Normal, Illinois

[cjs50]

14 and Under was there last year, correct?
Was there something strange about Normal, LOL?? LIke you had to book rooms through them or something.
Complaints that anyone remembers??

[pixsguy]

we were at normal last year and midland this year...normal is alot nicer than midland...the roads have pavement not dirt...haha

[Tucson]

All I remember was that the state marching band contest was in town and there was a 1 day overlap of people needing motel rooms. (iirc)

[NumeroUno]

we were at normal last year and midland this year...normal is alot nicer than midland...the roads have pavement not dirt...haha

pixsguy, tell us about nationals in Midland, good or bad. How long a head of time did you book your hotel room and did they raise the room rates. How were the fields?

[pixsguy]

fields were very well maintained...people very nice and welcoming...water juggs clean and full of ice cold water...snack bar prices reasonable...plenty of warmup area...food at opening ceremonies was actually pretty good as well...social time was a bit too long though when your sitting in 100+ heat, but mariachis was very entertaining...team had blocked rooms in advance "just in case"...so no issues there for us excpet they wouldnt give us towels or change our sheets unless we paid "extra"...there just wasnt anything to see or do in the area...

[NumeroUno]

Thank you

[South Bay Softball]

We were in Normal last year. The tournament blocked nearly all rooms and you had to go through them (once you qualified) to get a decent place. Prices were good, fields were nice, and the corn fields were tall.

[pixsguy]

we actually drove it last year...but gas was half what it costs now...had more time than money and as a pick-up, we didnt have much time to plan...nice little trip for me and dd going and coming saw a lot USA we hadnt seen before...but...most people flew into chicago and made the three hour drive in...not much to see in normal...fields were nice...snack bar was expensive...hotel we stayed in was a about 10 minutes away by street...most of normal is nice and didnt see "bad" area goin or comin to fields...yes, cornfields to and from fields too...

[Cannonball]

We play 2 times a year in Normal. They do a great job running tournaments and the fields are well maintained. The only problem we've had was when we stayed at a different hotel chain than we typically use. This year, we were eliminated in the ASA Class A State tournament and went to checkout but was told that we still had to pay for another day. When we asked that morning about an extended checkout time and mentioned about the number of injuries we had encountered and that we probably would not advance, we were told we would be charged $50 but could checkout anytime before 5:00. We all agreed. One dad requested that this agreement be entered into the computer so that it would appear on his receipt. After we returned to the hotel, (prior to 1:00) the manager said that we signed a contract and would have to pay the full amount for that night. At one point detailing what we were told that morning, we were called liars until the one Dad produced his receipt. I've complained about being charge the full amount on our credit card all the way up to the corporate level. Although all of us were told the same information, only the Dad that had it written on his room bill received the discount. In my last attempt to speak to corporate offices, I requested that someone return my phone call since they were going to "investigate my claims." I told them I have a copy of that dad's receipt to fax to them. STILL NO CONTACT AND IT'S BEEN 3 OR 4 WEEKS. I don't take too much comfort in that.

We will enter these tournaments next year but will be very careful and get every word in writing on all of our reciepts. Of course we've never experienced this problem with any other hotel chain. BTW, we just played Northern Nationals in Topeka, Kansas and were eliminated on Saturday, we went back to our Holiday Inn Express to checkout and they didn't have a problem at all despite us having another day on our contract. They understand that we were there for a softball tournament and that teams get beaten. That was first class service and even happened after checkout time. (We did call before checkout time to let them know we were coming.)

[TXPeppers-1-Dad]

I thought Normal did a great job last year. The team my DD played for last year qualified late, so the time we were able to book rooms, they were all booked up. The team ended up staying in Peoria about 45 minutes away. There were also 3 other teams staying in the same hotel. There were also over 130 teams that attended the 14U ASA Nationals that year, and also there was another big softball tournament in the area at the same time.

I really enjoyed the opening ceremony in Normal compared to what they did in Midland this year.

My only dislike about the Normal fields, is that there were no shade. There might have been two or three small umbrellas at the park, but there were no shades over any of the bleachers. So take a canopy if you have one, but the parking is very far from the fields, so get ready for a good walk. I'm from Texas, and work outside on most days, so I'm fine with the heat. It was HOT in Midland, but a couple of day in Normal at 97 with some added humidity, and no shade was VERY HOT.

Good Luck in 09