Gold Coast Hurricanes and Team North Florida attended last year and looks like both will be back this year. PGF refines their qualifiers every year and I believe the only ones that were cancelled last year due to lack of interest were for 12U. The FL qualifiers have not drawn well and I was glad to see they are holding one in GA instead this year.
PONY vs. USSSA vs ASA
- Thread starter Pinetree
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flarays
Stingrays Gold
Florida PGF will struggle. The first two qualifiers that were run here were not attended. Last year Diamond 9 tried to run it in conjunction with their summer showcase and again it wasn't well attended. The qualifier was pulled and PGF is hoping Georgia will respond better. The teams from Florida that did not receive invitations are headed to other regions to try to qualify for PGF Nationals. In Florida ASA has done a fantastic job over the 10 years I have lived here. The JO has built the best top end model. NSA runs weekly second tier tournaments and USSSA is gaining a little. USSSA is beginning to buy some events like TC does so there is no telling where they will end up. There is NO Pony that I know about. ISA has a following - but is not very competitive.
Does it depend on the age? We entered at 16U in SE PA and USSSA is the most common. IPlayed 2 years at 18U USSSA - finishing 18U Gold team with PGF/Blue Chip tourneys/showcases. Difference between USSSA and PGF are the upgrade from porta-potties 
and no nonsense team heading to play college ball.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
and no nonsense team heading to play college ball. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
A part of me would LOVE for my DD's team to go to PGF Nationals, but when I do the math and figure a week in Hunting Beach, CA with airfare, car rental, hotel, food, misc is going to cost me @ $4K for a family of 4, and it is a 4 game guarantee (2 pool, double elimination), it could cost me $1K/game to go. And since my DD is a pitcher, and we have 3 other pitchers on our team, there is a good chance she will only pitch in 2 of the 4 games doubling my cost/game! Now we would obviously hope to play more than 4 games, depending on the bracket draw, but I realistically don't see us playing more than 6 games total based on the number of top teams.
- Feb 7, 2013
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You only become the best by playing against the best, that is the cold hard facts. In SoCal, the best travel ball organizations play ASA and PGF because they want to play the best competition. There is a reason the Top 25 D1 programs in the nation recruit from these organizations.
You're facing the same thing with PGF Nats that we faced with ASA/USA Nats. My DD made 2 trips to IL and both times my wife was the only one that went with her and I stayed home with my son. Same thing with trips to Boulder the last 2 years and she's going with the team this year. SoCal teams will also be travelling to Pennsbury (PA), Summer Classic (NJ), DeMarini (IL), TC/USA Nats (GA), Sun Classic (FL) and Ronald McDonald (TX). It's not unusual for families to take a teammate with them on a trip and then send their DD with another family on the next trip.
For the record, PGF and ASA Gold are 5gg (3 pool and dbl elim).
PGF and ASA are both good options and teams should choose which one is best for them. To tell you the truth, I kinda wish DD's team was planning on going to OKC this year instead of PGF.
Greenmonsters
Wannabe Duck Boat Owner
Unless you're hoping to play at a top 25 D1, wouldn't the money be better spent attending camps at your top choice schools?
Unless you are on a schools radar do not go there expecting to get "discovered". The idea that the coach of Dream School U is going to happen by and see you doing something awesome is ludicrous. That is not a productive way to find a ride. Does it happen sometimes? Yes. Which is the reason I buy a Powerball ticket every once and a while.
Greenmonsters
Wannabe Duck Boat Owner
Not any more ludicrous IMO than going to CO etc. without being on a school's radar and hoping to get discovered. And just how many kids go to CO etc. and how many of those get top 25 D1 rides?
The key is to get yourself on a schools' radar and then figure out where you need to play/camps to attend so that they can see you in person. And don't forget academics!
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I disagree with your characterization of those events being for top 25 D1. The SoCal teams that travel to Pennsbury and NE's Finest certainly aren't doing so to play major D1, let alone top 25 D1. They're being very realistic about their prospects. All of the events I listed have far more coaches than top 25 D1. Teams make those trips in order to be seen by coaches that don't travel out here.
Camps are great for players that have identified specific schools as long as they have prequalified the team as a potential fit and the camp as providing exposure. A lot of money is also wasted on attending camps.
I agree the key is having an informed plan. The recruiting process is very confusing and incredibly inefficient - and it's exacerbated by people making money off it.
Too many teams don't know how to go about it. They enter the wrong events, don't educate their members and don't know what to do while they're there. Teams with people experienced in the process do much better. Teams in a good org also help each other out by knowing the players on the other teams in the org, refer them to college coaches and facilitate getting the player in front of the coach.
