Local athlete Carson Smith recently participated in the Under Armour National Tryout and received an invitation to play in the Winter Classic Tournament on Dec. 26, along with 100 other athletes from across the nation.
Local athlete Carson Smith recently participated in the Under Armour National Tryout and received an invitation to play in the Winter Classic Tournament on Dec. 26, along with 100 other athletes from across the nation.
Local all-star baseball player Carson Smith recently participated in the Under Armour National Tryout and received an invitation to play in the Winter Classic Tournament on Dec. 26, in Vero Beach, Fla. along with 100 other athletes from across the nation.
The tournament lasts for four days, during which he will receive world class coaching, so that means Smith will be practicing and playing baseball for 10 hours a day.
“I am excited and honored to be asked to play on such a prestigious team,” Smith said. “I hope I represent Oregon and our community well. The opportunity that this gives me is incredible. I could not have achieved this without the influence of all my coaches and teammates, as well as the support of my community. I especially want to thank coach Dean Dollarhide for his time and help in making me a better player by coaching me on an individual basis.”
Carson’s father, Chad, received an email from the Baseball Factory, and through research on how the program helps student-athletes succeed in college, decided to listen to the presentation.
Carson tried out for a shortstop and pitcher, and at the tryouts, they assessed the players on six-to-seven different skill sets, such as their defensive position, bat speed, hitting, 60-yard dash, pitching, the shuttle run, and the standing long jump.
All told, there were approximately 60 kids assessed by professional players, coaches, and current scouts.
They have tryouts in several different cities around the nation, with San Francisco, Seattle, and Portland as just a few of the west coast locations.
After a one-day tryout, Chad received a phone call, two days later, from the player development coordinator for the Baseball factory, telling him they were impressed with several of Carson’s skills, assessing higher than most of the players they had looked at in his age group.
“They were excited about the prospect that Carson had to offer, not only their team, but himself and in his baseball career,” Chad said. “Unfortunately, they already had a shortstop on the team, but they wanted to know if Carson was interested in playing second base and relief pitcher.”
As a young player, Carson is just scratching the surface on his baseball acumen, but with assistance from the Baseball Factory, that extra help will push athletes to become better baseball players and students by being involved in their career progression.
There is so much more to this honor than just playing in a prestigious tournament, however, as Carson has agreed to keep his representative informed of his grades and all sporting activities he is involved with.
In return, they build a portfolio in a national data base that is used by colleges, and professional scouts for recruiting purposes.
“I am so very proud of my son Carson, as a coach and a father,” Chad said. “I have told Carson that hard work and dedication will pay off, and for him to strive to be his best, not only in athletics, but as an individual and in school. I remind Carson that there are a lot of young student-athletes that look up to him. He may not have asked for the responsibility, but it comes with success, so he should embrace it and be the best he can be.”
This trip and opportunity present a lot of financial responsibilities for airfare, lodging, food and other expenses through the week following Christmas.
If anyone would like to help with Carson’s expenses, they can donate directly to the family or email Chad at chadsktm@yahoo.com.
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