Glastonbury Hartwell Soccer Club hosted its 19th annual Spring Warm-Up Tournament from Friday through Sunday of this past weekend. The tournament hosted 220 boys and girls teams from across New England as well as New York and New Jersey, at 10 different sites in Glastonbury. There were teams competing against one another from the U9 level all the way up to the U14 level.  Proceeds from the tournament will be used to develop and maintain the town’s sports complexes.

The Spring Warm-Up Tournament has a reputation as a great event where teams are  treated very well and challenged on the field. This year’s tournament only bolstered that reputation. No matter where you turned, one could see the effort organizers put into the tournament, and the pleasure coaches, players and spectators were experiencing as a result of this effort.

“The competition here is great and teams know that they will get better by playing here,” said tournament director Andy Pinkowski. “Thanks to Parks and Rec, the quality of fields in town is excellent and that helps to attract teams. Over the years, our reputation as a fun, well-run tournament has become widespread.”

The tournament added some high-tech features in 2012 in an effort to improve the quality of the event.

“We’re doing video scoreboards that allow everyone watching to see scores in real time,” said tournament director Cathy Chisholm. “We have also begun to send text messages to coaches so they can follow the tournament as it’s going on.”

Both visiting and local coaches spoke of how the Spring Warm-Up tournament was a valuable experience for their young players.

“We have come every spring for a while,” said Miguel Rodriguez,” the head coach of the boys OGRC U12 team out of Greenwich.” It’s a fun experience for the kids and allows them to develop while playing good teams. They figure out how to play the game here.”

“The competition is strong and the tournament is very well organized,” said Ben Kylas, the head coach of the boys Oakwood 2 U9 team. “You know you are going to have a rewarding experience here. The tournament gives you a chance to figure out the sort of team you are. It lets your team play the best competition and be challenged early in the season.”

The parents in attendance recognized that this tournament stood out from others their children participate in.

“This is an incredible tournament,” stated Glastonbury resident Scott Schneider, whose son Brett plays for the boys U10 Hartwell White Team. “It brings a lot of people to Glastonbury and gives them a chance to see all the things the town offers. It is also great from a team-bonding perspective. The kids get to spend the whole weekend together and go out and do activities as a team.”

Here is a link to the results and final standings of each tournament team within their groupings.

http://events.gotsport.com/events/Default.aspx?eventid=22591