I was always under the impression that the Salina Tournament Of Champions had one of the better hospitality rooms around the state.

Having been to countless tournaments and hospitality rooms, here is my suggestion to anyone who wishes to read it.

The easiest and best way to have a hospitality room that coaches and officials alike will truly be appreciative and thankful for is to do this.

Have each set of parents within the club hosting the tournament who also has a child entered in the tournament bring something to place in the room. Often times its as easy as a homemade dish they can make easily before hand. Many a times I have filled my belly to the tune of BBQ meatballs and cocktail weenies, layer dip, soup and chili, sandwiches, cookies, and all other sorts of incredible homemade goodness.

The cost to the parents is very small often no more than $5-$7. I know different clubs around the state have different policies on entries from within their own club to their tournament. Some clubs charge full price for the fee, others have a reduced price, and still others don't charge a fee at all for their own kids. It seems to me the the small price of a dish for the hospitality room would be an equitable trade or possibly a deduction from the cost of your own clubs entries.

Now how you go about deciding which parents bring what kind of dish is entirely up to you. Some parents can bring a main dish, others can bring a side dish, some could bring an appetizer dish, chips, etc. This will limit the out of pocket expenses for the club and will provide a wonderful meal for the hard working but unpaid coaches as well as the paid but equally grateful officials.

I've seen this system used at a number of kids and high school tournaments, and it is great.