Have been to ASA/USA A's as 10's (thanks to the folks from the Nitro for inviting us to make the trip) and SEAA this year as 11's with our team.
- ASA/USA obviously had better competition top to bottom. The opening ceremonies were well organized and a lot of fun. I liked the fact that, at least when we were there last year, it was all the same age group. Makes the pin collection a lot of fun as the girls, parents and coaches have to beg, borrow and steal their way through in order to collect a pin from every team. Obviously this one is more centered around softball...Not quite as much to do outside of ball (Johnson City last year), but well ran more "formal"
- SEAA had a good mix of very good teams, above average, and a few very average teams. The opening ceremonies were an absolute mess (we actually left early because it was kaos) - Every age group together makes pin collection easy, but not much of a chance to focus on just your age group. The GREAT thing about SEAA's was the location. Plenty to do as a group and the schedule is set up to allow a lot of time to flat out have some fun. Rented a group of cabins and had a blast.
I would not shy away from either - Just depends on what you are looking for as a team - We all tend to focus on the "prestige" of going to the high profile tournaments...Sometimes we need to step back as coaches and parents and realize that, in the end, it's about the girls and the families - A lot of times this IS their vacation.... Should it be about maximizing the fun.....or the competition?
