Triple Crown World Series returns in full swing to Aspen and Roaring Fork Valley
Tournament will bring in 45 teams from 12 states for games
Austin Colbert/The Aspen Times
Youth baseball players and their families will inundate Snowmass Village and the greater Roaring Fork Valley this week for the Triple Crown World Series, which brings 45 teams from 12 states (including Colorado) to the region.
The event, headquartered in Snowmass Village, began with an opening ceremony at Snowmass Base Village on Tuesday, followed by games through the weekend. The opening day was scheduled to kick off with a skills challenge competition in El Jebel, followed by a talk from the Positive Coaching Alliance about good sportsmanship. Comedian and baseball player Domingo Ayala was set to attend the opening ceremony.
Games will be held through Sunday at Snowmass Town Park and Aspen’s Iselin Field and Rotary Park, as well as at other fields in Glenwood Springs, Carbondale and Basalt. All games are free and open to the public.
This is the second year the series is taking place in Snowmass, although the event started 25 years ago. Prior to last year, the series was hosted in Steamboat Springs. The event grew in part due to the change in location, since teams were more excited to travel to Snowmass because of its international reputation, according to Triple Crown media and marketing director Andy Hansen.
Austin Colbert/The Aspen Times
“One of the main reasons we moved here was because of all the fun things that there are to do for the team, and it really offers even more activities here than Steamboat Springs,” Hansen said.
Snowmass was selected as the new headquarters for the event due to the abundance of activities for players and their families, according to Hansen.
Its central location in the Roaring Fork Valley and the variety of lodging available, including many condo-style units, were also determining factors, according to Snowmass Tourism Director Rose Abello.
“Snowmass is renowned as a family playground, so these folks will be able to take advantage of many of our popular offerings,” Abello said.
According to Hansen, 675 families of players between the ages of 9 and 14 are expected to flock to the Roaring Fork Valley, bringing traffic to local businesses.
“The area should be excited to have all the teams in town because they’re going to come in and spend money and bring some economic impact to the communities,” Hansen said.
Teams are required to stay in lodging facilities that have partnered with the event, according to Hansen. Lodging will be located at several locations across the valley.
Austin Colbert/The Aspen Times
With the event occurring during peak summer season, the town of Snowmass Village is expecting occupancy to be above 90%.
“This is a good thing,” Abello said. “We regularly send local businesses occupancy outlooks, so they should be prepared.”
Last year, the event was well received by Snowmass locals.
“We got a lot of positive feedback last year, especially from locals who went to see the games. … These athletes are really amazing,” Abello said. “I encourage anyone who is around to pop over to a field to catch a game.”
