V. The Rapids Classic | 9U-19U | AUGUST 2021

The 2021 Rapids Classic is the go-to destination for top teams across the Western United States. This tournament is built for all competitive teams looking for challenging opposition in a fun environment. Teams joining us this year for our 10th Anniversary are in for a great weekend of competitive soccer! Follow the tabs to find more information on the 2021 Rapids Classic tournament.

Watch this space for updates and details on the day-to-day schedule of the tournament, as we finalize brackets and approach kick off!

Teams should register and play according to the 2021 Fall season. We will follow US Soccer’s Age Group Guidelines based on birth year. Teams will be placed in Bronze, Silver, and Gold divisions, with Gold divisions composing the highest level of teams registered. This event is hosted at 3 (THREE) different facility locations at DICK’S Sporting Goods Park, Aurora Sports Park, and The Gates Soccer Complex.

Early Bird Registration:

• Early registration ends on July 29th, 2021.
• Waitlist registration will close on August 5th, 2021.
  • Teams waitlisted will be notified no later than by August 5th, 2021 of their acceptance into the event.

**A $100 late fee will be added on for all registrations received during our waitlist time period.**

Acceptance Process:

• Acceptances will begin no sooner than 6 Weeks out from the event date.
• If your team is traveling for this event, please reach out directly to check the status of your application. We can accommodate early acceptances for traveling teams to help them plan their trips by accepting teams sooner.

Payment Process:

• Your card has been stored on file along with your application.
• Tournaments staff will process applications starting on July 8th, 2021 (6 weeks out from the event).
• When you receive an acceptance email, please double-check your accounts to make sure the payment has been correctly processed.

Bracket Release and Schedule Release Timeline:

• Tournament Brackets:
  • Brackets will be released to teams no later than 2 weeks out from the event date.
  • Placement will be based off the questions you answered in the application as well as your GotSoccer ranking and league standings.
  • Teams will have 24 hours to review placement and request changes, all changes are subject to staff authorization and no guarantees can be made.
  • If you have any special requests, please reach out early and let us know! We will do our best to accommodate, but can not make and guarantee. (I.E. “Our team lost some players since last year, so we should be in Bronze not Silver” or “We want a harder schedule, please place us up a bracket if possible!”)
• Tournament Schedules:
  • Schedules will be released to teams no later than 1 week out from the event date.
  • Teams will have 24 hours to review schedules and request changes, all changes are subject to staff authorization and no guarantees can be made.
  • If you have any special requests, please reach out early and let us know! We will do our best to accommodate, but can not make and guarantee. (I.E. “Our team is driving from Vail, please do not schedule us later than 5 PM and earlier than 9 AM”)

Weather, External Conditions, and Cancellations

Regardless of weather conditions (unless for safety reasons), players and coaches must be on the field at the scheduled time, ready to play. The Tournament Director has authority to reduce the length of matches due to weather conditions before the start of a match; all such matches will be considered official. The Tournament Director may also reschedule (time and location) a match before it begins. Only referees or the Site Director can suspend a match already started due to weather conditions. All matches that reach halftime will be considered final per Tournament Director. i.e. 1 second into 2nd half and the home team leads 1:0, lighting strikes, game is considered over. 

Severe Weather in Area:

• Should a storm begin to threaten the event, state-of-the-art radar will be used to determine the distance of the storm and any strikes of lightning that may be within a 10-mile radius. 
• Should there be a lightning strike within said 10-mile radius, games will be temporarily stopped and teams must return to their cars. 
• A “Waiting Time” of 30 minutes without a strike of lightning must be observed before the teams can safely return to the facility. 
• If the “Waiting Time” exceeds 60 minutes, games will be ended at their time of stoppage if more than 60% of the game has been completed. 
• If less than 60% of the game has been completed, the Tournament Director has authority to reschedule the game to a new time or cancel the game and award points based on a points averaging scale. 

Cancellation Refund Agreement:

• For a tournament in progress (dates of planned event), in the event of rain, snow or acts of God, the tournament director reserves the right to reduce game times and numbers of games.
• Refund Structure is as follows:
  • 100% refund – if the tournament is cancelled in entirety due to COVID-19. 
  • 80% refund – if the event is cancelled entirely due to weather, or any other external forces. 
  • 60% refund – If only 1 game is played of the 3 guaranteed games. 
  • 30% refund – If only 2 games are played of the 3 guaranteed games. 
• No refund is given if:
  • A team withdraws within 30 days prior to the tournament.
  • a team decides to forfeit a game, giving them less than the guaranteed minimum of played games. 
  • The team withdraws to play in another tournament.

Colorado Air Quality Monitoring:

• Due to the ongoing mountain forest fires, referee assignors on site will monitor the air pollution levels. 
• Should levels rise to 125, referees will instill water breaks and staff will actively monitor the Air Quality situation.
• Should levels rise to 150 or higher, games may be shortened by up to 10 minutes per half. 
• Should levels rise to 200 or higher, games will be cancelled on the spot and attempted to be rescheduled.

Hotel Option for Teams playing North (DICK’s Facility & Aurora Sports Park)

• DoubleTree by Hilton – Stapleton (2 Locations)

• • 4040 Quebec St, Denver, CO 80216 USA
  • 3203 Quebec Street Denver, CO 80207 USA
    • Contact: Linda Walters
  • Email: Linda.Walters@hilton.com
  • Number: 303-262-7726

Hotel Option for Teams playing South (Gates Complex)

• Embassy Suites Denver – Tech Center

• • 10250 East Costilla Avenue, Centennial, CO 80112
    • Contact: Becky Reed | Area Director of Sales
    • Email: Rebecca.Reed@dimdev.com
    • Direct: 303-705-5902 | Mobile: 303-898-6150

CSA Referee Administration

• Esse Baharmast – Director of Referees
• Deanna Duncan-Allen – Administrative Registrar

Colorado Referee Committee:

• Neal Fausset, State Referee Administrator / State Youth Referee Administrator
• Denise Duran, State Director of Instruction
• Younes Marrakchi, State Director of Assignment
• Eric Bryan, State Director of Assessment

Referee Disciplinary Committee:

• J. Kirk McGill
• Megan McCain
• Tom Widera
• disciplinecommittee@coloradoreferees.com

Methods of Checking In: 

Online Check-In ONLY (Due to COVID-19):

• Teams can check-in online by posting official rosters, official player passes (if needed), and guest players into their GotSoccer account. 
• Please reach out to the Tournament Director (Marcus.Owerko@rapidsyouthsoccer.org) for questions or help in uploading documents into GotSoccer. 
• Teams are NOT required to have printed copies of the roster and player cards. PDF files on a phone or tablet will suffice.

Check List For Colorado-based Organizations:

• 2021 approved Club or CSA Roster (CSA roster now includes pictures)
  • 10U & younger teams must have a roster; most do not have player passes.
• 2021 Medical Release forms
• Guest Player Forms for all non-rostered players
• Each player MUST fill out the Declaration of Health and COVID-19 Waiver.
  • Please send the link below to all your players and coaches. 
    • CLICK HERE FOR DECLARATION OF HEALTH
  • Each player will be checked-in at the entrances and will not be allowed to enter unless the document is filled out.

Check List For Out-Of-State Organizations:

• If Competitive, current laminated USYSA or US Club player cards
  • 10U & younger teams must have a roster as they may or may not have player passes
• If Recreational, teams will NOT have player passes and MUST have a Club-approved roster
  • Submit one US Club-approved roster or State League-approved roster.
• Current Medical Release forms
• Each player MUST fill out the Declaration of Health and COVID-19 Waiver.
  • Please send the link below to all your players and coaches. 
    • CLICK HERE FOR DECLARATION OF HEALTH
  • Each player will be checked-in at the entrances and will not be allowed to enter unless the document is filled out.