SenzaNome
07-31-2007, 07:57 AM
HotBeds Tournament 2007 Notes: Our team probably won’t do this one again next year. Although it’s billed as a big recruiting camp, there weren’t many scouts around until Monday (halfway through), by which time most teams were eliminated from any chance of making the finals (less than 10% of teams are in final 4) and the play was sloppy. Unless they were all sitting someplace else, never saw more than 4-5 scouts even at competitive, top level games. Usually there might be one scout, many times none. It seems the talk about scouts was to attract business to the camp.
Some good teams, but better teams appear to be heading for STX and Champ Camp. Some clubs sent two or three teams, so quality was spotty, with at least one club sending a fourth string rising junior team with some rising sophomores, others sending graduated seniors. No seeding of teams, so there were many blowouts, which makes it hard for defensive players on top teams to be seen. Rumor has it the all star team (~50 out of 950 make it) is based on picks by college scouts, but with so few scouts at most fields, many players were probably never seen or seen rarely. Our team never got to play on either turf field, so maybe that’s where the scouts were.
Refs seemed good with two and three (!!) ref crews at all fields. At any given time, half the teams are playing, so refs scheduled to cover 22+ games each in 2+ days. Apparently they got a raise this year. Good staff of college lax players to babysit teams. The “instruction” by college coaches mentioned on Hotbeds website never happened. The website and materials were pretty shoddy, but good enough (except they forgot to warn people to bring their own toilet paper to the dorms). Check-in was slow.
There were 44 teams (950 plus players), each scheduled 11 games (1 canceled for rain, some shortened, sometimes refs eliminated half time, which is dangerous in the heat). Not so hot this year as prior years, but some rain. Dorms had air-conditioning but staying in a hotel might be better, though every hotel up and down I-95 was packed. Univ of Dela. is very spread out, so teams spent way too much time on buses to go to dorm, to meals, and to fields (5+ miles from dorms). Fields also spread out, with some being very poor quality (storm drains and puddles in play). (Not as bad as Sizzle fields, closer to Tri-State.) This tournament seems to have outgrown the space, probably to get as many paying customers as possible, so most of the fields are in poor locations, including local public schools.
Some good teams, but better teams appear to be heading for STX and Champ Camp. Some clubs sent two or three teams, so quality was spotty, with at least one club sending a fourth string rising junior team with some rising sophomores, others sending graduated seniors. No seeding of teams, so there were many blowouts, which makes it hard for defensive players on top teams to be seen. Rumor has it the all star team (~50 out of 950 make it) is based on picks by college scouts, but with so few scouts at most fields, many players were probably never seen or seen rarely. Our team never got to play on either turf field, so maybe that’s where the scouts were.
Refs seemed good with two and three (!!) ref crews at all fields. At any given time, half the teams are playing, so refs scheduled to cover 22+ games each in 2+ days. Apparently they got a raise this year. Good staff of college lax players to babysit teams. The “instruction” by college coaches mentioned on Hotbeds website never happened. The website and materials were pretty shoddy, but good enough (except they forgot to warn people to bring their own toilet paper to the dorms). Check-in was slow.
There were 44 teams (950 plus players), each scheduled 11 games (1 canceled for rain, some shortened, sometimes refs eliminated half time, which is dangerous in the heat). Not so hot this year as prior years, but some rain. Dorms had air-conditioning but staying in a hotel might be better, though every hotel up and down I-95 was packed. Univ of Dela. is very spread out, so teams spent way too much time on buses to go to dorm, to meals, and to fields (5+ miles from dorms). Fields also spread out, with some being very poor quality (storm drains and puddles in play). (Not as bad as Sizzle fields, closer to Tri-State.) This tournament seems to have outgrown the space, probably to get as many paying customers as possible, so most of the fields are in poor locations, including local public schools.