Midwest Fastpitch - keeptheboardcorrect@gmail.com

Midwest Fastpitch - keeptheboardcorrect@gmail.com
[ Midwest Fastpitch - keeptheboardcorrect@gmail.com ]

Colorado

Posted by Fanboy snaggletooth on June 28, 2026, 2:04 pm

Best of luck to all the area teams going to Colorado. Who is going where? Where is the best place to be?

Re: Colorado

Posted by Just Chill on July 5, 2026, 8:23 am, in reply to "Colorado "

Illinois Chill 14U and 18U both playing in Final 4 IDT today.

Re: Colorado

Posted by CO on June 29, 2026, 6:53 am, in reply to "Colorado "

Do you desire a list of every area team that is going to Colorado this week? Do you want to know where they are staying or playing? Perhaps you could be more specific.

Are you looking for the best place for tacos, sightseeing or river rafting? Or do you want us to explain the differences between IDT, Sparkler (NPP, Supplemental) and Firecracker?

Re: Colorado

Posted by For the record on June 29, 2026, 3:59 pm, in reply to "Re: Colorado "

I would like a short less than 1000 word explanation on the differences between the IDT and seminal sports "summer heat classic"

Re: Colorado

Posted by @For the record on June 30, 2026, 7:47 am, in reply to "Re: Colorado "

Dodgers vs Savanna Bananas

Re: Colorado

Posted by Geuninely Asking on June 29, 2026, 11:39 am, in reply to "Re: Colorado "

What is the difference between IDT, Sparkler & Firecracker? If a coach of a prospective team for next season says they will play at IDT next summer, what questions should I ask in order to gauge the likelihood of that happening?

Re: Colorado

Posted by @Geuninely Asking on June 30, 2026, 9:25 am, in reply to "Re: Colorado "

Have they played in the past? What is their current resume if they haven't, and who are they buddies with....

Re: Colorado

Posted by Lemme learn 'ya on June 30, 2026, 8:14 am, in reply to "Re: Colorado "

Newbies, pay attention - this will help give context to those claiming that Silverhawks and Wasco play A schedules...

There is a lot happening in CO right now:

P5 Patriot Games.
(Just ended on Sunday) This is an elite national tournament, invitation only. Some of the very best teams in the country. From our area, at 18, only Beverly Bandits, IP Dickel, IP Shannon and an IMG squad.

IDT.
this is the biggie happening now - the Independence Day Tournament. Also elite and also invitation only. From our area at 18, Chill is there, so is NLL Abbott, IMG Greene, Bandits Otto. Like P5, it's relatively small - especially compared to below

Sparkler/Fireworks
Triple Crown makes this confusing as hell. Fireworks is a 50 year old event and Sparkler is newer, but they integrate. The big thing to know is that National Power Pool is the highest division, then Power Pool, then Supplemental Power Pool, the Fireworks Power Pool, then Open.

So if you wanna know if a team you're looking at is going to play IDT, I'd ask them or look online and see if they did last year. Lots of teams say "we're going to Colorado" like it's all the same. But the difference between IDT and an Open pool is like Alabama playing SIU Edwardsville.

you can count on ONE hand the elite national teams in the midwest... stop lying 2 urself!

Re: Colorado

Posted by Silver Hawks on June 30, 2026, 1:28 pm, in reply to "Re: Colorado "

As a parent of a former Silver Hawk player who is now currently a D1 mid-major player, I really want to clarify something, there is no world that exists where the Silver Hawks are claiming to be some power house, that plays only elite level tourneys, all over the country, yadda, yadda. It is actually the exact opposite. For the most part they get the players that play for them exactly where they want to go and where they should be playing and on top of that, they do it without breaking the bank. They are extremely transparent with all families before they sign up, that they do not go to Colorado, they do not go to California, they even tried Chattanooga a couple years ago and it did not serve a purpose for the needs of the players on their teams. McNulty, Thijs and Brad do an unreal job of getting players in the right spots and have very few in the transfer portals afterwards. So go ahead and shoot down that business model all you want, it works for a ton of families for the last however many years they've been around.

Re: Colorado

Posted by Re: Silver on June 30, 2026, 2:48 pm, in reply to "Re: Colorado "

I totally agree, and actually didn't intend to disparage the org - it's one of the best in our area no doubt. It was more so to the lack of optics I think a lot of people on this board have about what the Big World Of Travel looks like. My kid didn't play for an A org either, but I tire of reading the squabbles over A vs B, when most of us are operating in C. And for most of us, that's perfect.

My apologies.

Re: Colorado

Posted by Waste on June 30, 2026, 9:36 pm, in reply to "Re: Colorado "

What a waste of money that these parents are paying. Sparks, new Lenox lightening are sending thier teams to Colorado and California. Non of these kids are playing D1. And if they are they are playing at NIU or some low end D1.
I wish all clubs can do what the Silverhawks do and be realistic.

Re: Colorado

Posted by Repeat on July 1, 2026, 10:05 pm, in reply to "Re: Colorado "

Silverhawks play in the same tournaments over and over. Often playing the same teams multiple times in the same season. If you’re alright with that, cool! But it’s nice to step out of Illinois, Wisconsin and Indiana to see the other talent level.

Re: Colorado

Posted by @Waste on July 1, 2026, 11:50 am, in reply to "Re: Colorado "

Your opinion is jaded and weak. There are plenty of examples of players who went to Colorado and Cali, shown very well, and ended up playing solid levels of D1 softball. I get it, you don't want to pay for your daughter to go. That's fine. But stop pushing your weak opinions off on others.

And take some of that money you saved, and take a writing course.

Re: Colorado

Posted by Silverwho???????? on July 1, 2026, 11:29 am, in reply to "Re: Colorado "

The 16u Silverhawk team has been in every state imaginable in the Midwest since last fall. Indiana, Kansas City, St Louis, Ohio and some of them a couple of times. Maybe they dont splurge and go to Colorado or California for a week at a time but dont kid yourself, I can guarantee you the cost of that teams hotel bill doubles most if not all in the northern Illinois area. Go look at where they went last fall and where they are this summer. Maybe some of the kids wouldnt mind a trip where they can go white water rafting and ride mountain coasters.

Re: Colorado

Posted by @Waste on July 1, 2026, 11:12 am, in reply to "Re: Colorado "

Maybe the cost of the trip isn't as consequential to those families as it is to yours? Also, take a look at the commitments on those teams, goes pretty deep.

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