When the magnificent Summit of Softball complex opened 13 years ago in Ooltewah, its first summer included a massive National Softball Association tournament filled with hundreds of travel ball teams and thousands of parents who hoped their young daughters might capture the recruiting interest of coaches at major college programs.
One such father was from Illinois, though his rising sophomore daughter was playing for a team from Florida. Asked how often they joined that Sunshine State-based squad from their Midwest home, he replied: "At least every two weeks."