaints are nitpicking. The tournament was ran very well, look forward to 2019 GAPSS.

 

[Paul huntzinger]

We had a great time at the 10U. All 8 teams were very competitive. I feel like the tournament was put together well. Bracket games was done right, no blind draw. Only issue we had was an ump not knowing what he was doing, but the director came and solved the issue. Great job to all involved. I’d definitely like to come back next year.

 

[AnotherSoftballDad]

The actual tournament with the competition, pool play, and bracket set up were well ran. The first tournament I have seen all year where the home team was decided by your seed and not a coin flip in bracket play (in 12U). I do think that the surroundings could have been better. I think maybe the fundraising for the Olentangy softball program did miss out by not having any concessions at either field. Any tournament not offering that is missing out. It was kind of a bummer that the fields were far apart and couldn't catch games on the other field without driving. The portajohns were very clean and that is always appreciated. Overall, the tournament was a good one. Maybe the other stuff improves as you move up in the age groups.

 

[JCellar17]

Why the complaints about a blind draw? Gapss is a SHOWCASE tournament. It's a blind draw for bracket so you can use pool play to showcase your players at positions college coaches are wanting to see them at and there is no seeding to effect.

 

[Run26]

I actually thought the Tournament was really good for 14u. I also purchased a parking pass and it was checked all 3 days. I thought the competition at 14u was really good, actually tougher than I expected . Yes I thought the Blind draw was a little odd, especially if you were 3-1 playing another 3-1 team Sunday morning. We had a great time . PS I believe all the money collected was going to a charity.

I would think Fire in the Sky would have pulled a ton of 14U talent to Orville with 72 teams in the tournament. These two tournaments now being on the same weekend has to have an effect on GAPSS.

 

[okiedad1961]

I was there with 18s played on one Feild for all but one game .One thing I would suggest is rotating umpiring pairs to different fields periodiclly.I knew those guys so well I could predict there calls before they made them lol

 

[BA824]

18u was run very well. Strongest field I have seen at GAPSS in a few years. In regards to blind draw takes the pressure off winning in pool play and focus on showcasing the girls for college coaches