PGF vs. ASA - Round 2

[Southpaw729]

I fully get both the economic and location "advantages" of staying at home to play. However I have always felt that part of this whole softball extravaganza we put ourselves through is the experiences and memories our DDs get to keep through the process. Although the aroma of cattle may not be an endearing memory of Midland I think playing on the same fields for PGF in SoCal the girls play friendlies at just won't create the same memories.

We played in 107 degrees in Portland a few years back and, yes, it sucked but my daughter still tells the stories of the tournament and our drive up and back. I just don't think playing in HB would have meant the same to her. Maybe I'm in the minority, but I thought I'd weigh in.

[ICMTM]

I'm sure the OU Sooner girls are plenty happy to try and get to the WCWS, no?

I don't know if people in CA would look forward to going to a national tournament hosted in Merced, Ca either. It's not a knock on Merced as a city. It's just not a destination you go to on vacation. Merced, Madera, Midland...kind of all the same to me except Midland comes with a huge price tag. A lot of these National Tournament locations are a drivable distance for most people. Chattanooga, TN is 600 miles from most of the cities East of the Mississippi. That's kind of a big deal.

The big issue if we're being honest is the better teams are coming from West of the Mississippi. It's an all day thing to fly out there and it's a three day thing to drive out there. The reality is the competition for the upper echelon teams is within a drivable distance of Downtown Los Angeles. Last year in the 12's and 14's there weren't many teams in the top 20 outside of CA & AZ. I wouldn't argue this as an economic issue. The issue simply becomes a practical issue. If teams can play in a more competitive tournament why wouldn't they? A few individuals took it upon themselves to create the atmosphere of a National Tournament on the West Coast. The Utrip TCS World Series is in Reno for the 12s. It's another option for teams to play a National Tournament with quality teams close to home. The argument really is that SoCal is where the best softball is being played. Why leave home for a sub par tournament?

[ICMTM]

Just to give you a parallel nobody is crying that the Pop Warner National Championships are held in Lake Buena Vista, Fl. EVERY YEAR. Everyone knows the South and South East part of the country is where the best football is being played. There isn't an outcry to change that.

Not having teams come West is kind of backwards if you ask me.

[Informal]

We live in the "hotbed" of Fastpitch Softball.. No one can argue that.

The NFL Draft is always in New York, and Fastpitch championship games should always be in SoCal.

There, I said it lol.

[MavFan]

We live in the "hotbed" of Fastpitch Softball.. No one can argue that.

The NFL Draft is always in New York, and Fastpitch championship games should always be in SoCal.

There, I said it lol.

Uh, but the Super Bowl isn't always held in the same location.

If PGF, doesn't move their national championship out of SoCal, at least once every three years, you will see less and less teams from east of the Rockies, trying to qualify or accepting the berths. The number of teams at the 18U PGF qualifier in Houston was down by half, the Florida qualifier had huge issues, and I believe one of the teams "qualified" from the NE qualifier was the 7th place team in that qualifer. So teams must have forfeited their berths to get to 7th.


JMHO

[bugdad]

This is purely about economics and a power play for control . . . Nothing more nothing less.

[americandad]

AMEN

[ICMTM]

We live in the "hotbed" of Fastpitch Softball.. No one can argue that.

The NFL Draft is always in New York, and Fastpitch championship games should always be in SoCal.

There, I said it lol.

Uh, but the Super Bowl isn't always held in the same location.

If PGF, doesn't move their national championship out of SoCal, at least once every three years, you will see less and less teams from east of the Rockies, trying to qualify or accepting the berths. The number of teams at the 18U PGF qualifier in Houston was down by half, the Florida qualifier had huge issues, and I believe one of the teams "qualified" from the NE qualifier was the 7th place team in that qualifer. So teams must have forfeited their berths to get to 7th.


JMHO

You mean how California teams are doing with ASA? It seems to me with options teams are doing what they feel is best for their org.

[MavFan]

We live in the "hotbed" of Fastpitch Softball.. No one can argue that.

The NFL Draft is always in New York, and Fastpitch championship games should always be in SoCal.

There, I said it lol.

Uh, but the Super Bowl isn't always held in the same location.

If PGF, doesn't move their national championship out of SoCal, at least once every three years, you will see less and less teams from east of the Rockies, trying to qualify or accepting the berths. The number of teams at the 18U PGF qualifier in Houston was down by half, the Florida qualifier had huge issues, and I believe one of the teams "qualified" from the NE qualifier was the 7th place team in that qualifer. So teams must have forfeited their berths to get to 7th.


JMHO

You mean how California teams are doing with ASA? It seems to me with options teams are doing what they feel is best for their org.

I am not understanding your post.

One of the apparent issues the folks that started PGF had with ASA was the location of the national championship tournament and the length of time to play the event out. My point is that if they keep it in SoCal for the next few years, they run the risk of losing credibility with teams not located in the Pacific Time Zone.

[bugs]

Looks like teams coming from other than the west coast and texas is already happening in PGF as only 4 teams entered in the 14u are from east of texas.