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Post by beavis on Sept 3, 2019 15:11:51 GMT -5
Thinking that nothing would be nicer than getting out of the cold Midwest and heading to a tropical climate to watch a 4 star tourney in mid-November, but we have a bunch of questions.
What is Chetumal actually like? Is it safe down there? Looks like it is right next to Belize, but is pretty far away from anywhere else we have previously visited in Mexico, and even some of my Indy friends who grew up in Mexico have absolutely no idea about the place. Also, it is like a 12 hour flight with two stops, even if we drive to Chicago for those flights, and even though the hotels are cheap, we still want to know more before we spend the $$ and commit.
Also, thoughts on who will attend? Some pretty good teams are already registered, but is this an event at which our best US teams will decide to play in?
Any info would be greatly appreciated!
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Post by dunninla3 on Sept 3, 2019 15:37:01 GMT -5
It's a 4* (decent payout) in the US time zone, in a beautful locale, so it would make no sense to skip it.
The "Mayan Riviera" is that section of Mexico on the ocean between Cancun and Mexico's border with Belize, so it IS as safe as most places. It is a five hour drive west from Cancun. You could fly into Cancun and rent a car for a few days... or fly into Mexico City and do a smaller plane after a few hours layover and fly into Chetumal.
Given the Olympic Qualification, on the men's side for sure Dalcena, Cribb, and 2T. On the women's side, KWJ/BS, Slaes and Stocsen. ATeam has such a lead they can go or not go, whatever they feel like. I would assume they would go just to keep the rust off. So right there you have 6 or 7 of the 7 best US teams. Plus if Summer wants to test out her back's recovery, it's a good opportunity (I've not heard or read any update on that issue).
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Post by geddyleeridesagain on Sept 3, 2019 15:58:01 GMT -5
Nice town, kind of sleepy, not really a Mecca for tourism. Pretty much everything revolves around the Boulevard Bahia, a long boardwalk with restaurants, bars etc. Never felt uncomfortable walking around, Locals friendly, but very little English spoken. Really hot/humid.
Pleasant place for sure, very green and pretty views of Gulf. But personally speaking, I probably wouldn’t go out my way to return. Pain in the ass to get there.
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Post by tamz on Sept 3, 2019 16:35:55 GMT -5
Actually, Phil said if they do well enough in Rome, they’re skipping Mexico. He has nothing against Mexico (his wife is half Mexican), but he “would rather stick an ice pick in his eye than to train to November.”
As for ATeam, I believe Hawaii will be their last event.
I imagine teams will decide after this week’s tournament in Rome. Entry list comes outs 5 weeks before the start of tournaments.
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Post by pepperclove on Sept 3, 2019 17:31:21 GMT -5
From that quote, it sounds like Phil actively hates the process of training and preparation at this point. No wonder he and Nick aren’t doing well this season. Such a contrast with players like April, Kerri, and Jake who still seem to love playing, including the hard work between tournaments.
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Post by geddyleeridesagain on Sept 3, 2019 19:26:26 GMT -5
From that quote, it sounds like Phil actively hates the process of training and preparation at this point. No wonder he and Nick aren’t doing well this season. Such a contrast with players like April, Kerri, and Jake who still seem to love playing, including the hard work between tournaments. Most pros would prefer not to be training in November, which has traditionally been a month for R&R. It’s not just a Phil thing. Also, I’m having a hard time understanding why the FIVB is holding a 4 Star in mid-November in a place like Chetumal - it’s not a tourist destination, being another 100+ miles to the south of Tulum (generally considered the end point of the Riviera Maya). No resorts, limited hotel space, etc. A 1 or 2 Star, sure...on the other hand, the FIVB does a lot of weird sh@t, so why should I be surprised?
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Post by tamz on Sept 3, 2019 19:54:35 GMT -5
From that quote, it sounds like Phil actively hates the process of training and preparation at this point. No wonder he and Nick aren’t doing well this season. Such a contrast with players like April, Kerri, and Jake who still seem to love playing, including the hard work between tournaments. Most pros would prefer not to be training in November, which has traditionally been a month for R&R. It’s not just a Phil thing. Also, I’m having a hard time understanding why the FIVB is holding a 4 Star in mid-November in a place like Chetumal - it’s not a tourist destination, being another 100+ miles to the south of Tulum (generally considered the end point of the Riviera Maya). No resorts, limited hotel space, etc. A 1 or 2 Star, sure...on the other hand, the FIVB does a lot of weird sh@t, so why should I be surprised? They believed they had good success from last year’s event.
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Post by ajm on Sept 3, 2019 20:00:53 GMT -5
Most pros would prefer not to be training in November, which has traditionally been a month for R&R. It’s not just a Phil thing. Also, I’m having a hard time understanding why the FIVB is holding a 4 Star in mid-November in a place like Chetumal - it’s not a tourist destination, being another 100+ miles to the south of Tulum (generally considered the end point of the Riviera Maya). No resorts, limited hotel space, etc. A 1 or 2 Star, sure...on the other hand, the FIVB does a lot of weird sh@t, so why should I be surprised? They believed they had good success from last year’s event. Yeah, last year it was a 3 Star and the stands were packed despite very few top teams playing.
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Post by geddyleeridesagain on Sept 3, 2019 20:17:01 GMT -5
Most pros would prefer not to be training in November, which has traditionally been a month for R&R. It’s not just a Phil thing. Also, I’m having a hard time understanding why the FIVB is holding a 4 Star in mid-November in a place like Chetumal - it’s not a tourist destination, being another 100+ miles to the south of Tulum (generally considered the end point of the Riviera Maya). No resorts, limited hotel space, etc. A 1 or 2 Star, sure...on the other hand, the FIVB does a lot of weird sh@t, so why should I be surprised? They believed they had good success from last year’s event. Hey, if the event promoter (the Quintana Roo tourism board, in this case) is cool with a depleted field - last year they barely had a full main draw - then more power to them.
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Post by beavis on Sept 4, 2019 23:35:41 GMT -5
Thanks for all of the input, everyone! Been reading everything I could about the Chetumal area, and it looks pretty safe (other than the fact that a Sinaloa Cartel guy got killed last year outside of the Fiesta Inn which is the players' hotel!!!). We had a few murders here in Indianapolis last weekend, so it might be safer there! Plus, I see that they have two WalMarts (not just one), and they just opened a Home Depot there, so it has to be awesome!
Seriously, the biggest drawback is one that you guys mentioned - it is really out there (5 hr drive from Cancun?), and for some reason it is not easy to jump over the border from Belize (flights to Belize are much cheaper). I thought perhaps there would be some direct flights right from Miami (clearly the closest big US city), but everything seems to flow through Mexico City with long layovers, so the trip, even assuming we drive up to Chicago, takes 14-15 hours.
The other concern we always have is Montezuma's revenge. Seems no matter how hard we try to never ingest anything that could have possibly touched water, we still get it. I also read that taking a round of antibiotics before going sometimes helps. Anyone else have any tips on how to avoid the dreaded runs, and/or how to lessen the severity of it once the inevitable happens?
Thanks again, everyone - anybody else planning on going?
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Post by guest2 on Nov 13, 2019 14:51:19 GMT -5
Hyden/Kolinske came back to get game 2 and the match. Those Canadians arent great but Billy and John closed nicely. Seem to have a defensive rhythm
That white balcony overlooking the court looks nice, reminds me of EEVB's South Carolina events (Isle of Palms?)
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Post by Deleted on Nov 13, 2019 15:10:34 GMT -5
It's a 4* (decent payout) in the US time zone, in a beautful locale, so it would make no sense to skip it. The "Mayan Riviera" is that section of Mexico on the ocean between Cancun and Mexico's border with Belize, so it IS as safe as most places. It is a five hour drive west from Cancun. You could fly into Cancun and rent a car for a few days... or fly into Mexico City and do a smaller plane after a few hours layover and fly into Chetumal. Given the Olympic Qualification, on the men's side for sure Dalcena, Cribb, and 2T. On the women's side, KWJ/BS, Slaes and Stocsen. ATeam has such a lead they can go or not go, whatever they feel like. I would assume they would go just to keep the rust off. So right there you have 6 or 7 of the 7 best US teams. Plus if Summer wants to test out her back's recovery, it's a good opportunity (I've not heard or read any update on that issue). The site lists Chetumal as a 3*, is that incorrect? Seems like a long way to go unless the teams involved win it to improve/replace other point totals, if it is indeed a 3*
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Post by dunninla3 on Nov 13, 2019 19:56:06 GMT -5
It's a 4* (decent payout) in the US time zone, in a beautful locale, so it would make no sense to skip it. The "Mayan Riviera" is that section of Mexico on the ocean between Cancun and Mexico's border with Belize, so it IS as safe as most places. It is a five hour drive west from Cancun. You could fly into Cancun and rent a car for a few days... or fly into Mexico City and do a smaller plane after a few hours layover and fly into Chetumal. Given the Olympic Qualification, on the men's side for sure Dalcena, Cribb, and 2T. On the women's side, KWJ/BS, Slaes and Stocsen. ATeam has such a lead they can go or not go, whatever they feel like. I would assume they would go just to keep the rust off. So right there you have 6 or 7 of the 7 best US teams. Plus if Summer wants to test out her back's recovery, it's a good opportunity (I've not heard or read any update on that issue). The site lists Chetumal as a 3*, is that incorrect? Seems like a long way to go unless the teams involved win it to improve/replace other point totals, if it is indeed a 3* It was a 3* last year, so either you're looking at last year's website, or somebody didn't update it to show that for 2019 it is 4*
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Post by beavis on Nov 13, 2019 22:50:34 GMT -5
Hyden/Kolinske came back to get game 2 and the match. Those Canadians arent great but Billy and John closed nicely. Seem to have a defensive rhythm That white balcony overlooking the court looks nice, reminds me of EEVB's South Carolina events (Isle of Palms?) The setup is nice for the spectators to watch on the 2 outer courts (there are actually 4 outside courts but one is solely used for practice/warmups), because they are right next to each other so you can watch 2 matches at once. Also, they both have good-sized bleachers and are covered by large canopies, so while the Canadians were fighting it out with Hyden/Kolinske, we stayed nice and dry while they played through the pouring rain. And for 20-25 minutes it was really pouring. Not sure how that one double called against Kolinske looked on the stream, but we had a perfect view of it, and it seemed like an awful call. They were as lucky to get by the Canadians as Hughes/Cannon were in making the main draw. Once you get off of the waterfront road and the main boulevard area, things get very sketchy. The players hotel is nice - we are staying at a little place called Hotel Noor which is around 3 blocks south of the venue, so are very lucky to be so close. Worst part of the setup is that they only have one small, dumpy trailer with two scummy toilets (and no toilet seats) which is 10 pesos to have the privilege of using, and not a single bathroom building or port-o-let anywhere in sight. I feel very sorry for the people who don't have a hotel nearby at which they can run back and use the restroom - have never been to an AVP, NVL or FIVB event with such a lack of facilities.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 13, 2019 23:43:43 GMT -5
The site lists Chetumal as a 3*, is that incorrect? Seems like a long way to go unless the teams involved win it to improve/replace other point totals, if it is indeed a 3* It was a 3* last year, so either you're looking at last year's website, or somebody didn't update it to show that for 2019 it is 4* Chetumal is currently under the 3* drop down so guess it wasn't updated. Thanks for clarifying.
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