Puerto Vallarta’s hosts the Puerto Vallarta College Challenge softball tournament, which brings together the 15 best collegiate teams in the United States to play official matches at the highest level of intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association.
The Puerto Vallarta College Challenge brings 600 players plus support staff, family and fans for a couple of weeks in Puerto Vallarta.
The first series of games was held from February 7 to 9 and the second will be from February 14 to 17, during most of the day, at the softball field “Agustín Flores Contreras”.
During Thursday, Friday and Saturday there will be five daily matches and on Sunday one more. The teams come from Arkansas, Mississippi, North Dakota, Colorado, Illinois, Sacramento, Florida and the State of Washington.
Previously, teams from Duke (North Carolina), Notre Dame (Indiana), Baylor (Texas) and Liberty (Virginia) have competed in this event.
This event is possible thanks to the organization Triple Crown Sports, which for more than 25 years has made several tournaments in Puerto Vallarta, where conditions are ideal to play softball.
David King, director of the Triple Crown organization, praised the conditions and quality of tourist services in the area, as well as the sports facilities that have been improved with a new LED lighting system, for night games, with resources provided by their own organization.
During these days the players and their families have been able to enjoy the beaches and the sunny weather.
Also during their stay here, the teams have an altruistic work with the community through sports clinics; they preselect public schools and some private schools where they share their softball expertise.
The entire team is accompanied by their coach; In the school playground students are shown the rules and technique of softball. In addition, participants receive softball swag and souvenirs.
This year the schools they visited were: Emiliano Zapata, November 20, Tepeyac School, Ameyalli, ISPAC. Francisco Gonzalez Bocanegra and Valentín Gómez Farías.
Additional sporting events were also confirmed for this upcoming year: the Down of urban cycling (May 18 and 19); the PV Open tennis (April 29-May 5) which was named the best debut Challenge tournament; the II Marathon (April 7) and various beach volleyball tournaments, basketball, athletic races, among other disciplines.
