Baseball, softball, runs, volleyball events and more will make a splash in Gulf Shores and Orange Beach during the summer of 2017 with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Men’s and Women’s Outdoor Track & Field National Championships first in the lineup. As more than 1,500 athletes representing colleges from around the country make their way to Gulf Shores May 25-28, they prepare to give back to coastal Alabama students.
The NAIA Champion of Character program is partnering with Feeding the Gulf Coast’s Backpack Program to provide food packages to Gulf Shores Elementary School (GSES) students in need.
“NAIA represents so much more than just athletics,” said Beth Gendler, vice president of sales for the Gulf Shores & Orange Beach Sports Commission. “Each year during the track championships, they extend a hand to impact our coastal community in a different way. This year, teachers and counselors at the elementary school will identify students suffering from chronic hunger, and NAIA athletes will accept donations and package food items.”
Volunteer athletes will take donations at GSES on Wednesday, May 24 from 8:45-10:45 a.m., and anonymous children in need will receive the bags of food discreetly on Fridays to take home on weekends. For more information on the Feeding the Gulf Coast, visit FeedingTheGulfCoast.org. Visit NAIA.org for more on NAIA.
Another major sports event series taking place is the United States Specialty Sports Association (USSSA) Global Sports World Series, featuring 950 baseball and softball teams from around the country on various dates in June and July. The Sports Commission, along with the cities of Gulf Shores and Orange Beach have hosted USSSA since 2009.
For a full schedule of upcoming athletic events along Alabama’s Gulf Coast, visit GulfShores.com/Sports, or call 1-800-745-SAND.
2017 Gulf Shores & Orange Beach Sports Commission Summer Schedule:
May 25-28: NAIA Men’s and Women’s Outdoor Track & Field National Championships
May 26-28: Youth Basketball of America Gulf Coast Challenge
May 27-28: USSSA Fastpitch Memorial Day Classic
May 27-28: USSSA Global Sports Baseball 300 Point Battle at the Beach
May 28: Paradise Island 5K
May 31-June 4: Volleyball Coaches Clinic
June 1-4: KMS Gulf Shores Long Throws
June 3-4: USSSA Alabama State Baseball Tournament
June 8-11: USSSA Global Sports Open Baseball Championship 1
June 9-11: Alabama Soccer Association Summer Camp
June 10-11: Gulf Coast Region Open USAV Junior Beach Tour Qualifier
June 15-18: USSSA Global Sports Open Baseball Championship 2
June 16-18: USSSA Fastpitch South State Tournament
June 16-18: USTA Gulf Shores Summer Slam Tennis Tournament
June 16-18: Gulf Coast and USSSA Fastpitch Tournament
June 17: LuLu’s Hot Trot for ARC 5K Run/Walk
June 20-24: USSSA Global Sports Baseball World Series 1
June 26-July 1: USSSA Global Sports Baseball World Series 2
July 3-6: Dance Grand Nationals
July 4: The Shark Run
July 4-8: USSSA Global Sports Baseball World Series 3
July 8-9: Gulf Coast Region USA Volleyball Beach Series Grand Championship
July 9-13: USSSA Recreational Softball World Series
July 11-15: USSSA Global Sports Baseball World Series 4
July 17-22: USSSA Softball “C” Fastpitch World Series
July 18-22: USSSA Global Sports Baseball World Series 5
July 22: Flora-Bama’s Gulf Coast Paddle Championship
July 22: NAGA U.S. National Grappling Championship
July 25-29: USSSA Global Sports Baseball World Series 6
July 25-29: Fastpitch Southern Nationals
July 27-29: USSSA Softball Summer Showcase and Tournament
July 29-30: USSSA Fastpitch Softball Summer’s End Tournament
July 29-30: USSSA Baseball Gulf Coast All-State Showcase
Aug. 5-6: WSL End of Summer Softball Tournament
Aug. 11-16: Youth Soccer Training
Aug. 19: Alabama’s Strongest Man V
Aug. 19-26: College Soccer Training
About Gulf Shores & Orange Beach Sports Commission: Gulf Shores & Orange Beach Sports Commission is a partnership between Gulf Shores & Orange Beach Tourism (GSOBT), the Coastal Alabama Business Chamber and the cities of Gulf Shores and Orange Beach. In 2007, this commission became a department within GSOBT. In this role, the commission – along with assistance from both cities – works to bring quality sporting events to Alabama’s Gulf Coast. To learn more about a whole different state of play, please visit GulfShores.com/Sports/Media-Room.
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