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Member
I'd first like to congratulate all of the ladies that made the trip to Chattanooga this past week. Whether you finished first or last, you and your parents will be sure to remember this weekend for the rest of your lives. You have reached the pinnacle of competition in your sport and should be very proud of you qualification and participation in such an event.
At this age, most girls have either moved on to other priorities or have lost interest in the sport. Any girl that is still playing at 16U probably has high aspirations to continue their playing career at the next level. I truly believe you see the best talents at 16U as this is where you finally "get" everything your coaches have been telling you over the years.
With the good - comes the bad. I?m sure a lot of teams that competed over the week left the fields having an uncertain future in mind. Most teams will disband and revel in their achievements whereas others will structure a laidback approach for the fall and next summer. It's almost as if you're experiencing a pre-graduation ritual with saying goodbye to old friends and holding back the tears in hopes the immanent future will somehow be different than you know it will be.
As for the tournament itself; I was simply amazed with the talent that showed up to play. I believe I read there were 38 states represented and somewhere around 174 teams. Whatever the qualifying process is in each state it ensured we were seeing the best athletes the sport has to offer. The two parks, Warner & Summit, were spectacular with the culmination being concluded at Frost Field. Truly a D1 stadium everyone should get the opportunity to see and hopefully play in.
The competition was better than I had ever seen. You could tour the 14 fields for hours and see girls making unbelievable plays. Some teams played with precision and speed whereas others would rather beat the snot out of you with left and right hooks that sent balls over the fences. I also noticed that some of the West Coast teams branded a slimmer more sleek appearance and the Southeast was built on power with the Mid-West coming in with the larger athletes. All were assembled with these traits as their backdrop for what their coaches believed brought success. Cool to see.
From pool play until my daughter went home late Friday afternoon I never saw one coach or set of fans get out of hand. I saw nothing but pure sportsmanship on all fronts and professionalism from the tournament staff. I relate it to the Pro-Bowl of Softball only difference is these players have impeccable defense.
In closing, if you get a chance to take your 16 year old daughter to the ASA Nationals -make ithappen. You'llhopefully be in a cool setting where you can watch them compete and hold back tears when you think of how far she has come. You will have reached the summit for reasoning on why we travel hours on end to see our kids have fun and find success. Just be aware that on the last day your heart will be on a roller coaster tour as your mind replays memories from days gone by.
Congrats to all the young ladies that competed and good luck to you in the future.
Run
At this age, most girls have either moved on to other priorities or have lost interest in the sport. Any girl that is still playing at 16U probably has high aspirations to continue their playing career at the next level. I truly believe you see the best talents at 16U as this is where you finally "get" everything your coaches have been telling you over the years.
With the good - comes the bad. I?m sure a lot of teams that competed over the week left the fields having an uncertain future in mind. Most teams will disband and revel in their achievements whereas others will structure a laidback approach for the fall and next summer. It's almost as if you're experiencing a pre-graduation ritual with saying goodbye to old friends and holding back the tears in hopes the immanent future will somehow be different than you know it will be.
As for the tournament itself; I was simply amazed with the talent that showed up to play. I believe I read there were 38 states represented and somewhere around 174 teams. Whatever the qualifying process is in each state it ensured we were seeing the best athletes the sport has to offer. The two parks, Warner & Summit, were spectacular with the culmination being concluded at Frost Field. Truly a D1 stadium everyone should get the opportunity to see and hopefully play in.
The competition was better than I had ever seen. You could tour the 14 fields for hours and see girls making unbelievable plays. Some teams played with precision and speed whereas others would rather beat the snot out of you with left and right hooks that sent balls over the fences. I also noticed that some of the West Coast teams branded a slimmer more sleek appearance and the Southeast was built on power with the Mid-West coming in with the larger athletes. All were assembled with these traits as their backdrop for what their coaches believed brought success. Cool to see.
From pool play until my daughter went home late Friday afternoon I never saw one coach or set of fans get out of hand. I saw nothing but pure sportsmanship on all fronts and professionalism from the tournament staff. I relate it to the Pro-Bowl of Softball only difference is these players have impeccable defense.
In closing, if you get a chance to take your 16 year old daughter to the ASA Nationals -make ithappen. You'llhopefully be in a cool setting where you can watch them compete and hold back tears when you think of how far she has come. You will have reached the summit for reasoning on why we travel hours on end to see our kids have fun and find success. Just be aware that on the last day your heart will be on a roller coaster tour as your mind replays memories from days gone by.
Congrats to all the young ladies that competed and good luck to you in the future.
Run