My first girls travel softball tournament was an eye-opening experience

I got my first exposure to the world of girls travel softball on Saturday, and it was an eye-opening experience.

My daughter played in a 12U travel softball tournament on Saturday in Millbrook, and it was the first such tournament she’d ever played in. It was also the first such tournament that my wife and I had ever attended, so it was a new experience for all of us.

Over the years, “travel ball” for both baseball and softball has gotten bigger and bigger, and it’s supposed to benefit the child if they’re hoping to get better at the game. This makes sense to me because I’ve always been of the opinion that you’ve got to play in games if you really want to get better. This is why Major League Baseball has such a highly-developed minor league system, which provides what amounts to high-quality practice games for players they don’t have room for on their Major League rosters.

Also, most of these travel teams are invitation only-type teams, so most of the players are above average. No matter what game you’re playing, I don’t care if it’s checkers or horseshoes, players tend to rise to the level of their competition. In theory, win or lose, the typical travel ball player benefits from playing travel ball because they’re competing against good competition.

Saturday’s tournament was held at the impressive Mill Creek Sports Complex in Millbrook and when we arrived at the park around 11 a.m., there were already games underway on the six fields there. There were hundreds of people there already, not counting all of the players and coaches that were taking part in the festivities. The event not only included 12U teams like my daughter’s but also teams in other age groups, including older girls that looked high school age and younger girls in the early elementary school grades.

In my estimation, the crowd there at that time rivaled the largest crowd that Hillcrest drew for any of their football games last season. There’s no telling how much money this event raked in for the organizers. Not only did the concession stand stay busy all day, but you can imagine how much money was spent at gas stations and restaurants in and around Millbrook that day.

This being our “first rodeo,” my wife and I thought we were well-prepared for a long day of softball. We had our little wagon filled with camp chairs, snacks and drinks, but we’d forgotten one important thing – a canopy tent. Looking around, we were apparently the only folks in the park who hadn’t brought one because there were literally dozens and dozens of these tents set up all around each field.

More veteran softball parents had not only claimed the best spots, but they’d also set up camp for a long day of watching softball. These folks not only had the best artificial shade that money could buy, but some also had electric generators, grills and even hammocks. It reminded me a lot of what you’d see out of tailgaters at an Alabama or Auburn football game – only with a softball flavor to it.

It’s more than smart to make yourself comfortable for the long haul at these types of events, especially in hot weather like we had on Saturday. On more than one occasion, I felt like a bug under a magnifying glass as the hot sun beat down on my head. My daughter’s first game was at 12:30 p.m. and the last game wrapped up around 11:30 p.m., that is, about 11 hours later. We enjoyed ourselves (especially since my daughter’s team won their 10-team tournament), but it does pay to be prepared.

In the end, from a long-time sports observer’s point of view, it was fun to be introduced into the unique subculture of girls travel softball. It does make for a long day, but, for the most part, it’s good, clean fun. However, with that said, I will have me one of those fancy tents next time, and I may even throw in a hammock for good measure.