
Colorado’s Largest Fall Pre-Season Tournament! Do you have what it takes to compete against the best teams in Colorado and the Western United States? Join us for the 10th Anniversary of Rapids Classic! This event is hosted at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park, Gates Soccer Complex, Aurora Sports Park, and other Denver metro area facilities.
The Rapids Classic is one of the largest tournaments in Colorado, hosting around 400 teams each year. The Classic is open to boys & girls competitive and recreational teams from all states, ages 9U-19U. While we were able to hold last year’s event at reduced capacity, we are so excited to bring the full soccer community back together again for this national event in 2021!
Find all of the information that you need to get your team registered in the Rapids Classic 2021 guide below. For any questions, comments, or concerns, please contact CRYSC Director of Tournaments Marcus Owerko, at Marcus.Owerko@rapidsyouthsoccer.org.
Tournament Weekend Details
- When? August 19th to 22nd, 2021
- Who? 9U to 19U Boys AND Girls, Competitive & Recreational teams
- Where? DICK’S Sporting Goods Park, Gates Soccer Complex, & Aurora Sports Park
- How Much? $675-$875 per team, depending on age & level
- Deadline to Register? Early registration ends July 29th, 2021. Waitlist registration ends August 5th, 2021.
9U-10U Info & Pricing
9U-10U
- 7 v 7
- 3 Games Guaranteed
- Max Roster: 14 Players, 2 Staff
- 2 x 25 Minute Halves, 5 min. halftime
- Size 4 Ball
11U-12U Info & Pricing
11U-12U
- 9 v 9
- 3 Games Guaranteed
- Max Roster: 16 Players, 2 Staff
- 2 x 30 Minute Halves, 5 min. halftime
- Size 4 Ball
13U-19U Info & Pricing
13U-19U
- 11 v 11, Size 5 Ball
- 3 Games Guaranteed
- 13U-14U: 2 x 35 Min Halves, 5 min. HT
- 15U-16U: 2 x 40 Min Halves, 5 min. HT
- 17U-19U: 2 x 45 Min Halves, 5 min. HT
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
- 10250 East Costilla Avenue, Centennial, CO 80112
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.
- 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.
- Each player will be checked-in at the entrances and will not be allowed to enter unless the document is filled out.
- Overview & Hype Video
-
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.
- Tournament Details & Timeline
-
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
-
For all the latest information on weather and cancellations, follow the CRYSC Twitter account this weekend through the link below or search for the hashtag #RapidsWeatherUpdates!
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.
- Lodging
-
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
- 10250 East Costilla Avenue, Centennial, CO 80112
- Referees
-
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
- Check-In
-
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.
- 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.
- Each player will be checked-in at the entrances and will not be allowed to enter unless the document is filled out.
Required Completed Forms
CLICK HERE FOR A GUEST PLAYER FORM.
CLICK HERE FOR A MEDICAL RELEASE FORM.
- Every competitive team 8U – 19U is required to provide a state sanctioned roster.
- Every recreational team 8U – 19U is required to provide a club-verified copy of their roster.
- If your roster is NOT the new 2021 CSA roster with pictures, teams are required to bring player passes, including guest players.
- All teams are required to bring an official guest roster should you have guest players. (Above)
- All competitive teams must supply medical release forms for all players. (Above)
- For teams coming from outside Region IV, and out of state guest players, must have official permission from the home state sanctioning body to participate in the Icebreaker Tournament.
Refund Policy
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.
Frequently Asked Questions
When does registration open and what is the registration deadline?
The Early Deadline is July 29th, 2021.
The Waitlist Deadline is August 5th, 2021.
Teams who apply during the waitlist week 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.**
Where will the tournament games be located?
The tournament will be held at DICK’S Sporting Goods Complex, The Gates Soccer Complex and Aurora Sports Park.
When will teams be notified if they are accepted?
Teams will begin seeing acceptance notifications as early as 6 weeks before the tournament date. Acceptances will cease within 2 weeks of the event date.
How many games are guaranteed?
Every team is guaranteed three games.
When will schedules be posted?
Schedules will be sent out no later than one week prior to tournament kickoff. Schedules can be found on GotSoccer OR at the top of this web page.
What is the point system for this tournament?
Scoring
The following points are allotted per instance:
-
SIX points for a win;
-
THREE points for a tie;
-
ZERO points for a loss;
-
Minus one (-1) point for each red card issued to a player, coach or parent; and
-
Minus two (-2) points for a forfeiture or abandonment of a game.
Determination of Group Winners
In group play, there will be no overtime games. Standings in a group will be determined by game points:
-
Win: 6 points
-
Tie: 3 point
-
Loss: 0 points
-
Goals: 1 point for each goal up to 3 goals
-
1 point for shut out except for 0-0
In the event that two or more teams are tied in points at the end of the preliminary games, the following tie breakers shall be applied in the order given until a winner is determined:
-
Head to Head (if all teams played each other)
-
Goal Differential
-
Goals For
-
Goals Against
-
Number of red cards (team with the least red cards progresses)
-
FIFA penalty kicks
Forfeits
For U11-U18 matches a minimum of seven (7) players constitutes a game. Games should start at the given start time. In case the team does not have seven (7) players present, there will be a maximum of five (5) minutes grace period before awarding the game to the opponent. A forfeit will be scored 3-0.
How can I find out the scores and standings?
All scores are entered and updated immediately online as soon as game cards are received. The scores for the final game of the day will be entered within 2 hours of the score being received. All flights and playoff games for day 2 of the tournament will be updated online 2 hours following the final game on day 1. The website will be the most up-to-date and accurate information for scores and standings.
Will there be finals for all flights?
-
4 team bracket – Round robin with the top 2 teams playing in a championship.
-
5 team bracket – Round robin with highest point team as champion.
-
6 team bracket – Two 3-team groups with the top team from each playing in a cross-bracket championship and a cross-bracket consolation game.
-
8 team bracket – Two 4-team groups with the top team from each playing in a championship game.
Who will be receiving medals and trophies?
- First place teams will receive a “Champions” medal for each player and coach, and 1 “Champion” trophy per team.
- Second place teams will receive a “Finalist” medal each player and coach.