The 2011 NAIA Women’s Softball National Championship Starts Next Week!

Alabama Gulf Coast sports fans, and particularly softball fans, will be happy to know that the 2011 NAIA Women’s Softball National Championship is scheduled to start next Thursday, May 19th at the Gulf Shores Sportsplex. Come watch as 32 college teams compete for the National Champions title!

All 32 teams will play three games in pool play action from May 19th to May 21st, followed by an eight-team double elimination round on the 23rd and 24th. The final champion-deciding game will be played on May 25th.

The mix of teams competing in this championship promises to make it an exciting event. The current national champion Simon Fraser (B.C.) is returning to defend its title. Oklahoma City, the leading team in all-time championship wins, will play against Mobile, who is competing in the championship for the 16th time. The Stars hold the record for the most NAIA championships attended, this year being their 25th trip. And there are several teams making a first appearance at the championship—a good setup for a potential underdog winner.

Don’t miss the excitement! Be there to cheer on your favorite team, or just follow the whole week-long event to see who will come out on top.

Communication is Key

Visit the Alabama Gulf Coast and you’ll find that the area offers much more than just beautiful white-sand beaches and Gulf views. People come from all over to participate in sporting events ranging from baseball and soccer tournaments to triathlons and major fishing tournaments. Participation isn’t the only fun part of these events; they serve as entertaining spectator sports as well.

But sports aren’t the only activities taking place in Gulf Shores & Orange Beach. All kinds of happenings are going on throughout the year, and thanks to companies like AL.com and Clear Channel—two big sponsors of the Alabama Gulf Coast Sports Commission—knowledge of these events is passed on regularly to the public.

AL.com provides a wealth of information on news, entertainment, sports, travel, and weather for the entire state of Alabama. There is even a selection of forums where you can interact with others on specific topics and precise locations. If you’re looking for current information on news stories and events in Alabama—including the Alabama Gulf Coast—AL.com is an excellent resource.

Thanks to Clear Channel, a provider of entertainment and information services around the world, information relevant to the area is distributed via radio stations like 95 KSJ in Mobile. Along with music and news, Clear Channel radio also provides the latest information on local concerts and other events.

And thanks to both of these companies (as well as several other sponsors), the Alabama Gulf Coast Sports Commission is able to support and promote a variety of sporting events throughout the year.

Beginning the New Year

There’s often a let-down feeling following the bang of the New Year. All the excitement leading up to the holidays and New Year’s Eve culminates into one big end-of-year party—then comes the dullness of January and February.

This is not so much the case along Alabama’s Gulf Coast, where there is always something to do. Several sports events will be taking place in the first weeks of 2011, including a tennis tournament, a volleyball tournament, a seafood festival and car show, and a cheerleading competition. Then there are the regular draws of the Gulf: a variety of inviting accommodations, historic and nature sights and trails, delicious dining, and fabulous shopping venues. And with the weather not nearly as cold as more northern areas—average temperatures in January and February in the 50s—a stroll on the beach is not out of the question.

Visit the Alabama Gulf Coast Sports Commission website for more information about the Alabama Gulf Coast and upcoming sporting events.

The Competition is Building

In just under four weeks the 52nd Annual NAIA Men’s Soccer National Championship will begin in Orange Beach, and it promises to be an exciting event. There are some strong teams within the NAIA men’s soccer league, with five teams (University of Rio Grande, Simon Fraser University, Notre Dame College, Hastings College, and University of Maine at Fort Kent) being undefeated so far this season—it’s unlikely those teams will go down without a fight!

Several other teams have strong records with only one or two losses. Watching the players behind these impressive statistics should make for an exciting week of soccer as they compete for the top spot in the championship.

The action starts Monday, November 29th at noon. Don’t miss it!

Get Ready for Some Soccer!

November 29th through December 4th for soccer fans—and sports fans in general—in the Orange Beach and Gulf Shores area. The 52nd Annual NAIA Men’s Soccer National Championship takes place that week at the Orange Beach Sportsplex. Sixteen NAIA soccer teams from around the country will compete single-elimination style throughout the week. The final championship game will take place on Saturday, December 4th.

Tickets are $8 per day for adults and $3 per day for children. Or if you want to witness the teams’ progress throughout the entire tournament, an all-tournament pass is available for $20.

Come root for a favorite team, or just check out all the action!

On Land and Sea

Plenty of sports action is taking place along the Alabama Gulf Coast this month, spanning from land to sea and covering activities such as boating, fishing, baseball, tennis and even a duathlon.

Between October 12th and October 17th, two water-based events will take place: Thunder on the Gulf and the IFA Redfish Tour Gulf Division Fishing Tournament. The speed-boat-racing fun of Thunder on the Gulf runs from the 12th to the 17th. Then on the 16th and 17th, anglers will compete with each other to catch “the big one” in the IFA Redfish Tournament.

Also on the 16th is the Hot to Trot Reverse Duathlon (where participants bike 9.2 miles, run 5.6 miles, and then bike another 9.2 miles) and the NSA Gulf Coast Fall College Exposure Softball Tournament, in which 36 travel softball teams compete for champion status.

Tennis fans will want to check out the Alabama State Senior and Super Senior Tennis Championships October 21st to the 24th. This event involves over 400 Alabama athletes competing at three different tennis facilities. Then finish out the month with the USSSA Monster Bat Halloween Beach Baseball Tournament, in which more than 20 travel baseball teams compete over the Halloween weekend.

It’s going to be an active month! Visit the Alabama Gulf Coast Sports Commission website for more information.

Try a Triathlon

Imagine starting the day with a 1,000-yard swim, then taking a 20-mile bike ride followed by a 5-mile run. If this type of athletic endeavor calls to you, you’ll want to be in Gulf Shores on Saturday, September 11th for the 2010 Brett/Robinson Alabama Coastal Triathlon and the “Tri-it-on” Triathlon.

Maybe you want to put your physical stamina to the test, or maybe you just want to stand on the sidelines and cheer for the participants (for free—there is no charge for spectators). Or perhaps you’ve never participated in a triathlon before but want to get your feet wet—literally and figuratively in this case—by trying out the mini “Tri-it-on” triathlon, which involves a 300-yard swim, 9-mile bike ride and 2-mile run.

The event starts bright and early on Saturday morning, and a post-race party and awards ceremony will be held at The Hangout afterwards. Click here for more information.

Get Involved!

All too often, former athletes and general sports lovers deprive themselves of their passion. Many believe they’ve outgrown the athletic world and only relive the glory days of sports in their memories, or watch from afar at events and on television.

It’s easy to overlook the possibility of active sports participation in the adult world, but it’s not impossible to get involved again. The Alabama Gulf Coast is home to a variety of sporting events throughout the year, many of which are open to anyone willing to register. Golf tournaments, fishing tournaments, triathlons, and cycling events are some of the activities that take place along the Gulf.

For those who want to get involved but aren’t quite up for the athletic aspect, volunteer opportunities are available with the Alabama Gulf Coast Sports Commission. Help set up for an event, sell tickets, keep score or act as court marshal. Visit the Sports Commission’s website for more information.

Working Up an Appetite

If there’s one thing that’s true about sporting events, it’s that they make us hungry. The energy exerted by the athletes demands hearty nourishment (particularly if the athletes are children, and we get a lot of child athletes down here!). Even just watching the activity can make you hungry—and very often the concession stand simply isn’t enough.

Fortunately, Alabama’s Gulf Coast has much to offer in the way of food, whether you want something quick and easy before the big game or a fancy celebratory feast after the big win. Get a taste of the local flavor at one of the many seafood joints, or go with a more familiar restaurant that you know is a personal favorite.

The dining options are just one of many benefits of the Alabama Gulf Coast. Visit the Alabama Gulf Coast Sports Commission website to learn more about what the area has to offer.

So Much to Do

Sports can take a lot out of us. Even the exhilaration of simply watching an exciting baseball game or tennis match can be enough to wipe us out. So it’s nice to have a way to recuperate afterward.

Not only are there many ideal locations for sports activities around the Alabama Gulf Coast, there are also many opportunities for relaxation and other activities. Beachfront condos and hotels with pools, spas, and other amenities are great places to kick back and relax. Or if you want to explore what the area has to offer, you can check out the nature trails, historic sites, shopping and amusement parks, among other attractions. Then when you’ve worked up a good appetite, enjoy a dinner out at one of the many local restaurants.

Click here for more information on what the area has to offer.