Elite 24 World Series
Written by Alpha4Two
Aug 10th 2008 Hits: 1823
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0.0 |
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3.4 (2) |
User reviews
Average user rating from: 2 user(s)
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| Overall rating: |
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3.4 |
| Condition of baseball fields: |
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4.5 |
| Concessions: |
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3.0 |
| Umpires: |
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3.0 |
| Overall administration of the tournament : |
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3.0 |
| Overall Experience: |
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3.5 |
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Considering how much it cost to enter this tournament I guess my expectations were very high. To me this was just like any other tournament we had been to BUT it was supposed to be the ELITE! The opening ceremony was kinda blah with all the teams just walking in, listening to a short yet boring speech given by the head USSSA guy, and everyone was dismissed. No extra games or activities set up for the boys.
Seating was very limited for the backfields. Some parents just had to stand and there was hardly any shade. You would see a whole slew of people crammed together on the little bleachers so that they could get a little shade.
Remember to wear your comfy walking shoes as you'll be walking several miles a day to get back and forth to some of the fields in the back 40!!
The fields were just so so. I've definitely seen nicer fields at regular tournaments. I was expecting them to be top notch with it being Disney I guess.
There were water fountains in the dugouts but the boys said it tasted like warm muddy water. They had large water coolers set up in the middle of the walkway of the fields with little sippy cups that the players could get a sip of water. Luckily, some of us scooted by them and filled our boys water bottles with nice cool water. Definitely nice that you can bring your own cooler in with whatever you want. I was surprised at this considering how much they usually make on concessions.
Oh well....I appreciated it that they allow you to do that.
It was hard to find someone (friendly that is) that worked there to help with anything baseball as they all seem to be focused on the National Basketball Tournament going on at the same time.
Because the fields are all so spread apart it was hard to find your age group to do the pin trading and several teams didn't even have pins. So note that pins are NOT as popular as they were last year at a regular world series. It might be too that as they get older pins become kinda "stupid" :)
I will say that the competition we saw there was very good. When they say that it's supposedly the top 24 teams of each age group, they were probably telling the truth. Awesome competition to watch!!
Overall, I personally was not OVERLY impressed with the tournament. Yes, it was fun and the competition was great but for it being the ELITE WORLD SERIES I guess my expectations were set too high! Would I go back? Sure...but at least now I know what or what not to expect.
Accomodations
| Lodging | Near-by (under 15 mins.) • Friendly to teams • Breakfast included • Clean & comfortable • Affordable |
| Restaurants | Near-by (under 10 mins.) • Fast food • Family Chain Restaurants |
Ball-field Facilities
| Parking | Near-by • Adequate parking spaces |
| Seating | Bleachers • BYOC (bring your own chairs) • Unshaded |
| Restrooms | Near-by • Clean • Well-stocked |
| Are pets allowed? | Don't know |
| Are coolers allowed? | Yes |
| Was fresh water provided in the dug-out? | Yes |
| Was there a playground available for siblings? | No |
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| Overall rating: |
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3.2 |
| Condition of baseball fields: |
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4.0 |
| Concessions: |
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3.0 |
| Umpires: |
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3.0 |
| Overall administration of the tournament : |
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3.0 |
| Overall Experience: |
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3.0 |
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
I wish there had been a central repository of information for all aspects of this tournament. We were kind of winging it the whole time, gleaning info here and there from other families in attendance.
IMPORTANT TIP for future attendees: On the morning of the Opening Ceremony, allow 1 hour to get off the highway and into the Wide World of Sports parking lot. There are two turn lanes, but everyone tries to cram into the far inside lane (not knowing there are two turn lanes) and the line stretches back for a mile. It can take quite awhile to get into the parking area, and even then, you have to walk a long way to get inside.
And then there's the ticket lines the first day...
ANOTHER IMPORTANT TIP: Tickets for spectators were $39 for anyone over 10, and $29 for kids 3-9. That's for the week. The players get in "free" and are issued a ticket too, which tends to remain in their back pockets and get soaked with sweat. Don't lose those tickets! You can't get in without them.
The Opening Ceremony was exciting because it was our first time (we loved the DJ and the facilities), but we were disappointed that there were no follow-on activities for the ballplayers such as pin trading, Home Run Derby, Base Running Competition, or anything else. That was a let-down.
I rated the umpires as average. We had some good ones and some really, really bad ones. It's my opinion that for a tournament of the caliber of the Elite World Series, every effort should be made to bring in umpires who are knowledgeable, fair, and reputable.
We found out on the second day that we could bring in our own coolers - that was a godsend!
The facilities are gorgeous, but sprawling! Expect to walk long and far no matter what.
I rated the concessions as average, even though there is a full restaurant on the premises, because it was expensive! Expect to pay Disney prices for everything from water to burgers. Out at the fields, there is a small cart that has some frozen treats and water.
Preferred parking was $5, or you could park in the boondocks for free, but then your boys have to lug in all their gear.
There are chauffeured carts available for transporting team equipment from the parking lot to the fields. Make use of these! Our first day, we walked almost 30 minutes to the farthest corner of the complex and were thrilled our boys did not have to lug their gear that far. You can arrange for pick-up at the fields as well.
There is a cold water fountain inside the dugout, and also bottled water available in cups out at the fields.
The larger fields had nice shade for the stadium seating, but the outer fields had bleachers and very little shade. Bring your own shade and even a battery-operated fan.
Accomodations
| Lodging | Near-by (under 15 mins.) |
Ball-field Facilities
| Parking | Too far • Adequate parking spaces |
| Seating | Bleachers • Stadium seating • BYOC (bring your own chairs) • Shaded • Unshaded |
| Restrooms | Near-by • Clean |
| Are pets allowed? | No |
| Are coolers allowed? | Yes |
| Was fresh water provided in the dug-out? | Yes |
| Was there a playground available for siblings? | No |
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| Overall rating: |
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3.6 |
| Condition of baseball fields: |
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5.0 |
| Concessions: |
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3.0 |
| Umpires: |
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3.0 |
| Overall administration of the tournament : |
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3.0 |
| Overall Experience: |
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4.0 |
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