Sparkler review from a first timer:
DD is an 08 on a 13U team, played in Sparkler Supplemental pool, won it, so played in Power Pool brackets. Team went 4-2-1, and competed well. The teams were no joke. Every team we faced was legit.
We played at Barnes for pool play, then Erie on Friday and Christopher Fields on Saturday.
Barnes was fine, nothing special. Erie and CF were really nice parks. The fields at all locations were fast and hard, but conditions as expected. And being from the Midwest the views of the mountains from the fields never got old.
We didn't see any coaches at the parks, but didn't plan on either for 14U. Most all coaches head out by Friday/Saturday anyway. Our org did host a combine for our players (one for 2025, 2026s, 2027s and another for uncommitted 2024s, 2023s, 2022s) at Aurora Sports Park, and there were dozens of coaches in attendance, so that was cool.
DD and I went and watched some of the college all star games (her first catching instructor was playing in it) and also went to quite a few 16U games. Some of the parks the 16U played in (including Saturday's brackets) were not that great of fields at all. If you happened to be able to play at Aurora though, those fields were crazy good.
Outside of softball we went to Estes Park and watched a concert at Red Rocks, which was awesome.
Was it an expensive vacation? Yes. But also one we looked forward to as a family and when flying back were all in agreement that we hoped it is on DD's schedule every year.
DD is an 08 on a 13U team, played in Sparkler Supplemental pool, won it, so played in Power Pool brackets. Team went 4-2-1, and competed well. The teams were no joke. Every team we faced was legit.
We played at Barnes for pool play, then Erie on Friday and Christopher Fields on Saturday.
Barnes was fine, nothing special. Erie and CF were really nice parks. The fields at all locations were fast and hard, but conditions as expected. And being from the Midwest the views of the mountains from the fields never got old.
We didn't see any coaches at the parks, but didn't plan on either for 14U. Most all coaches head out by Friday/Saturday anyway. Our org did host a combine for our players (one for 2025, 2026s, 2027s and another for uncommitted 2024s, 2023s, 2022s) at Aurora Sports Park, and there were dozens of coaches in attendance, so that was cool.
DD and I went and watched some of the college all star games (her first catching instructor was playing in it) and also went to quite a few 16U games. Some of the parks the 16U played in (including Saturday's brackets) were not that great of fields at all. If you happened to be able to play at Aurora though, those fields were crazy good.
Outside of softball we went to Estes Park and watched a concert at Red Rocks, which was awesome.
Was it an expensive vacation? Yes. But also one we looked forward to as a family and when flying back were all in agreement that we hoped it is on DD's schedule every year.