Riptide '99: Welcome

Welcome to our home page. We are a 2nd year 10U team based in Tuscaloosa, AL. Our players come from all areas in West Alabama to play fastpitch softball at the highest level. In our organization, our coaches emphasize fundamentals, competitiveness, and teamwork. We believe that learning to win and lose provides a basic foundation for success in life. Our team is sanctioned by the Amateur Softball Association, the National Softball Association, and the United States Fastpitch Association. We provide an opportunity for our local youth to travel outside the community and compete at a higher level.

Please sign our guestbook and let us know you came by.

2009 Fall Record    23 - 5 - 1

On another cold and windy day, we travelled to Clay to play in the Cougar Prowl tournament. There were only 3 teams in 10U so we knew we would see the same team over and over. Our first pool game was against the Wild Thangs at 9:00am. Our bats came out hot and pitching was great and we pulled out the win. Next was the Explosion 2000 team at 10:30am. Their pitching and defense held us down a little, but we were able to overcome some mistakes and pull out the win. We were #1 seed in elim play and drew the Explosion again. This time, our bats exploded for 12 runs, our pitching was sharp, and we won easily to reach the championship. In the Championship, we drew the gritty Explosion team for the 3rd time. This was their 6th game in a row and they were still playing hard. Our pitching and defense rose to the challenge and we defeated them for the Championship. Hats off the the NA Explosion for their tough play.

After the USFA State tournament did not make, we entered NSA Strike Zone Fall Festival in Thorsby. This would be our first real test against some teams with 98 players, so we knew we would have to play hard and play "Riptide" ball to be successful.

Our first pool game was against the Capital City Softball team. They came out and played us hard, but we escaped with a 3-2 victory. That setup our second pool game against the Titans 98/99, our in-town rival. It was a great game, with great pitching on both sides, and we pulled out the 3-2 victory. With a 2-0 record in pool, we earned the #1 seed. In elimination play, we faced the Purple Crush and the bats were hot and we defeated them. As luck would have it, we had to face the Titans 98/99 team once again, with the winner going to the championship. Our girls (and parents) were fired up and we jumped on them fast, building a 7-2 lead, and holding on to a 7-5 victory, sending us to the Championship game and sending the Titans home. In the championship game, we faced our good friends the Blackouts 99, who came back to win their semi-final game against SWAT in the last at-bat. With the game starting at 10:52pm, and temperatures in the high 30's, both teams were sluggish and the score went back and forth. In the end, we were fortunate to pull out a win 6-5 to win the championship.

On a day when the sky was cloudy, temps never got above 50, several 2+ hour breaks, and the wind making it even more brutal, our girls played hard, made sure they were ready to play when it was game time and gave their all. All of them should be very proud of this Championship.

Well, it is amazing what a little extra sleep and playing in our hometown will do. Congratulations girls on a hard earned championship. We started out in Pool play red-hot and defeated the Mustangs and Warriors. We earned the #1 seed in our pool. In elimination play, we squared off against a tough Warriors team, who came to play. After getting down early, we scrapped together a few hits and our pitching ramped up, and we were very fortunate to come back and win in the last at-bat. In the Championship game, we faced a very good Vipers 2000 team, who had beat us earlier in the year. The bats came out smoking and the pitching was fantastic, and we held them off for the Championship.

 All the hard work we put in back in July, in the 95 degree heat is starting to pay off. Keep working hard and the rewards will keep coming.

Last tournament was Twister Warning in Helena. We played our first pool game vs. Vipers '99 team. Our bats were still asleep and fell behind quickly. We rallied to tie the game 6-6. Then the rains came and wiped the tournament out.

Next: Our Riptide Fall Festival tournament on Oct. 3 in Cottondale.

Congratulations girls on our first championship !! The bats came alive, the defense was almost flawless, and the pitching was outstanding. In pool play, we defeated the Twisters 99 and the SWAT 99 to claim the #1 seed. In bracket play, we defeated the Mustangs 99 and the SWAT 99 again to make it to the championship game. As luck would have it, the SWAT 99 team made it to the championship game, meaning we would have to beat them 3 times in the same tournament. It was a close game from the start, but some outstanding pitching, timely defense, and great clutch hitting allowed us to beat them again, and claim the championship. Looking back, this was a true TEAM championship. Everyone contributed to these wins, and every girl should be proud. Congrats to the SWAT 99 team for a great tournament and fantastic sportsmanship.

Our Fall season is under way and our first tournament is under our belt. Our new girls have gotten their feet wet in travel ball and the butterfiles are now gone. Our pitching was much improved, but our bats were still in storage. We went 2-3 in our first tournament and lost the championship game to a very experienced Titans '99/98 team. 2nd place is not bad, but we want championships.

 Next up: Our bats better wake up because the next tournament is Aug. 30 in the 10U Showcase in Irondale. All '99 teams in a tough tournament. Let's practice hard and let everyone know we are for real.

Our RIPTIDE 10U team is going through some changes for Fall 2009. We have added some new players to our team to replace the girls that moved to 12U. Our core group is still here, and we all look forward to becoming friends and teammates to the newest members of the RIPTIDE family. To further this cause, we are changing our name RIPTIDE '99 to reflect these changes.

FUNDRAISING

Providing these girls this opportunity is a costly venture. It takes money to travel, buy equipment, buy uniforms, and enter these tournaments. We rely on fundraisers and donations to help offset some of these costs.

Or you can donate directly to our PayPal account.