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Post by beavis on Jan 16, 2016 23:12:54 GMT -5
A few questions for you Floridians - is it too far (or stupid) to stay in Pensacola or Mobile and drive there, or are we much better off finding a hotel right near the venue? Seems like those are the two closest airports, with Destin further out? Also, are there any hotels at all within a 10-15 minute walk to the venue? Thanks much for any help!
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Post by geddyleeridesagain on Jan 16, 2016 23:44:27 GMT -5
A few questions for you Floridians - is it too far (or stupid) to stay in Pensacola or Mobile and drive there, or are we much better off finding a hotel right near the venue? Seems like those are the two closest airports, with Destin further out? Also, are there any hotels at all within a 10-15 minute walk to the venue? Thanks much for any help! I'm not a Floridian, but I have been to three AVCA championships at Gulf Shores. There are a number of places to stay within a few minutes walk of the venue (which is right next to a huge restaurant/bar called The Hangout). One of them is a Best Western, but most of the places are condos for rent, so I would check AirBnB/VRBO. I usually stay at the Island Winds condos, a ten minute or less walk. Last year, I got a two bedroom/two bath ocean-facing unit for like $85 a night. I usually fly to New Orleans and rent a car for the two hour drive, but that's coming from the West Coast. I have flown into Pensacola once, and it's about an hour drive from Gulf Shores. I think Pensacola airport is a bit closer than either Mobile or Destin.
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Post by gobruins on Jan 17, 2016 7:24:35 GMT -5
A few questions for you Floridians - is it too far (or stupid) to stay in Pensacola or Mobile and drive there, or are we much better off finding a hotel right near the venue? Seems like those are the two closest airports, with Destin further out? Also, are there any hotels at all within a 10-15 minute walk to the venue? Thanks much for any help! I'm not a Floridian, but I have been to three AVCA championships at Gulf Shores. There are a number of places to stay within a few minutes walk of the venue (which is right next to a huge restaurant/bar called The Hangout). One of them is a Best Western, but most of the places are condos for rent, so I would check AirBnB/VRBO. I usually stay at the Island Winds condos, a ten minute or less walk. Last year, I got a two bedroom/two bath ocean-facing unit for like $85 a night. I usually fly to New Orleans and rent a car for the two hour drive, but that's coming from the West Coast. I have flown into Pensacola once, and it's about an hour drive from Gulf Shores. I think Pensacola airport is a bit closer than either Mobile or Destin. Just curioius, which ocean was your condo facing?
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Post by geddyleeridesagain on Jan 17, 2016 23:59:02 GMT -5
I'm not a Floridian, but I have been to three AVCA championships at Gulf Shores. There are a number of places to stay within a few minutes walk of the venue (which is right next to a huge restaurant/bar called The Hangout). One of them is a Best Western, but most of the places are condos for rent, so I would check AirBnB/VRBO. I usually stay at the Island Winds condos, a ten minute or less walk. Last year, I got a two bedroom/two bath ocean-facing unit for like $85 a night. I usually fly to New Orleans and rent a car for the two hour drive, but that's coming from the West Coast. I have flown into Pensacola once, and it's about an hour drive from Gulf Shores. I think Pensacola airport is a bit closer than either Mobile or Destin. Just curioius, which ocean was your condo facing? Well, the Gulf is an ocean basin, so the description was technically correct. Smartass.
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Post by beavis on Jan 18, 2016 1:05:04 GMT -5
Thanks Geddy - much appreciated - saw that Hangout place is nearby, and it looks kinds cool! I did not realize that Gulf Shores itself is fairly small - according to Wiki, only 10,000 permanent residents, so must be mostly bluehairs (of which I am almost one) from up north with all of the condos? Also, thanks for the explanation - Kayak was full of references like "Gulf Breeze #124" or whatever, so now I realize that a lot of those are likely VRBO's that folks simply rent out when they are not down there? By the way, anyone know anything about the Beachside Resort Hotel? Looks pretty close, and they actually have rooms with 3 double beds in them, so we might check that out to save a few $$$? Thanks again for the help!
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Post by trollhunter on Jan 22, 2016 17:14:59 GMT -5
There are zero auto bids for the 2016 national championship. Going forward, a conference gets an auto after they have have sponsored beach for two consecutive seasons with a minimum of six programs as an NCAA championship sport. In other words, whatever went down prior to 2016 (like the ASun getting an auto bid) has been wiped from the books, so to speak. How definitive is this? I heard something similar, but slightly different. Basically this: "A conference gets an auto after they have sponsored beach for two consecutive seasons with a minimum of six programs that meet the minimum rules for NCAA competition and sponsorship." Which elimates ASUN previous work since they have had only 5 teams. However, weren't there some new volleyball conferences established last year? If so and they meet these criteria, they would have 1 year of the 2 year process already done. I think I found the definitive clause for automatic bids. Pretty much what I thought, no requirement of "championship sport". So those conferences with 6+ teams last year that had a regular season or conference championship will be 1 year into the process. Were there any other established conferences with Beach/Sand 2 years ago, besides A-Sun (5 teams)?? 31.3.4.2 Requirements—National Collegiate Championship. [#] To be eligible for automatic qualification in a National Collegiate Championship, a member conference must meet the following general requirements: (Adopted: 1/9/06 effective 8/1/06) (a) Have at least six active members that sponsor the applicable sport in any division (Note: A provisional member in the process of becoming an NCAA member cannot be used to meet the requisite number.); (b) The six active members must have conducted conference competition together for the preceding two years in the applicable sport; (c) There shall be no waivers of the two-year waiting period; and (d) Any new member added to a conference that is eligible for an automatic bid shall be immediately eligible to represent the conference as the automatic qualifier.
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