Stars over Texas Tournament - Is it really an Exposure Tournament

[sbparent]

They charge exposure tournament fees but does it deserve to be called an "exposure" tournament?  They never provide a list of coaches that have registered. In two days I saw a total of 3 colleges at the tournament.  Coaches at the Summer version of SOT was a little better; saw maybe 7 schools respresented.  Not much bang for the buck for teams.  Coaches I saw this weekend represented the following:

Louisana College  D3

University Of Dallas  D3

Galveston College  JUCO

[Guest bigcat]

LSU Eunice --- Juco

San Jacinto --- Juco

Lamar P.A. ---Juco

Texas Southern  ?

  Was some of the other schools I saw there on Saturday. Didn't see many on Sunday.

  Our area has to figure out a way to get more coaches coming. I know Stars does all they can do, to get the coaches to come out. And yes we doe have the talent here.

[mjones830]

I guess because my daughter is younger, I’m not much into the exposure tournaments.  I seen quite a few coaches there Saturday, but did not know the schools they were from.  Hats off to Lamar for showing up and playing in the tournament, I wish colleges would follow up and play more of these tournaments in the Beaumont area.  The Lamar catcher sure had a great arm and made some base runners honest.

[RVerde]

The only way we are going to get more coaches to come here is to get the better teams to come. The only way we will get the better teams to come is to have a good group of teams from our area that are more competitive. They can play better teams and not travel. Craig did a good job a couple of years ago when he got some of the Houston teams come and play but that is hard to do.

[BWCoach]

Add two more to the above mentioned list.  Southeastern (Hammond La.) D-1  was there Sat and Sun. And Rey Gonzales formerly of Sterling College in Kansas, was here representing Huston-Tillotson a new NAIA program located in Austin, where his daughter is the new head coach.  Good Luck to both of them.

[MOMMA2]

My daughter and her team's have attended several Stars Over Texas Showcases over the years.I am kind of starting to feel that if the teams are to pay exposure fees, there should be several college rep's attending the showcase.I would like to see a list of college rep's COMMITED to being at the showcase.It would also let the girls know for a fact who's going to attend,so they can email the coaches about them being at the showcase.I still feel that the fee is a little high for so few of college rep's attending.

[Guest bigcat]

The only way we are going to get more coaches to come here is to get the better teams to come. The only way we will get the better teams to come is to have a good group of teams from our area that are more competitive. They can play better teams and not travel. Craig did a good job a couple of years ago when he got some of the Houston teams come and play but that is hard to do.

You hit the nail on the head Mr. Verde.

[sbparent]

The only way we are going to get more coaches to come here is to get the better teams to come. The only way we will get the better teams to come is to have a good group of teams from our area that are more competitive. They can play better teams and not travel. Craig did a good job a couple of years ago when he got some of the Houston teams come and play but that is hard to do.

You hit the nail on the head Mr. Verde.

How did he get the teams from Houston to come to Beaumont?  Given the weather situation, I am sure Ford Park was the only venue that could have played on Saturday and Sunday so I would think that would be a plus for teams to come there.  I don't think there was another exposure tournament last weekend.  I believe the Metroplex has their rounds of exposure tournaments starting next weekend. 

[CRUSHCOACH]

  All I can say is I like the Stars Over Texas. We have had at least 4 to 5 girls get picked up by schools at this tournament over the past couple of years. Plus it's in our own backyard ! The tournament directors try each year to get other Colleges to come and they are constantly in contact with schools and working each year to make the tournament better and better. And they have made it better! They also give out scholarships to deserving kids each tournament, how many others do that ???

  The upgrades that Ford Park has made to most of the fields have helped out quite a bit as well, since I don't think anyone else was playing ball this weekend due to weather. But, its everyones responsibility to email coaches at Colleges to let them know where their team will be playing and when. Not just the tournament directors. If every kid sends at least one email to a college coach with their schedule of the Stars Over Texas, the tournament could be even better. It will take everyone stepping up to make it work, not just the Tournament Directors.

  Bottom line if your DD wants a scholarship to play ball, it requires allot of work on her part and the parents part as well as the coaches. And part of that work is letting College Coaches know where they will be playing at. 

[Guest shake and bake]

Several of the colleges that my DD has emailed were there. Including SELA,LAC,and Galveston. Some could not come and the weather was bad so some didn't show up. Location is 1 problem. Bmt Tx is at the end of the world for some . Dallas is more centrally located and Houston has a big following also. The Cole's have put a lot of time and effort into their tournaments and we know they are trying to grow them every year. If you are questioning the tournament then ask yourself how many contacts that the kids made and what was the response of the college coaches. That kind of feedback might be helpful if passed on to Ronnie and Nara. 

[HR4MEK4U]

SOMETHING TO CONSIDER: Many of the programs Texas and some LA. are still up to their elbows in their own programs speaking of last exposure tournament. The best times are of course the end of October November first few weekends. I know other tournaments are during this time etc....Remember this is also the time most select teams travel to those particular Universities for Round Robins on their Campuses. With out a doubt the players have to contact all the surounding area coaches and when you are dealing with this type of Regional exposure tournament so all the kids should be requesting most of the same schools.

[Guest bigcat]

I would like to thank the Coles, for having this tournament. People like them, are helping our girls get exposed. Our area needs all the help we can get. Some girls have worked their tails off to get a college scholarship, and a shot at playing college ball. The more help they can get , the better.

[vcaldwell]

I bring my team 5 hours to play at SOT tournaments. I have been to SOT events and seen plenty of coaches (20ish). There are many factors that determine coach attendance. The biggest is how many players contact coaches and ask them to come. College fall season is also a factor, especially this year with all of the rainouts.

Let's compare Stars Over Texas (Ford Park) to other fall exposure events....

Ronald McDonald... 140+ teams, uses up to 5 complexes as far apart as 1 hour, coaches rarely leave main venue in Cypress, half the teams are LUCKY to see a single game in Cypress unless you are one of the TOP Houston teams or from out of state, good luck getting a list of confirmed coaches

Elite Diamond Showcase (Plano, Oct) ... 140+ teams, out of town teams must book hotels through tournament at inflated prices, uses 4 complexes, few if any coaches leave Heritage yards, cost can be as much as $500 + umps, many teams don't see Heritage Yards and if they do they play late Sunday after coaches have left (this is so they can get more gate fees), wide variety of coaches but if players haven't done their work good luck getting them to leave Heritage,  good luck getting a list of confirmed coaches

NRGSL .... good fields, close together, limited to 48 teams, decent regional college turnout (similar to SOT), good luck getting a list of confirmed coaches

Elite Showcase (Nov)... smaller version of Oct showcase, after D1 observation date so only D2, D3, NAIA (few), JC; better chance of playing at main complex, weather can be a major issue, cost, hotels the same as Oct event,  good luck getting a list of confirmed coaches

SOT events..... played at one complex, no mandatory hotel (they actually bust their butt's to help teams find rooms), typically good regional coach attendance, I have always been able to get a list of expected coaches just by asking, they work with you on scheduling, [b]offer scholarships to players who attend their events[/b] (no one else does)

There are other smaller showcases but these are the main fall events. Impact Slugger and Glory events in the summer are small and tend to be selective. In my experience both have been hit and miss on coach attendance.

If more teams supported SOT and more players did their work I think more coaches would attend.

JMHO,
Vic

[mjones830]

[size=16pt]Just attended the first ever Stars over Texas in Victoria, Texas, there was a small turn out however, I strongly believe that this event will grow to possibly the largest SOT event in the near future due to the extremely nice complex.  Unlike FORD PARK, the fields were maintained professionally by the CITY and the concessions were reasonable and delivered great food. Also, even though a small turnout, I did see several college coaches at this event, 10 maybe 15 coaches total.  Several of the coaches walked around observing the games in their non-coaching apparels which made it difficult to tell who they were.  [/size]  

[JohnnyT60]

Well I hope the one in Beaumont continues to grow. I know Ronnie and Nara work hard but what needs to happen is for all of the teams in this area to commit to it and get a few teams from Houston over here as well. You can do everything right and talk to the coaches until your blue in the face, but if they don't feel they have someone to come and watch it won't matter. So instead of throwing darts at this one, everyone in the area needs to do everything they can to make it a success, because in the end your kids will be the ones to benefit if this tournament succeeds.

[maddog]

[quote name="mj830" post="689884" timestamp="1256862042"]
[size=16pt]Just attended the first ever Stars over Texas in Victoria, Texas, there was a small turn out however, I strongly believe that this event will grow to possibly the largest SOT event in the near future due to the extremely nice complex. Unlike FORD PARK, the fields were maintained professionally by the CITY and the concessions were reasonable and delivered great food. Also, even though a small turnout, I did see several college coaches at this event, 10 maybe 15 coaches total. Several of the coaches walked around observing the games in their non-coaching apparels which made it difficult to tell who they were.  [/size]  
[/quote]
I agree with this post as a coach, I saw a lot of contact with College Coaches and a number of girls were contacted at closure of activities Sunday.
I also agree Ronnie and Nora do a great service to area and The girls who aspire to play and go to next level of play.
We need to appreciate those who work hard and support Girls Fast Pitch Softball...
Ford Park although not my favorite place to play, is a local venue (College street is looking good now days ;) and should be a priority for our support.
After all it is a lot cheaper to play local and fan support from families is much more easy to attain.

[sball fever]

I believe they do a good job. If the extra $25 makes a difference to you, I would play in another type of tournament in Houston...it is always cheaper to drive over there.

[trout]

There are not very many college coaches at these tournaments but it is not about how many coaches that are there. It is are the coaches that there are looking to sign your kids. I have had a couple of kids signed at these tournaments and as a softball community we need to support these local tournaments as much as possible. The Coles work very hard at making these tournaments a success for the local kids and have done a good job at. We need to make sure that everyone is emailing these coaches to get them there. The responsibility for getting coaches there really lies with us, the teams that are playing there. I hope that everyone continues to go to these tournaments support the local people that support our softball community.

[BWCoach]

I will echo what Trout and several others have posted regarding the coaches, and will also tip my hat to Ronnie and Nara for the hard work that they have done at the Stars over Texas tourneys in Beaumont.  They really have bent over backwards in the organizing and accomodating process of running large tournaments, and if the coaches, recruiters, parents and young ladies will just elevate their efforts just a hair more in the coach emailing/contacting areas, I think we will realize a whole lot more successes in our goals.  Thanks again, Ronnie and Nara, and we will see you in a couple of weeks. 

[Mr.Green Jeans]

It makes it very nice to have this tournament in our own backyard.  "THANKS ALL THE HARD WORK"

[trophyman]

its usualy ran very well even if the big schools don't show there are a lot of our girls that can play juco or d3 but not that many can go d-1 for one reason or another

[Guest screwball queen]

$$$ talks....most Juco's offer a lot more money than D1's..My daughter got almost a 100% ride from a Juco for 2 years (all we pay for is her food..) whereas most D1's offered her only 60-75% with  two offereing 95% if she wanted to live in New York or Main for 4 years.. plus sometimes we forget they are going to college for an education...

[Guest shake and bake]

Mine got a FULL ride from a JUCO. The Cole's also talked to several coaches at their tournaments about my daughter and also Give scholarships out twice a year.

[JohnnyT60]

Several girls from around here have played at the D1 level, many more have played JUCO, D2, or D3. Don't get hung up on having to play D1. Get an education, have fun, and play ball, in that order. Many D2 and D3's are excellent academic institutions, and JUCO's can serve as a bridge to get you where you want to go. Ronnie and Nara work hard to make this tournament all that it can be, but it won't happen overnight or by just them working on this. If you have a suggestion that would make it better or can volunteer to make it better, do it. The success of this tournamnent falls on you and serves you. If you play in this tournament and have been communicating with coaches make sure they know you will be playing here..