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Colorado

What's on your mind?

by Lone Staarr » Mon Jun 27, 2016 1:26 pm

Good luck to all travelling to Colorado to play in the Fireworks, Sparkler and Independence tournaments!

Safe travels!
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by Hurricane » Tue Jun 28, 2016 7:21 pm

1. Does anyone know what the different Divisions mean for teams in the Colorado Sparkler Tournament?

- Open
- Elite
- Power Pool
- Kennedy
- Supplementary Power Pool

2. Does playing in different cities mean anything? or does that just go with whatever Division you are placed in?

Westminster; Aurora; Boulder, etc.
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by Lone Staarr » Wed Jun 29, 2016 7:36 am

Weather not cooperating here in Colorado!

Hurricane- I believe due to the quality or previous success of the team you get placed in a certain pool. Ultimately you can play yourself into the "power pool"? I believe the power pool or the supers are the elite pools? Anybody else have a better answer?
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by PDad » Wed Jun 29, 2016 8:12 am

There are 3 events going on this week - Boulder IDT, TCS Fireworks and TCS Sparkler.

Boulder is very difficult to get into and their format is very straight forward - 6 pool games over 3 days to seed teams into 1 single elimination bracket.

TCS has blurred the line between Sparkler and Fireworks since they acquired the more highly-regarded Fireworks several years ago. Their format has evolved over recent years from straight forward pools seeding into different brackets into a very confusing mixture of divisions, pools and brackets. TCS uses a unique elimination format that begins with truncated 8-team double elimination brackets where final 2 teams from each are seeded into a championship single elimination bracket.

The top TCS bracket is the Super 48. All Power Pool teams are seeded into it along with just the top Supplemental Power Pool finishers. The Super 48 and Power Pools are "Fireworks Sparkler". There are separate Supplemental Pools for Fireworks and Sparkler as the non-qualifiers are seeded into other brackets specific to each.

All the Fireworks teams that didn't make it into the Super 48 are seeded into 1 set of TCS brackets.

Sparkler format varies by age group. 18U Supplemental Pool teams that didn't make it into the Super 48 (2nd-4th) are seeded with Open pool winners into the Mt. Elbert. The rest of the 18U Open teams are seeded into Longs Peak.

16U Supplemental Pool teams that didn't make it into the Super 48 (i,e, 3rd-4th) are seeded into the Elite Division. The 16U Open teams are seeded into brackets by their pool finish - Mt. Elbert (1st), Grays Peak (2nd), Longs Peak (3rd) and Horsetooth (4th).

The Kennedy Division is a recent addition where all teams are seeded into 1 set of TCS brackets. I don't know how it ranks versus Open Division. All elimination games are played at Kennedy and all pool games for each age group are played at one park, so teams should be able to choose hotels close to their parks.
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by Hurricane » Wed Jun 29, 2016 10:32 am

thanks, PDad!!!
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by fastpitchdad05 » Wed Jun 29, 2016 5:25 pm

PDad wrote:There are 3 events going on this week - Boulder IDT, TCS Fireworks and TCS Sparkler.

Boulder is very difficult to get into and their format is very straight forward - 6 pool games over 3 days to seed teams into 1 single elimination bracket.

TCS has blurred the line between Sparkler and Fireworks since they acquired the more highly-regarded Fireworks several years ago. Their format has evolved over recent years from straight forward pools seeding into different brackets into a very confusing mixture of divisions, pools and brackets. TCS uses a unique elimination format that begins with truncated 8-team double elimination brackets where final 2 teams from each are seeded into a championship single elimination bracket.

The top TCS bracket is the Super 48. All Power Pool teams are seeded into it along with just the top Supplemental Power Pool finishers. The Super 48 and Power Pools are "Fireworks Sparkler". There are separate Supplemental Pools for Fireworks and Sparkler as the non-qualifiers are seeded into other brackets specific to each.

All the Fireworks teams that didn't make it into the Super 48 are seeded into 1 set of TCS brackets.

Sparkler format varies by age group. 18U Supplemental Pool teams that didn't make it into the Super 48 (2nd-4th) are seeded with Open pool winners into the Mt. Elbert. The rest of the 18U Open teams are seeded into Longs Peak.

16U Supplemental Pool teams that didn't make it into the Super 48 (i,e, 3rd-4th) are seeded into the Elite Division. The 16U Open teams are seeded into brackets by their pool finish - Mt. Elbert (1st), Grays Peak (2nd), Longs Peak (3rd) and Horsetooth (4th).

The Kennedy Division is a recent addition where all teams are seeded into 1 set of TCS brackets. I don't know how it ranks versus Open Division. All elimination games are played at Kennedy and all pool games for each age group are played at one park, so teams should be able to choose hotels close to their parks.


I was gonna help, but I was still fumbling with my abacus. :mrgreen:
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by Lone Staarr » Mon Jul 04, 2016 2:33 pm

Texas Bombers win TCS 18U Super 48!

Texas Aces Express finish 3rd.


SoCal A's Mercado win TCS 16U Super 48!
Texas Glory Adkins finish 3rd.

Nice run for the Texas Teams. Texas represented well in both the IDT and TCS SparkFire!

Is Texas softball starting to catch up to SoCal and the rest of the country?
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by fontana10! » Mon Jul 04, 2016 4:14 pm

Lone Starr I do believe Texas has great talent. But to say they showed really well is crazy. In the IDT they had 1 team in the Elite 8. That's in all of the age groups.... :o. That by no means is showing well.
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by PDad » Mon Jul 04, 2016 5:13 pm

FTR, most top TX teams play in the TCS Super 48 rather than Boulder IDT. I only see 17 TX teams total in Boulder IDT - 4 Boulder, 5 Louisville, 4 Longmont and 4 Broomfield. I see at least 13 TX teams in the 18U Super 48 alone.

I think TX teams are coerced by TCS since they acquired the Ronald McDonald showcase, probably the best one in Texas.
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by Pale Rider » Tue Jul 05, 2016 5:44 am

...From my questionable intel
The price hikes coming will make them even more 'elite tourneys'
AKA "Thread Killer"

"Damnation seize my soul if I give you quarters, or take any from you."
Edward "Blackbeard" Teach
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