The Diamond 9 Fastpitch Showcase in Orlando, Florida is the place to be this fall. Friday, October 28, 2016 kicked off regular games for the participating teams. There are eight different complex locations for this weekend’s Showcase. The majority of my day one was spent at the ESPN Wide World of Sports complex. For those who have never been to the ESPN Wide World of Sports, well let’s just say the place is HUGE. The complex is home to Champion Stadium where the Atlanta Braves baseball does their spring training. The complex also has football fields, soccer fields, tennis courts, several tracks, and a combination of baseball and softball quadraplex and diamondplex fields which was taken over for the Showcase this weekend.
The ESPN Wide World of Sports is a prime location for a softball showcase. Participating teams and players benefit for many reasons. There is UNLIMITED warm up space before games – seriously unlimited. The surrounding soccer fields and football fields were blocked off and lined with cones so that each team had a designated space to warm up. That’s a major complaint at regular tournaments throughout the country- limited warm up space, which wasn’t the case here. The playing fields were also spread out enough where foul balls weren’t a hazard to the spectators. Parking was easy because of the size of the lots surrounding the complex. There was even a separate lot designated for college coaches, which they very much appreciated.
There had to have been over 100 college coaches and many big name D1 Universities in attendance at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex on day one. If you didn’t notice them in the stands decked out in their college gear, then you probably saw them being transported from field to field in golf carts. The golf cart transportation system was a huge perk because Field One and Field 25 were a great distance apart. There were player profile sheets being handed out to the college coaches left and right. There was a live game announcer at every field who made sure all spectators knew which player was up to bat by reading her name loud and clear.
The atmosphere at ESPN was incredible. It was refreshing to be outside at the ballpark again. There were multiple softball vendors, food stands, and bathrooms accessible throughout the complex. The games were scheduled as one hour thirty minutes drop dead time, and no inning could begin after an hour and twenty had passed. Many of the games I watched went seven if not, close to seven innings. When games concluded, teams hustled off the field so the next game could begin. Everything surprisingly stayed on time, it was impressive.
After spending day one at ESPN Wide World of Sports, the complex mission statement speaks volumes. The “ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex has seen sports dreams come true for athletes and fans of all ages since 1997”. This weekend will be no different.
