Sports Fun on Spring Break

Calling all sports fanatics! Gulf Shores and Orange Beach both have a jam-packed schedule this spring to that will have everyone cheering. Spring Break is the ideal time to come to the Alabama Gulf Coast area! Warm temperatures and gulf breezes means it is time to take advantage of our gorgeous white sandy beaches. It is also time for some spring sports!

 It looks like we are off to a running start this Spring Break season with the Flora-Bama's 1st Annual Beach Run/Walk for America's Warriors. The event is scheduled for Saturday, March 15, 2014 at 9:00 a.m. The start and end point will be at the Flora-Bama. All 5k runners/walkers will be headed into Alabama while all 1/2 marathon runners/walkers will be headed into Florida. Register today!

If you prefer to be a spectator, we’ve got lots of spring sports coming your way! You can get your kicks at the 2014 Orange Beach Soccer Shootout. On March 22 and 23, over 165 teams head to the Alabama Gulf Coast will compete in the competition. 

Swing by the Gulf Shores Sportsplex March 24-27 as high school baseball teams compete in Gulf Coast Classic II. Nothing like a baseball game to make you realize that spring has sprung! 

Check out our complete event schedule!

 

Enjoy more Gulf Golf - Check Out our Upcoming Golf Tournament

In Gulf Shores and Orange Beach, residents and tourists alike are able to play golf all year long (with the exception of the recent freeze, of course). For golf enthusiasts, it doesn’t get much better than a golf tournament. Golfers love the chance to show off their skills to the crowd and fellow players; observers enjoy the showcase of competition. So when is the next opportunity to see all the action on the greens in the area?

Well, a little birdie told us that there is a golf tournament in Gulf Shores that is just around the corner. It is scheduled to take place at the Gulf Shores Golf Club on Monday, February 17, 2014. Be sure to plan on swinging by and supporting your favorite golfer when the competition starts heating up at the 2014 Gulf Shores High School Golf Battle on the Beach Golf Tourney.

The New Year Brings Plenty of Sports to the Gulf!

Welcome to 2014! A new year can mean so many things—a new start, new goals, and down here in Gulf Shores & Orange Beach it means a whole new year of exciting sporting events!

February alone sees a variety of Gulf Coast sports, from basketball and baseball to a golf tournament and even a cheerleading competition. Kicking things off on February 8^th is the HoopPlay Tournament 4 GM Guarantee—a basketball event taking place at Gulf Shores High School and Middle School. Also taking place in February are the Cheertech Orange Beach Nationals (February 15^th), the USSSA President’s Day Challenge Baseball Tournament (February 15^th), the GSHS Golf Battle on the Beach event (February 17^th), and the Island Cup Soccer Tournament (February 21^st – 22^nd).

Want a reason to visit Gulf Shores & Orange Beach next month and participate in an event? The 2014 Sweetheart 5k and Half Marathon is scheduled for February 15^th. You have some choices with this event: the half marathon, Sweetheart Run, one-mile fun run, or the 5k Walk/Run. Follow it up with food, live music, and an awards ceremony at the post-race party at The Hangout.

It’s going to be a great year for sports!

Ringing in the New Year with a Hot List of Gulf Sporting Events

And just like that, 2013 is coming to an end. It’s been a great year in Gulf Shores & Orange Beach, and the sports were no exception. The Gulf Coast saw everything from baseball, softball, and soccer tournaments to beach volleyball competitions to marathons and triathlons. The AHSAA made a couple appearances in the form of softball and track championships, as did the NAIA with softball and soccer. It was a good year for Gulf Coast sports.

Now we move on to 2014. The sports events continue on, beginning with the HoopPlay Winter Tip Off Basketball Tournament on January 4^th at Gulf Shores High School and Middle School; the event returns about a month later (February 8^th) at the same location. Then in mid-February things really get busy—the Sweetheart 5k and Half Marathon on February 15^th, the Cheertech Orange Beach Nationals (also on February 15^th), and the GSHS Golf Battle on the Beach (February 17^th) are just a few events taking place in February. Softball, soccer, volleyball, and another half marathon are also scheduled for February.

It’s going to be another great year of Gulf Shores & Orange Beach sports. Start making plans now—pick your event, pick your accommodations, and make a sports vacation out of it.

Baseball in December on the Gulf Coast—Really!

Just when you thought baseball had called it quits for the year, it pops up again in Gulf Shores & Orange Beach. It’s the USSSA Fall Alabama State Baseball Tournament, and it’s taking place at the Orange Beach Sportsplex December 13^th and 14^th—definitely worth checking out if you’re in the area!

It’s easy to see why Gulf Shores & Orange Beach would be a top pick for a late-fall baseball/softball event. The weather is mild and far from freezing, the white-sand beaches are beautiful and inviting, and the variety of baseball and softball facilities is plentiful.

Gulf Shores alone has several baseball and softball facilities, including three baseball fields and one softball field at Johnnie Sims Park, and one baseball field and six softball fields at the Gulf Shores Sportsplex. Head on over to the Orange Beach Sportsplex and you’ll find five more softball fields and five baseball fields. Several local high schools and middle schools also have fields available for use.

And we’ve only mentioned baseball and softball fields—facilities are also available for soccer, football, tennis, and various other sports. Add in the Gulf beaches and array of accommodations and it’s hard to think of a reason not to plan a sporting event in Gulf Shores & Orange Beach.

Combine Holiday Activities and Soccer in Gulf Shores & Orange Beach

It’s the most wonderful time of the year: Thanksgiving dinner with friends and family, Black Friday/Cyber Monday shopping deals to kick off the official start of the holiday shopping season, Christmas decorations, festive holiday events, and an exciting women’s soccer event.

Well, the soccer may not be part of the holiday spirit elsewhere, but it is in Gulf Shores & Orange Beach. The NAIA Women’s Soccer National Championship is scheduled to take place at the Orange Beach Sportsplex from December 1st through the 7^th. And an exciting event it is—throughout the week, 16 college women’s soccer teams from across the country will compete for the national championship title. If you’re in the area, this Orange Beach sports event is definitely worth checking out.

But if you can’t be here for this soccer event, don’t worry—the NAIA Women’s Soccer National Championship is already set to return to the Gulf December 1^st – 6^th in 2014, and again in 2015 (November 30^th to December 5^th). There’s plenty of time to plan a late-fall Gulf Coast vacation!

Decompress from holiday shopping and come out and watch these talented ladies in action.

Turkey Dinners and Marathons Make Good Reasons to Visit the Gulf

With two weeks until Thanksgiving, there’s still time to make plans for the upcoming holiday. If you’re falling short on ideas, here’s a good plan for the Thanksgiving holiday: book a stay at a Gulf Shores & Orange Beach condo or beach house, bring the family to the Gulf for some fall beach activity, prepare your Thanksgiving dinner with the beach just outside your window (or eat out—several local restaurants will be open), then run a marathon two days later—or a half marathon.

It’s the Kaiser Realty by Wyndham Vacation Rentals Half Marathon and 5K Run, and it’s taking place the Saturday after Thanksgiving (November 30^th). As the title suggests, there are a couple different options to really get you moving—the 5K and the half marathon. And if you’re not sure you’re up for these distances but still want to participate, there’s always the 1-mile fun run. All of it takes place on scenic paved trails through Gulf Shores, Orange Beach, and Gulf State Park.

It’s a great reason to bring the entire family down to the Gulf Coast, and a great way to transition from one holiday season to the next—work off that turkey dinner and race into the Christmas spirit.

Grab those running shoes, start training and start planning!