14U Colorado Fireworks vs Colorado Sparkler

[Wildcat]

I have always heard that the Colorado Fireworks was a better recruiting tournament than the Colorado Sparkler. When you look at the college coaches that attended each, the fireworks has more D1 colleges represented and the Sparkler more junior colleges. And on a thread here on HB "Fireworks vs. Sparkler" the general consensus was in favor of the Fireworks.

Before everyone starts bashing me, I know that minimal recruiting is being done in the 14U division but why are most of the California 14U teams going to the sparkler instead of the Fireworks?

Could any of the teams listed below going to the sparkler care to comment.

Colorado Fireworks
California Rebels – Bellflower - California

Colorado Sparkler
OC Batbusters - Steve - California
Mizuno Pride - California
OC Nighthawks - California
OC Batbusters Ray - California
South Bay Stars - California
California TNT - California
Lakewood Firecrackers Painter - California
Roseville Heat - California
East Bat Thunda Stryke - California
East County Hotshots - California
Lady Magic - California
Huntington Beach Breeze - California
Artesia Punishers - California
American Athletics - California
San Jose Sting – California
Salinas Storm Bramers - California

[J Fierce]

A 12u team (Batbusters Ray) in a 14u recruiting tourney? Good for them.....i guess.

[NumeroUno]

For 10s, 12s, and 14s Sparkler is nothing more than another Triple Crown tournament.

That's right and that is a long way to travel for that. Now 16's is huge for recruiting up in the Rockies

[NORCALGOLD]

If you are going to Clororado for recruiting at 14u you are wasting your time at 14's. But if you are going for the tournament or just to have fun.
Have a Great Time .....

[anonlooker]

I'm stunned that all those CA teams are going to the Sparkler. As Spazsdad noted, it's nothing more than another TCS event, and by the looks of it, the same teams will be playing each other... again!

DD went to 14u Fireworks a couple years back, we were the only CA team, many from TX and eastern teams (NJ, VA, etc). Great tournament in every respect, has a national feel to it with teams from all over. And also might help pave the way for a team looking to play in the Fireworks in the upper age groups down the road. (BB, CA et al may have 'established' covered, but many teams do not)

Going to CO to play the TCS event just doesn't make much sense. It will be the least attended by college coaches, who are already familiar with Fireworks, Aurora, Boulder - not so much Sparkler, which is really just a money play by TCS to capitalize on the well established Fireworks.

One reason may be that the Fireworks accepts teams that have been before, or teams they are familiar with, and since the 14u operates separately from the older brackets, it may be that they turned down the CA teams (for whatever reason).

[Stevo]

Don't waste your money! I used to take my prior team and then realized it was a waste of time and money and this coming from someone who won the whole thing a couple years ago. If you can't play Boulder, I think you should target ASA National qualifiers instead where you are going to play good competitive teams and also let a team work on 2 game elimination format tournaments for Nationals. I found that it was all about the money, crappy field conditions and locations although the fireworks for 14's has much better fields. If I did had to do it again and could not do Boulder I would do the Fireworks over Sparkler. The Sparkler was by far the worst. We played a 138 team championship game on a dusty field with a baseball mound on it and that was in the 16 division.

It was nice to play teams from all over giving it that national feel.

[Under the Radar]

Colorado Firework teams entered.

12u

Colorado Stars Broomfield Colorado
Colorado Stampede Englewood Colorado
Ft. Collins Buckaroos Fort Collins Colorado
HitStreak Parker Colorado
Kaikamahine Honolulu Hawaii
New Mexico Sol '97 Albuquerque New Mexico
Hudson Valley Express Hopewell Junction New York
Gametime Stars 97 Oklahoma City Oklahoma
Blaze Yukon Oklahoma
Oklahoma Hot Shots Tahlequah Oklahoma
Tulsa Shootout Broken Arrow Oklahoma
Texas Hawks '97 The Woodlands Texas
Texas Shockwave League City Texas
Washington Hurricanes Redmond Washington

14u

Scottsdale Fever Gilbert Arizona
California Rebels Bellflower California
Fort Collins Buckaroos Fort Collins Colorado
White Rock Renegades '95 Surrey BC Canada
Colorado Stampede Highlands Ranch Colorado
East Cobb Bullets - Reed Canton Georgia
Georgia Impact Black McDonough Georgia
Georgia Impact Gold Forest Park Georgia
East Cobb Bullets-Johnson Lawrenceville Georgia
Kaikamahine Honolulu Hawaii
Kansas Renegades Clearwater Kansas
KC Extreme Shawnee Kansas
KC Xplosion Overland Park Kansas
KC Zephyrs Lenexa Kansas
Minnesota Stars '95 Eagan Minnesota
Diamond Skilz '95 Independence Missouri
KC Force Kearney Missouri
Originals Liberty Township Missouri
Omaha Quakes Black Papillion Nebraska
Quakes Omaha Red Omaha Nebraska
New Mexico Sol '95 Albuquerque New Mexico
New Mexico Sundancers Rio Rancho New Mexico
Hudson Valley Express Hopewell Junction New York
Starz Jenks Oklahoma
Oklahoma Twisters Norman Oklahoma
Oklahoma Xplosion Claremore Oklahoma
Oklahoma Power Broken Arrow Oklahoma
Oklahoma Bedlam Oologah Oklahoma
Power Surge Oklahoma City Oklahoma
Oregon Thunder Hillsboro Oregon
NW Wildcats Canby Oregon
Newtown Rock Blue Newtown Pennsylvania
Philadelphia Spirit Philadelphia Pennsylvania
Austin Stars Round Rock Texas
Houston Power Huffman Texas
SK Impact '95 Houston Texas
Sudden Impact - Serrett Spring Texas
Sugar Land Batbusters Sugar Land Texas
Texas Crush League City Texas
Texas Elite '95 McKinney Texas
Texas Glory Adkins Princeton Texas
Texas LITE Houston Texas
Texas Shockwave Seabrook Texas
Texas Storm Elite Houston Texas
Vienna Stars Manassas Virginia
Rijo Athletics Woodinville Washington
Edmonds Starz Mountlake Terrace Washington
Absolute Blast Covington Washington
Sidewinders Seattle Washington
Washington Acers Kent Washington

[Under the Radar]

Colorado Sparkler

12U (Full) Wait list started.

1. Oklahoma Hotshots - Oklahoma
2. Blaze 12U Fastpitch - Oklahoma
3. Texas Peppers 98 - Texas
4. Desert Thunder 97 - Arizona
5. Wasco Diamonds - Illinois
6. Lady Bombers - Colorado
7. Crush - Colorado
8. NMWS - New Mexico
9. Arctic Storm - Alaska
10. Utah Hotshotz - Utah
11. Konkoktions - California
12. Rockland Thunder - New York
13. Commotion - Colorado
14. Desert Thunder 97 - Arizona
15. CS Thunder - Colorado
16. KC Vandals - Kansas
17. Stingers - Colorado
18. Colorado Lynx - Colorado
19. Humble Cobras 97 - Texas
20. D Bats - Allen - Texas
21. Texas Force 98 - Texas
22. Xtreme Heat - California
23. Firebirds Balbin - Colorado
24. 98 Texas Rip - Texas
25. Muskogee Impact - Oklahoma
26. East County Hotshots - California
27. FC Stars - Augie - Colorado
28. Mizuno Pride - California
29. AZ Wildfire - Arizona
30. Pysclones Blue - Colorado

14U (Will take 100)

1. Commotion Black - Colorado
2. Olathe Rockets-Vickers - Kansas
3. OC Batbusters - Steve - California
4. Attitude - Kansas
5. Co Stars - Craig - Colorado
6. Hitstreak Inferno - Colorado
7. Chandler Crush - Arizona
8. Charge 95 - Utah
9. Wasco Diamonds - Illinois
10. Texas Aces - Texas
11. Blaze - Wood 95 - Oregon
12. Line Drive - Nevada
13. Texas Shadows - Texas
14. Lady Grays - Colorado
15. Minnesota Irish - Minnesota
16. LA Patriots - Louisiana
17. AZ Ice - Arizona
18. DC Express - Colorado
19. Oklahoma Dynamites - Oklahoma
20. Outlaws Red - Colorado
21. Mizuno Pride - California
22. FC Stars Quintana - Colorado
23. Arkansas STARZ 96 - Arkansas
24. Arctic Storm - Alaska
25. Oklahoma Finish - Oklahoma
26. MN Sting - Minnesota
27. Crush - Colorado
28. Lady Hustlers - Louisiana
29. OC Nighthawks - California
30. Humble Cobras - Texas
31. Arvada Blue Jays - Colorado
32. OC Batbusters Ray - California
33. Sugar and Spikes - Arizona
34. Seattle Venom - Washington
35. Bullets - Colorado
36. Magic - Colorado
37. South Bay Stars - California
38. Colorado Comets - Colorado
39. Sun Devils - Texas
40. FC Stars Angelica - Colorado
41. Idaho Diamond Bandits - Idaho
42. California TNT - California
43. Stingers - Colorado
44. Lakewood Firecrackers Painter - California
45. Hawks - Texas
46. Colorado Cardinals - Colorado
47. East Cobb Bullets - Walters - Georgia
48. Warriors 95 - Colorado
49. East Wake Spirit - North Carolina
50. Worth Wicked 95 - Tenessee
51. KC Fire - Kansas
52. FW Batbusters - Texas
53. Spring Stealth - Texas
54. Vodoo - Louisianna
55. Ralston Rage - Nebraska
56. Roseville Heat - California
57. East Bat Thunda Stryke - California
58. East County Hotshots - California
59. Pony Express Colts - Colorado
60. Pure Adrenaline - Arizona
61. Lady Magic - California
62. Commotion - Duran - Colorado
63. Tennessee Diamonds 95 - Tennessee
64. Huntington Beach Breeze - California
65. Artesia Punishers - California
66. CS Thunder - Colorado
67. American Athletics - California
68. Omaha Sizzle Red - Nebraska
69. San Jose Sting - California
70. Desert Thunder 96 - Arizona
71. Texas Glory - Texas
72. Nevada Lightning White - Nevada
73. Majestix - Colorado
74. Texas Sting - White
75. Salinas Storm Bramers - California
76. 96 Texas Peppers - Texas
77. Dirt Devils - Colorado
78. Rocky Mountain Thunder - Colorado
79. Firebirds - Horan - Colorado
80. Nightmare Fastpitch Black - New Jersey
81. Parker Thunderhawks- Colorado
82. NorCal Legends - California
83. Oklahoma Elite - Oklahoma
84. Majestix Fire - Colorado

[txfastptchcoach]

The difference between the Sparkler and Fireworks from the 14U Division and up is the Fireworks teams go thru an approval process. You just can't send in your money and think you’re in. If you get approved you must show well or you will not be approved next time around. The 18U Gold Tournament in Boulder (Independence) is the BIG DADDY. It is at one complex and the College Coaches are at abundance. We traveled there last year and saw several College Coaches at the main Complex for the 14U division. This might not have been a norm but it happened last year. I got an email from them (Fireworks) and it said the winner's from the Sparkler will play the winner's from the Fireworks at the end in each age group. Don't hold me to this because we will not be making the trip this year. We will definitely be making the following though. I wish everyone safe travels and best of luck.

[Itjustcomesnatural]

So for 12's, which will be the better tournament this year? I'm reading that the Fireworks is better than the Sparkler but there are a lot more teams entered in the Sparkler. The teams entered in the Fireworks, are they a better caliber of talent We will definitely be looking for the best competition and over all experience between the two.