HomeMy WebLinkAbout14. 2017 Vail Lacrosse Shootout RecapSurveyed Event Recap: Vail Lacrosse Shootout
Cultural, Recreational & Community Category
September 6, 2017
Vail Lacrosse Shootout June 25, 2017
through July 4, 2017
Jim Soran
Phone: 303-877-7977
jsoran@montgomerylittle.com
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Overall Event Highlights & Successes
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•List the top 4-6 successes you want to share with the CSE (consider this a snapshot for your recap).
•Net Promoter Score (NPS) was higher than the previous year (from 74% to 77%)
and Promotor score increased from 80% to 82%
•Improved the online streaming piece of our event by partnering with a new provider, Scorebreak, who
offered improved live streaming, instant replay and highlights.
•Re-designed our tournament website to make it more user-friendly, with more relevant and updated
information, and a better promotional presence for our sponsors.
•Alpine Bank became a sponsor at $5,000 level. We anticipate they will continue to sponsor our event in
the future.
•We partnered with Thompson Brothers Lacrosse, an organization that is very well known among lacrosse
players and fans. The Thompsons brought their men’s team to compete in our Elite Division. Next year
we hope to expand their involvement to include vending and involvement with our youth clinic/camp.
•Re-designed our tournament logo – see new logo design on the next slide
RE-DESIGNED 2017 VAIL LACROSSE
SHOOTOUT LOGO
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Questions from CSE
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•The CSE will ask questions about your event and recap
•Leave this blank – it’s a placeholder
Attendance Estimate
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•Was this the attendance you expected? Our
attendance number is down a bit from last year. This
could partly be attributed to the 4th of July falling on a
Tuesday this year, possibly impacting some players
being able to make the trip.
•How would you impact attendance next year? We will
try to recruit more teams in our women’s elite, men’s
masters and high school boys divisions. Each year we
poll teams about potential tournament dates and take
their comments into consideration when determining
dates for the following year. Our efforts to
accommodate players’ desires for tournament dates
help to keep teams in the tournament, thereby
improving attendance
For Placement Only (FPO)
Insert your survey image here
Visitor Type
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•Was this the visitor type split you expected? Yes
•Why or why not? Please explain. Because the Shootout draws teams from many geographical areas of the
country and the fact that each tournament division plays over several days, nearly all of our participants and
others traveling with them are overnight visitors, staying for several nights.
•What steps would you take to optimize visitor mix for future events? Our goal is to have teams from as many
geographical areas as possible. For local representation, we try to involve local Vail
youth by offering our youth lacrosse clinic. In other divisions, we often have players or
teams from mountain communities and the Western Slope.
Overnight Visitor Profile: Overnight Visitors & Seasonal Residents Only
Only
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•What measures did you take to
encourage attendees to book
lodging in the Town of Vail? We
promote to teams the services offered by
our travel partner, Erik Tilley of Peak Sports
Travel. In every response to teams, Erik
includes several lodging options that are
located in Vail, East Vail and Lionshead.
This year we were able to schedule more
games on fields located in Vail, which also
makes it more desirable to teams to stay in
Vail for convenience. Each year, many
teams express that Vail is their preferred
location for both their tournament games
and for their lodging.
Overall Visitor Profile
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•Who was your anticipated target demographic? Men and
women from ages 16 to 60+, from varied geographical
areas of the country.
•Did you reach your target demographic?
We do well at reaching the 40 & over male demographic. We
want to increase college and post collegiate female players as
well as male players between ages 30 & 40.
•Why or why not? We are competing with many more
summer lacrosse tournaments now, especially at the high
school level, offering teams and players many choices.
Also, family obligations and careers are a factor, especially
in the 26 to 40 age range.
What would you change to attract that audience next year?
At the high school level, we try to avoid conflicts with
showcase events. For the older divisions, we poll them for
their opinion as to the number of days for their division play
and also dates they would prefer. To the
extent possible, we try to schedule
our event around these factors.
Role/Importance of Event in Intent to Visit Vail
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•What actions did you take this year to generate the number of overnight guests? The various divisions of the
tournament are staggered over a 10 day period. Each division plays 3 to 4 days, requiring participants to stay overnight for at least
2 or 3 nights. Most teams/participants are from areas outside of Colorado and many are traveling with chaperones, families or
friends. Some players combine their trip to Vail to play in the Shootout with a family vacation. All of the above helps to increase
both the number of overnight guests and the length of their stay in Vail.
•How would you increase the number of overnight Vail guests coming for the event next year. We continually
strive to increase the number of teams competing in the Shootout, especially in our high school,
masters and elite divisions. Expanding promotion of our event will also increase the number of
overnight guests.
NPS (Net Promoter Score)/Likelihood to Recommend
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•Do you think the NPS scores reflect the attendee event experience? Yes. Our NPS score is up from
last year’s score of 74%. The feedback we receive from many participants is typically very
positive, with players indicating how much they enjoyed the event and indicating that they will
return for next year’s event.
•What steps would you take to improve the NPS scores for your event next year? If we could
provide close in, free parking, that would very likely increase our
NPS score, as this is the complaint we most often hear. Improving our
Vendor options will also increase the NPS score.
Estimated Return on Investment (ROI) & Attendee Expenditures
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•What did your event do to encourage spending in Vail?
This year we were able to use the field at Vail Mountain School. Also, we
played the high school boys tournament in Vail, rather than using
Nottingham Park in Avon. Keeping more games in Vail encourages
spending by teams there for lodging, meals and activities. The Shootout
is spread over a 10 day period, which keeps tournament participants, staff
and officials in the Vail area for an extended period of time, resulting in
additional spending. We also promote local Vail businesses to teams
through ads in the tournament program, our website, field banners, and
distribution of their promotional flyers to teams. The Shootout uses local
businesses for tent rental, staff lodging, staff meals and team socials.
Event Strengths & Weaknesses
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•How did the event exceed expectations? New to the Shootout this year was our partnership
with Thompson Brothers Lacrosse. Four Native American brothers are the nucleus of this
organization that seeks to spread the Creators Game by sharing their heritage, culture and
history of the game. We hope to continue to develop their involvement with the Shootout in
the future. We were able to keep our boys high school games using fields in Vail, rather than
down Valley. We created and distributed a tournament poster for promotion of the event.
•What are areas for event improvement? Comments received in the post event
survey indicated participants were not satisfied with the vending piece of our event.
We need a better variety of vendors and sufficient merchandise that is available
during the entire duration of the tournament. Participants also are unhappy with
being charged to park in parking lots that provide them close access to the fields.
•How did this year’s event compare to previous years? The ROI increased from $210
last year to $273, which would equate to estimated total spending of $3,221,400.
Overnight visitors increased from 93% last year to 95% this year.
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Vail Brand Compatibility
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•How did the event support the Vail Brand?
We include the Vail logo on all promotional materials including on the
cover of our tournament program, on all written communications to
teams, on the tournament website with a link to the Town of Vail website,
on the promotional flyer for our youth clinic, which is distributed through
the Vail Rec District database and published in the program guide for the
Kid’s Adventure Games. The Vail brand is also supported with a full
page, color ad in our tournament program, placement of Town of Vail
banners at Ford Field, and by including a Town of Vail video ad as part of
our live streaming of games online.
Brand Positioning:
•Town of Vail: The Premier International Mountain Resort Community
•Vail Mountain: Like nothing on earth
Community Contribution
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•How did the event impact Vail’s sense of community?
The Shootout provides a free outdoor, athletic event that can be enjoyed by Vail Valley
locals as well as the many visitors in the Vail Valley over the busy 4th of July holiday.
The Shootout provides a highly competitive athletic event for Vail visitors and
compliments the numerous other outdoor activities that visitors come to Vail to enjoy.
Many Vail locals have shared with us that they consider the Vail Lacrosse Shootout and
summertime in Vail to go hand in hand.
Our free youth clinic for boys 7 to 12 is a great way for us to reach local Vail area youth
and provide them with a fun way to learn about the sport of lacrosse or teach them
new lacrosse strategies and skills if they already play. This year the tournament
donated a lacrosse stick to the Vail Valley Youth Lacrosse League’s fundraising event.
We hope to increase our involvement with Vail’s youth league in the future, possibly
through the addition of a 3 v 3 lacrosse event for youth.
Topline Marketing Efforts
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•Include overview of top 3 successful marketing tactics or executions.
•This year we redesigned our tournament website, adding new features,
increasing the visibility of sponsor logos and links to sponsor websites, providing
more current information about the tournament, providing live streaming of
select games, game schedules and schedule changes and maps to the field
venues.
•A poster promoting the tournament was created and placed in various local
businesses in the Vail Valley.
•Use of MailChimp for marketing and tournament highlights and updates.
•Please attach complete marketing plan to end of presentation.
Potential for Growth & Sponsorships/Media Exposure
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•How do you see the event evolving or growing next year? We are discussing a potential
partnership with lacrosse legend Casey Powell and his organization, World Lacrosse Foundation,
that will be geared to youth lacrosse. We hope to increase our reach to high school boys teams
and add teams from more geographical areas. We also hope to increase the number of teams in
our men’s masters division and our women’s elite division.
•What sponsors do you plan to target next year? (Including existing and potential sponsors) This
year we added sponsor Alpine Bank and we hope to continue and/or increase their sponsorship
next year. Thompson Brothers Lacrosse partnered with the Shootout for the first time this year.
We hope to continue this partnership and have them participate not only in bringing their highly
competitive men’s elite team, but also be involved in other ways such as vending and being
involved with our youth clinic.
•How will you leverage media exposure and extend the marketing reach next year? We will
continue to promote the Shootout on social media outlets and market the tournament and
promote our sponsors through our newly re-designed website and the live streaming of games
online.
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Sustainability Efforts
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•What measures were taken at your event/program to support the
environmentally-friendly goals of the Town of Vail? Providing a sufficient number of
trash and recycling receptacles at all field venues; event staff picking up loose trash around
the fields; encouraging event participants to use the Town of Vail bus system or team vans to
transport players to and from fields; encouraging participants to use the free parking
structures and walk to fields when possible; scheduling as many games in Vail as possible,
thereby eliminating driving to other towns for games.
•What waste reduction methods were used during your event/program? Providing
water to teams during games in large Gatorade coolers to discourage use of individual plastic
water bottles; planning all event staff meals in advance in restaurants or our lodging, thereby
striving to reduce waste, plastic tableware and trash.
•How could you improve on sustainability efforts for next year’s event? Continuing to
focus on promotional efforts and tournament communications by electronic means,
especially through the tournament website.
The Town of Vail is committed to the stewardship and protection of our unique mountain environment. In consideration of both
our local and global impacts and opportunities, our environmental vision is to demonstrate and promote: renewable energy,
resource efficiency, ecosystem protection, and community awareness and education.
Event Budget
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•Event producer to attach detailed budget for recap
•**amount shown on P&L does not include final payment from CSE for 2017 funding
Item $
Total Event Budget: $184,031.77
CSE Funds: $15,000.00*
Cash Sponsorship (not CSE): $9,760.00
In-kind Sponsorship: $3,450.00
Marketing Budget: $10,536.16
Profit & Loss: ($555.46)
How did you use the CSE funds?
(marketing, operations, staff, venue, etc.)
Marketing expenses,
re-design of website,
improved live
streaming of games
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Additional Information/Appendix
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•Provide detailed budget in the Appendix
•Provide final marketing plan in the Appendix
•Provide full version of the Survey Dashboard PDF in Appendix
•Provide any additional information or marketing materials you think the CSE would
benefit from
A YouTube video highlighting the Vail Lacrosse Shootout and the Town of Vail was
provided to Laura Waniuk with a request that it be distributed to members of the CSE.
We think this video is a great promotional piece not only for our event, but also for the
Town of Vail. Copies of tournament coverage from the Vail Daily are attached.
2017 Vail Lacrosse Shootout comments
None
no
$10/day for parking seems excessive for players for the Ford fields.
1. Provide better signage and/or marked paths to fields 2. Vendor sucked. Replace, keep it in-
house, anything but the one tent with nothing left by day 4. Even better- cut your fees/ drop prices to
encourage others.
4 games, instead of 3 games, but still in 3 days. Try to avoid scheduling where the different age
groups of a club play at the same time
8AM games are rough, but it was so nice to be on fields within walking distance of the town. Thank
you so much for that!
A big part of lacrosse is having a beer with your and other teams after the games. This was not
available
A friend of mine had been trying to get me to come play at the ShootOut for years. He always got
me a t-shirt and whatnot. Finally I was able to go. The event was amazing except for the lack of
vendors. No Vail Lacrosse ShootOut t-shirts? Very disappointing. Other than that, great folks, great
sport and unbeatable weather!
Add a game to the schedule. Three is not enough compared to other "old guy" tournaments.
Allow free parking to players. Unbelievable that you charge for parking at Ford Field ( I think that
was the location). Vail is an expensive place to visit
Almost all the Vail Shootout swag was sold out before we arrived! Need more food options at the
main fields. You should have a vendor village of lax-related merchandise for sale. The tournament
should provide Helmet stickers for players (I have one from last time I played Vail, in 1993)
As a playing Zenmaster, it would be appropriate/helpful if all of our games were held at the high
school at the east end of Vail, or the Donovan? Field on the west end.
Better publicity year-round in order to get more teams to sign up.
Better website to find out scores and names of players on our team as well as opponents. Old guys
like to know other old guys.
Clear, written policies on seeding and final day "no show" teams.
Condensing the schedule made it hard to enjoy watching other games and age divisions.
Considering the distance my teammates and I traveled, to be assigned only three games (one per
day) is ridiculous. A local team may not care, but it's a slap in the face to anyone that makes the
effort to travel.
Create a women's masters league and keep play at the athletic fields for the old ladies.
Disappointed in the lack of vendors
Do not do the Supers back to back with the Elites. We like Vail and its activities without the "kids"
there in town on the next day...
Do not schedule games earlier than 10am
Do not start games before 9 am
Do something about the cost for parking at Ford. $10 to park for 1 game seems high. Also, more
vendors for the tournament. The past couple of years only one vendor has been selling tournament
apparel. The tournament t-shirts for men were sold out by Saturday before the elite division even
began playing.
Don't charge for parking ridiculous never had this in any tournament charge one time give a pass.
Don't run out of swag. (tees and hats, etc)
Everything was great, I don't think paying for parking was necessary at Ford field
Excellent event
Fewer early morning games. There should be a location where players can tailgate such as a park
pavilion or parking lot. This is missing from Vail but is a major part of other tourneys such as Florida
and Lake Placid. It is a great chance for intra and inter team socializing and would build return visits
by players and their families
Fix Ford field. It's a patchwork when Vail should showcase its excellence!
Food trucks and or other vendors on the grounds would be good.
For the last 2 years, by the time I've attended, there were NO Shootout Tshirts available to
purchase. Love to buy the swag! And there wasn't any basic tshirts to buy.
Do you have any comments or suggestions for imporovement regarding the Shootout?
Source: RRC Associates 1 of 6
2017 Vail Lacrosse Shootout comments
Do you have any comments or suggestions for imporovement regarding the Shootout?
Ford field #2 is the worst field and should be closed. Dangerous!!!
Ford field, with turf/grass was a little tricky.
Free parking at the field for ALL players. Does the town of Vail realize how much money is poured
into Vail from all the players and family? $10 is outrageous! Eliminate the field at Donovan. I have
participated in this tournament since 1988 and always hated that field! It's too short and the
sprinklers come on when you're trying to get treatment. All games should be at Ford, athletic and
the Vail school with the turf field.
Get more teams.
Great and well organized event. (Participant since 1973)
Great event
Great event - best lacrosse tournament I've been to.
Great event as always. Can't think of a change.
Great event; my family loves being a part of the Shootout and taking advantage of other activities in
Vail. My son played in the youth clinic which was fun for him
Great time! Been coming off and on since 1976 Aspen....
Great tournament and experience. The smaller field for zen masters was a good idea. Refs could
call a couple early penalties in zen games to "remind " players of the limits on hitting.
Great tournament would like to play one game per day for Zen Masters
Having a more vendors (not able to purchase ANY tourney gear was extremely disappointing) or at
least a shirt was terrible. It would make the entire experience much more valuable to have a
central tourney area (like at Ford Field) where more lacrosse networking could take place. with
fields spread out, there was zero opportunity to catch up with other lacrosse people we know at one
central gathering spot while watching the best games.
Hoping TOV will support Dave Soren and his continuing efforts to organize an excellent tournament
with a long history, which provides important economic benefits to the town and Valley. Full support
from TOV seems like a no-brainer, although there are indications otherwise. Please support the
tournament. Thx
I actually played in two divisions (Masters and SuperMasters) system would not allow me to choose
both. That said the Masters division play should be cut down to 2 days. One day everyone plays
about 4 shortened games, the next day is the round robin/elmination round. Having our Masters
game an hour or two after the Masters championship resulted in both teams having very limited
numbers (we were light anyway but the team we played was local and a lot of guys went home).
I did not like how the bracket play worked out.
I don't get why it is $10 to park at Ford and no charge everywhere else.
I have been to several Shootouts. This is the first time the shootout concessions were sold out of
tournament tee-shirts! Very disappointing, plus you miss out on free advertising.
I know people want to be able to spend a weekend for each age group, but the crossing over of age
groups and the remote fields can get aggravating for teams and fans, especially those with families.
I have played more than one age group for over 20 years and am disappointed that for the last few
years I have had to choose between what level to play. Also because of the condensed nature of
the schedule, the ability to watch other teams and friends play is reduced. I wanted to watch the
grand masters games while playing supers but couldn't due to the schedule for the last three years.
I played in over 50 AND over 60, then watched my son in Elites. I have been coming for 30+ years
I think the town did a great job. I don't think paying for parking at Ford field was necessary.
I would like to see more lacrosse vendors at the field.
If at all possible please try not to schedule the grandmaster and zenmaster games at the same time
as the old guys and wives cant root for the older guys. very unfortunate timing.
Include the U19 Girls division in the main area in Vail. The girls feel very removed from, and not a
part of, the shootout.
It is a real negative that there is a fee for parking at some of the game venues, such as at Ford
Field. Whether that is a function of the Town of Vail, or of the Shootout management, it is a slimy
thing to do. Players are paying a lot of money for lodging and for meals, as well as the tournament
registration; we should not have to pay for parking!
Source: RRC Associates 2 of 6
2017 Vail Lacrosse Shootout comments
Do you have any comments or suggestions for imporovement regarding the Shootout?
It should only last three days instead of 4. The games on the last day except for the championships
are meaningless and make me want to not go to vail just to pay for one more night
It was run very well. I was very impressed with the organization and dedication of staff.
It was very well organized. Water jugs were always provided and the water was cold ! Game times
started efficiently. I had an absolute blast!
It's the best tourney in the world and consistently delivers a great experience. It would be good to
have a more Vail swag, it was gone in most sizes by Saturday, July 1
Jim, Everything was really well done this year!
Keep figuring out parking and working on field conditions. It's a great tournament!
Keep it going, great venue.
Keep up the great work; what a great experience.
LOVE THIS TOURNAMENT. getting people to show up for the last game would be nice, and also to
have a healthy women's masters division one day... LOOOOOVED being at Athletic and not
Edwards, thank you SO MUCH.
Lacrosse gear vendor at Ford fields was poorly stocked and sold out of most souvenir shirts by mid
tournament. Prior years had multiple vendors with a large comprehensive stock of gear.
Love the Vail Shootout. Perfect way to spend the 4th! Love being in the mountains playing
lacrosse!
Love the shootout I've been spending money in Vail every year since 1977
Lower Vail to near sea level. Other than that it's fantastic!
Make the final 1 hour later start than other games so everyone can watch it. Even 30 minutes later -
the sidelines would have been PACKED for Wands v Statesmen...
Masters all tournament team
Masters division needs work to stay alive- MORE TEAMS and a better bracket format, consider
shot clock and 2pt line, better coverage creates more interest- need to be capturing players
graduating from elite. Many of these players are disappearing from the tournament and not
continuing into masters. Also- rosters and team bio's should be on the website like they used to be.
Michelle was very helpful, this was our team's first trip to Vail. Schedule allowed for recreation time
such white water rafting, shopping, etc. Field location perfect and Edwards area very
accommodating. Found the VRBO owners to be very rude. My VRBO tried to extort an additional
fee the morning we were supposed to check in- forbid any visitors to the home except for people
staying there. This was all stated after we had arrived in Vail. Home was not as described...mice,
broken dishwasher. He obvisouly lives there during the winter months and rents to pick up income.
Still waiting for security deposit. Our other VRBO for players was a beautiful home however, they
also were very rude and threatened to call Arrowhead security if we had any visitors to the home
except for people staying there in the house. We had to have our team meeting in the driveways!
We could not have team dinners - contract stated no parties, weddings, or receptions. We just
wanted the girls to eat together
Middlebury has teams in each division, but they often played at the same time so that we could not
watch other Middlebury teams. We would have preferred that games with Middlebury teams be at
different times. Thanks.
Mix the masters and elite schedules so the masters can watch elite games between their games
and not have to play back to back.
More booths selling t-shirts, etc. lower parking fee to $5
More divisions (45+,55+,...) in lieu of allowing younger to play up.
More lacrosse oriented vendors at the fields.
More live stream coverage would be great for loved ones watching and drive traffic to the website
More vendors with wider variety of shootout related clothing merchandise - I used to buy several
shirts a year but not anymore.
N/A
Need more games played. There should be 2 games on each of the first two days.
Need more vendors. This is the first year in 21 years that I didn't buy a Shootout t-shirt!
Need to have more official apparel available, it has been out of stock for the last 2 years when we
played.
Source: RRC Associates 3 of 6
2017 Vail Lacrosse Shootout comments
Do you have any comments or suggestions for imporovement regarding the Shootout?
Nice job team.
No back to back games for ZenMasters on first day of tournament. Allow us a day to get
acclimated.
No really. We had a great time and enjoyed Vail. We'll be back again.
Not sure if you are the right folks to address this but the vendors seem to run out of the tournament
T-shirts by the time we (grand masters) start our tourney. So, none of us could even purchase a
tournament shirt. Missed sales opportunity....
Officiating could be better; top-notch officials needed for this caliber of competition. Ford fields very
wet and uneven in spots. Vail Mountain High School field "the Best"! Beautiful location (Vail); too
expensive.
PARKING STINKS. Vail is making it difficult for the tournament to bring in more teams.
Parking at the field should be free. $10 to park for 60 minutes is embarrassing and so very
ridiculous. A horrible for the town to rape the people that are spending a lot of money in town
Parking fees for players are an insult
Parking is always an issue for the tournament. Keeping the parking structure free is absolutely
essential for the continuation of the tournament.
Paying for $10/day parking to play in games was a little much
Paying to park for participants is really petty. We're already contributing heavily to the town of Vail.
Stop this nonsense!!
Perhaps skip the parking fee for the players.
Provide shade structures on each field for players of both teams
Quit charging for parking, especially for the senior divisions, these are the people who will come
back in winter.
Reduce the $10 parking fee at Ford Field for players.
Schedule Supermasters (40+) and ZenMasters (60+) at same times so lessen conflicts for players
who want to play in ZenMasters & GreandMasters / Tell Toen NOT to charge for parking!!!
Spread out over 4 days - could be reduced to 3. Some days played only 1x. It is an expensive trip
for minimal games. Would love a regular shuttle to/from hotels/fields/airport. The long drive to &
from all venues makes it a much longer & more costly trip. Would like food & beverages for
purchase at games - teams need more fluids b/c of altitude.
Terrific tournament. Very well managed. I look forward to this each year
Thank you for laying out the Ford fields as to minimize the need to transition from grass to turf.
Thanks for asking. Frankly, I was really surprised that the Ford Field #2 was still not upgraded. The
field condition, with the grass and turf sliced in is unacceptable. I also object to not having a
scoreboard available on that field. I do not think that is too much to ask. I also had the hardest time
trying to find out the scores of other games in and out of our division. Finally, I was very
disappointed that our Middlebury Grandmasters and Zenmasters were played at the same time. We
come to Vail for the reunion aspect and to support each other on amd off of the field. It was a big
miss to not see the Zens play. On a positive note, the training staff was awesome and very helpful.
The officials were terrific and we were treated well. Thanks again. Sincerely, Mike Heffernan
The Shootout has been a tradition for many years. Our son, daughter, and friends have come up for
it. I've also brought many youth teams up to participate.
The Vail shootout is an amazing tournament with gorgeous scenery and truly a highlight of the year.
The event was very well organized and I got to see some fantastic lacrosse including one of the
Powell brothers. I will attend next year for sure.
The lines on the Ford Park fields where a mess and very confusing for the players and the refs.
Maybe keep the fields in the same place and just change the lines for specific rules.
The officiating in the u19 tournament was horrific I understand your training but every coach had
similar complaints and it's gotten worse every year. The kids are too good to have such bad
officiating. I've never said that about any other tournament in the country.
The officiating was much better this year is regards to take out checks. I watched a bit of the SM,
though, and was amazed at what the refs lets the Elder Statesmen get away with (late slashes,
trips, etc.). I don't think any other team would get the same deference.
Source: RRC Associates 4 of 6
2017 Vail Lacrosse Shootout comments
Do you have any comments or suggestions for imporovement regarding the Shootout?
The sponsored meals should be divided equally among the participants.
The tournament was an outstanding experience for my daughter as a participant and me as a
spectator. I thoroughly enjoyed it and as such do not have any ideas as to how to improve.
The town needs to support this event more with vendors etc... i have been doing this since 1985
and my friends and I probably drop more than $1000 per person in three days. The town acts like
we and our money are a nuisance.
The tradition of the Vail shootout is a long lasting one and is one of a few national tournaments that
people look forward to coming to.
There should be WAY more photo coverage of the games. Maybe even more streamed games. But
a photographer should cover EVERY game for sure. Also, the orientation of Ford 2 should be as it
was on our final day, and not changed.
There were no food vendors on site. There was no water available to spectators.
This was my 13th year as a player and/or coach at the Vail Shootout. Once again, this was a very
well run tournament. Great job!
Too few games. Lake Placid has four or five games in this division, Vail only has 3
Town of Vail should be more appreciative and respectful of our stays in Vail for the tournament. As
older players (Grandmaster and Zenmaster participants) we spend thousands of dollars during our
stays - we're not sleeping in our cars and eating fast food like the younger players.
Try to attract more teams- like the old days! (Ha)
Try to avoid the conflicts arising from overlapping game times for Zenmasters and Grand masters
games.
Vail is an expensive place to visit. I have come for this tournament since 1984 and brought my
whole family every time. Charging for parking rubs salt in the wound.
Very organized, very clean and friendly tournament. Town of vail and everyone I encountered was
very helpful and was able to answer all of my questions in a timely manner! enjoyed my stay very
much
Was a fantastic experience. Will try to come out every year.
We absolutely loved the trip to vail in the summertime I think my daughters want to live here when
they get older. I just wished I had planned better to stay longer to enjoy more of the outdoors outside
of lacrosse time
We appreciate the tournament being sensitive to the U19 girls and boys schedules. This is
particularly important as the Under Armor Senior All American game arrival is close to the
championship game. It was great that the girls and boys could participate in both. That also
increases the quality of the players participating at Vail.
We spend $3500 - 4000 in Vail when we are there. If there is free parking for both Lions and Vail
village, there should be free parking for Ford field, Athletic field etc. The one park for $10 fee seems
a bit high, especially for multiple games at multiple times. Otherwise, Vail is a great trip.
Well run. Wel officiated and great training staff. Very professionally run. I would not have gone 4 x
nor organized a group of 30 plus people to return this year if it wasn't well done.
With the construction it was difficult finding fields as a first timer. Better signage would have helped.
Also, by the time we got there all the shirts were sold out. Very disappointing not to have been able
to get a souvenier
Women's Masters division! :-D
Work with hotels to obtain preferred rates for teams looking for economical places to stay. The #1
obstacle in fielding a team has been total cost.
Would be more enjoyable if there was an a/b division in each age group. If the town of Vail
supported the event more I'd be grateful. Also, I'd be more inclined to bring my family.
Would have been nice to have more tournament tees available; alot was sold out the first day. Also
a lot of my players made comments that it was unfair that all the vendors were at the boys site. As a
girls coach, they definitely don't deserve to feel like second class citizens at tournaments like these.
Would love to have concessions at the field and tournament gear to purchase (t-shirts, etc).
Source: RRC Associates 5 of 6
2017 Vail Lacrosse Shootout comments
Do you have any comments or suggestions for imporovement regarding the Shootout?
You must increase participation and attendance. Competition is down. Publicity is almost
nonexistent. Vendors do not attend anymore. If the shootout does not address these issues, then
they risk losing teams to up-and-coming tournaments.
constant parking problems
having the schedule earlier or at least the field I was to be playing on would have been a
tremendous help in booking my lodging. The Marriott was great in giving me rides to the games but
was also not a guarantee.
keep the games for the Zen Masters early in the morning, $10 parking is questionable
my only complaint is scheduling. the 3 day format is much better this year, but if you could run it
over a weekend for supermasters you would have more success. hard to take 3 days off of work to
play lax with your buddies. 2 days much easier.
none
not r41eally
played in the 40+ and 50+ divisions
please move the supermasters dates to match up with U19. It was too crowded and one of the
things we liked was it was more open. Too close to elite
since the shootout came to Vail in 1979(after three years in Aspen), I have flown or driven to Vail
over thirty times to play in the tourney. I love it the way it is..
the fields could have been better - combination of grass and field turf was strange, but acceptable.
very well run again this year--keep up the great work
Source: RRC Associates 6 of 6