Lakepoint fields/ hotels

My son is currently playing the 17U WWBA in ATL.   Was having a discussion the other day about this same topic.   I would assume that they use a computer program to spit out the schedules....random.    ALSO you will see scouts at the other fields used.  Just the other day we played off site and there were about 20 at the game.   It helps if your son is on a very good team with studs the scouts are looking at OR you play a team that has those players.   I just went in and looked up some big name programs in this tournament and sure enough every game is at LP.   This particular organization has their own complex near LP so my guess is that there is some arrangement/trade for PG to use their fields and in return this team gets to play all their games at LP.    ALSO your time estimates around the ATL area to drive should be doubled or tripled.........the traffic is horrendous.  

Some of it is random and some is intentional.  There are several teams that play most of their games at LP and some who play at their home field.  Some of it is because the better teams will draw the scouts and that actually helps the teams they are playing.  Understand that if you are being recruited, the scouts will come to at least one game where you are playing.  It is also determined by the number of tournaments that you play that are PG.  They reward those who spend money with them and I agree with that philosophy.  May not like it as I said in another post but I understand it.  if this is your only tournament at LP with PG then that explains it.

BTW, there are only a couple of fields that are 1 1/2 hours away from LP so I do not think you drew those fields every game.  My son has played there 5 tournaments this summer and the farthest he has driven is 45 minutes driving time but was longer because it was Friday afternoon. 

This is why I tell people not to stay at LP hotels because unless you are on the top teams you play most of your games at fields away from LP.

Send me your schedule and I might can help you with some directions or routes that are better.  Been doing PG at LP and East Cobb for 9 years now.

Agree with PitchingFan for the most part.  My son is with a team based in the Atlanta area, and we PG mostly all summer.  We have one LP game in the 17U WWBA, and two in the 16U WWBA next week.  So not sure "investment" in PG tournaments plays a huge factor.  There's seems to be no rhyme or reason to scheduling, unless it's our friends in EC or HP.  They seem to play a lot of "home" games, but even then it's not consistent.  

If you're playing teams with commitments or highly ranked players, scouts will be present, regardless of location.  If your kid stands out during those games, then he'll be on the radar.  Also, if you're son is a player that has the talent to be recruited, they will find him.

Also agree with the distance . . . Most fields are within 30 - 45 minutes of LP.  The traffic is awful, but 1 1/2 hours each way is a reach.   Unless you're staying around Chattanooga or south of the airport.  If you're staying at LP hotels, you're spending too much money on a room.  IMO.

Just saw the WWBA schedule for my son's team.  One thing really surprised me:  they play a suburban Atlanta team on that team's home field.  Given the number of fields in use and the fact many teams have to deal with travel, hotels, time changes and other hassles, I would think local teams would at least not get the benefit of playing at home.  I'm not a PG basher--the WWBA tournaments are a lot of fun.  But this seems like a simple thing to fix for future events.

Why would you not let them play at their field if they are letting you use it?  Why would you ask them to travel somewhere else when they are the ones responsible for upkeep and running concession stand and all of that.  i do not think at WWBA the homefield has much of an advantage.  i understand frustration but I think it makes sense to allow them to always play at their field if they choose to.

The below is an excerpt a from PG article. They basically do this every year for the WWBA.

“Blackhawks National played their second game of the tournament at LakePoint on Saturday, and you will see them here every day until the pool play round is over. By winning the St. Jude Giving Challenge at this year’s 17u WWBA National Championship, they have earned the right to play every pool play game at the complex.

Perfect Game has partnered with St. Jude Children’s Hospital to make this year’s national championship about something more than baseball. All teams were given an opportunity to raise money for St. Jude, with the winner getting an all-LakePoint schedule. Blackhawks National was the winning team of this year’s challenge raising $36,000 for cancer research.”

PitchingFan posted:

Why would you not let them play at their field if they are letting you use it?  Why would you ask them to travel somewhere else when they are the ones responsible for upkeep and running concession stand and all of that.  i do not think at WWBA the homefield has much of an advantage.  i understand frustration but I think it makes sense to allow them to always play at their field if they choose to.

Tell that to a team that flew in from CA (or drove from AR or PA, for that matter).  Sleeping in your own bed and playing in your own time zone already helps a lot--and that is unavoidable given that millions live in the Atlanta area.  But a tournament like the WWBA ought to be played on neutral fields.  Playing on a field you play on regularly is an advantage--you know how the infield plays, what the mound is like, where sun glare is the worst.  I'm not going to make a federal case out of it, but I don't think letting teams play WWBA games at home is the Right Thing To Do. 

And I assume teams get paid for the use of their fields (and also keep what they can make on concessions).  Playing at home isn't supposed to be their compensation.

Just looked more closely:  The suburban Atlanta team in question plays twice at Lake Point, then plays all its other games on its home field.  Sorry, but that is just unfair to other teams.  PG ought to fix this.

Their compensation is to use their field. They are responsible for maintaining it for every game and they trade off by getting in the tournament free.  But then to say that you have to travel to some other field and your parents/coaches/whoever is responsible for the field must not get to see them play makes no sense to me.  I understand your frustration but I think it makes sense to allow them to play at their field rather than send them somewhere else. 

In other words, they get paid $X thousand (whatever the tournament fee is) for use of their field.  That's functionally the same as if they got cash from PG.

If my team pays extra (more money, use of a field, whatever), then will PG give us games closer to our hotel?  No early games?  Of course not--nor should they.  That is not how sports competitions are supposed to work.  

My son's team isn't going to win the WWBA regardless--and is unlikely to even make it out of pool play.  But fair is fair.  Letting a team "purchase" a more favorable schedule is Just Plain Wrong.  I and hundreds of others will be driving all over heck and half of Georgia, often in rush hour traffic, trying to locate HS fields in towns we have never set foot in before.  This team will just go to a field they know well for every game except two at Lake Point.  This just isn't a difficult question.

I'm not fully agreeing it is right but it is the way it is.  If you study the schedules you will see that some teams play all of their games within 20 mins of LP and play up to 4 at LP in the WWBA.  My sons have had to play against these teams and play on these teams.  It is what it is but it is reality.  I understand both sides.  To me it is like a playoff game this year in high school where two teams who are within 10 mins of each other had to play at a school 2 hours away.  Both coaches were willing to flip a coin and the winner hosted but the state said no. 

I will bet that team you are referring to also has a very winnable pool without very little struggle.  But if you are referring to an East Cobb team and talking about playing at East Cobb, then that is probably not their home field.  most of the elite East Cobb teams practice and play their home games at local high schools. 

No use getting my blood pressure any higher over this.  I understand a bit about how the youth sports world works, and I know my son's team is not one of the top dogs.  I actually don't mind PG doing some bracket "seeding" -- I wouldn't want two or three of the top teams to end up beating up on each other in the same pool.  The scheduling surprised me though--maybe because it is so obvious, and so blatantly against any notion of fair play.  A powerhouse team from outside GA can't take advantage of this perk, so it's not about earning a benefit by playing well.  This strikes me as simply cooking the books for local teams.  Which is disappointing, but I'm going to move on to worrying about other things (like how to find my way through Atlanta traffic next week).  Thanks, PithcingFan, for a civil discussion--hope you enjoy your 4th of July.  

I think that the logistics of a tournament with almost 400 teams will always have issues.

It's tough getting around for teams not familiar with the area and tough on coaches as well.

JMO

16U East Cobb Astros play every game on field #1 at ECB

17U East Cobb Astros play 3 at LP and 3 on field #1 at ECB

My son has played with them in the past, but not anymore... we moved on to another organization and his team only has 2 games at LP for this tournament. I don’t agree that it is fair either, but it is what it is and the Astros have been getting that schedule for years.

Im just thankful we get to sleep in our  own bed every night! 👏

I'm here for the 17u tournament as well...the scout issue at games is a bit perplexing...some of our games off lakepoint have had zero scouts present..have heard from some of the coaches on various teams that offers have been slow to materialize this year...theres a lot of players that are already committed prior to this tournament ...I think there's too many teams (400) and the scouts are overwhelmed and hesitant to pull the trigger on what talent they are able to see who are not committed ..looks like they are constantly roaming around and missing a lot of the action that is occurring.

In a cabin at lake arrowhead as I type, have played at lake point one game. Have had 5 to 20 colleges at every game we have played 

old_school posted:

In a cabin at lake arrowhead as I type, have played at lake point one game. Have had 5 to 20 colleges at every game we have played 

That’s a beautiful place... hope you enjoy your stay and do some fishing! 

brball posted:

old_school posted:

In a cabin at lake arrowhead as I type, have played at lake point one game. Have had 5 to 20 colleges at every game we have played 

That’s a beautiful place... hope you enjoy your stay and do some fishing! 

old_school - are you at LP tomorrow?

if we win our game in the afternoon I assume our playoff game will be at lake point!

Anyone headed to Atlanta next week or is there now, you need to use WAZE. This app WILL save you time. Traffic and frustration. Plus side is you get to see some cool areas of Atlanta area that you otherwise may not see. I personally do not ever wish to drive on 75/85 freeway ever again. 

Good Luck to everyone!!

Seeing the 17U WWBA for the first time this week, I think the tournament is fantastic. The kids who live in Georgia and the Southeast are really fortunate to have easy access to the WWBA events. 

At some point, it would be great if Lakepoint built out the other 8 fields that are planned -- having 16 fields would mean most teams could have 4 of their 7 pool games at Lakepoint. 

2019Dad posted:

Seeing the 17U WWBA for the first time this week, I think the tournament is fantastic. The kids who live in Georgia and the Southeast are really fortunate to have easy access to the WWBA events. 

At some point, it would be great if Lakepoint built out the other 8 fields that are planned -- having 16 fields would mean most teams could have 4 of their 7 pool games at Lakepoint. 

I'd guess that may be a ways off... pretty sure they just filed for bankruptcy a few weeks back..

Honestly I may be jaded from living and working in major NE market but the traffic hasn’t been bad at all. I drove 75/85 to 575 from south of Atlanta to north on Monday at 515 and it was not a major delay. Maybe holiday week but traffic has been non issue.

umps have been pretty good, remote facilities also have been good fields. Lots of alcohol has been consumed discreetly around the house.... been a winner 

Schools will come to watch at other fields besides Lakepointe, if there is something to see. When son played WWBA, his team, well known nationally, played against a top ten ranked team in the country, at a remote location. There were so many schools there, they outnumbered the parents/fans. And such an intense game!  It was difficult to make your way to the rest room, 😂 

So don’t waste time worrying about stuff you can’t control. Especially when it probably doesn’t matter anyhow!

I am heading to The WWBA tournament with my son next week. I rented an Airbnb in Atlanta in an area called Virginia Highlands. Am I going to be too far away from Lake Point? My son will be with his team at a hotel, so he should be fine. 

Cece posted:

I am heading to The WWBA tournament with my son next week. I rented an Airbnb in Atlanta in an area called Virginia Highlands. Am I going to be too far away from Lake Point? My son will be with his team at a hotel, so he should be fine. 

You are downtown a little less than an hour away but traffic going 75 north can be horrible...is horrible. Use Google maps and you'll be fine. Virginia Highlands has some good restaurants in the area. Very nice in spring. Summer is summer. 

Thank you. I didn’t even consider traffic!  I will make sure to leave really early for games. 

Elijah posted:

Cece posted:

I am heading to The WWBA tournament with my son next week. I rented an Airbnb in Atlanta in an area called Virginia Highlands. Am I going to be too far away from Lake Point? My son will be with his team at a hotel, so he should be fine. 

You are downtown a little less than an hour away but traffic going 75 north can be horrible...is horrible. Use Google maps and you'll be fine. Virginia Highlands has some good restaurants in the area. Very nice in spring. Summer is summer. 

Do you think the Virginia Highlands and surrounding area is a safe for me to walk alone? There will be a time when I will on my own before my husband gets there and I was hoping to be able to do some sightseeing. I had originally booked an Airbnb in area that I found out was very unsafe. I did some research on google and found the place I am renting in Virginia Highland. 

Cece posted:

Elijah posted:

Cece posted:

I am heading to The WWBA tournament with my son next week. I rented an Airbnb in Atlanta in an area called Virginia Highlands. Am I going to be too far away from Lake Point? My son will be with his team at a hotel, so he should be fine. 

You are downtown a little less than an hour away but traffic going 75 north can be horrible...is horrible. Use Google maps and you'll be fine. Virginia Highlands has some good restaurants in the area. Very nice in spring. Summer is summer. 

Do you think the Virginia Highlands and surrounding area is a safe for me to walk alone? There will be a time when I will on my own before my husband gets there and I was hoping to be able to do some sightseeing. I had originally booked an Airbnb in area that I found out was very unsafe. I did some research on google and found the place I am renting in Virginia Highland. 

You should be fine in VH. Be sure to try and get to the beltline and possibly visit the Ponce City Market. (1.4 miles away)

Scouts follow players.  Where there are players, there will be scouts.  The inverse is also true.

Shoveit4Ks posted:

Cece posted:

Elijah posted:

Cece posted:

I am heading to The WWBA tournament with my son next week. I rented an Airbnb in Atlanta in an area called Virginia Highlands. Am I going to be too far away from Lake Point? My son will be with his team at a hotel, so he should be fine. 

You are downtown a little less than an hour away but traffic going 75 north can be horrible...is horrible. Use Google maps and you'll be fine. Virginia Highlands has some good restaurants in the area. Very nice in spring. Summer is summer. 

Do you think the Virginia Highlands and surrounding area is a safe for me to walk alone? There will be a time when I will on my own before my husband gets there and I was hoping to be able to do some sightseeing. I had originally booked an Airbnb in area that I found out was very unsafe. I did some research on google and found the place I am renting in Virginia Highland. 

You should be fine in VH. Be sure to try and get to the beltline and possibly visit the Ponce City Market. (1.4 miles away)

VH is safe. There are restaurants along a strip on N. Highland Ave that is a nice walk. Agree with Ponce City Market. The Beltline (Ponce City Market is on the Beltline) is a nice, very populated trail that leads to our larger park in ATL. Either way on the Beltline is popular. 

With regard to scouts, it seems like a lot of you feel like scouts just show up and LakePoint or the WWBA and randomly look for kids.  That is so very much NOT the case.  Will a scout happen across a kid and like what he sees....sure, but he was at the game to SEE SOMEONE ELSE!   Scouts have a pre-set schedule of who they want to see....so they go there.  If your son hasn't contacted a college coach (or been contacted by one) ahead of time, don't expect to see him at your game....it's just not physically possible for that to work that way. 

Buckeye 2015 posted:

With regard to scouts, it seems like a lot of you feel like scouts just show up and LakePoint or the WWBA and randomly look for kids.  That is so very much NOT the case.  Will a scout happen across a kid and like what he sees....sure, but he was at the game to SEE SOMEONE ELSE!   Scouts have a pre-set schedule of who they want to see....so they go there.  If your son hasn't contacted a college coach (or been contacted by one) ahead of time, don't expect to see him at your game....it's just not physically possible for that to work that way. 

I agree with Buckeye.  Coaches go with a plan on who to see.  I know before son left he told me he spent a day setting up his week for himself and passed on info to the RC and HC for position guys.  It's a lot of work. 

Also while there he has some P5 guys who will see someone and tell him to go watch a player they think he might like.  

A 2019 and a 2020 should definitely have been in contact with coaches way before the tournament.  

We've stayed at the ExtendStay America in Kennesaw on Busbee Drive for the 4 years we went... It was like $50 a night (booked a month or so in advance), full kitchen. Right off I-75 & 10 minutes from Lakepoint, 10 minutes from East Cobb. Lots of restaurants and things to do close by. Good luck.

Check out VRBO.....we used it twice.  Houses on Lake Allatoona.  They are expensive ($400-500 night) but you can easily split it between 3 families.  Save a fortune on food by being able to buy grocery store food (and drinks) instead of having to eat out 3 meals a day.

So...just back from Georgia today from the 17u tournament..had some interesting conversations at the hotel bar with several coaches of high level teams who were also staying at the hotel with our team...they expressed that offers were not as forthcoming for 2019s as for previous years..they weren't sure why because they said the talent level on their teams was just as good as previous years..interesting..why?

.

For the guys and gals that rent the AirBnB and other cheap houses, how do you all get around the "play and stay" scams that they force on you?  

IndyBall posted:

For the guys and gals that rent the AirBnB and other cheap houses, how do you all get around the "play and stay" scams that they force on you?  

In our case, the hotel was funded by the team for the players. They were supervised by their coaches. Good practice for college. The parents stayed where they wanted. And really, parents didn’t even need to show up, although most were there. 

CatcherDadNY posted:

So...just back from Georgia today from the 17u tournament..had some interesting conversations at the hotel bar with several coaches of high level teams who were also staying at the hotel with our team...they expressed that offers were not as forthcoming for 2019s as for previous years..they weren't sure why because they said the talent level on their teams was just as good as previous years..interesting..why?

 

.

My uneducated guess:  I think the recruiting timeline has been moved up by about a year. Maybe there just aren’t many spots to offer?