October 2024
Despite the challenges posed by Hurricane Helene, the 2024 AVP Grass Nationals continued on! The tournament was a celebration of resilience, determination, and community spirit. Set against the backdrop of unexpected power outages and numerous logistical changes, the event was a testament to the dedication of the organizers and players alike.
Beating The Storm
Gainesville Volleyball and AVP staff woke up early Friday morning to the surprise of a power outage at their hotel. After racing over to the fields at Easton-Newberry Sports Complex, it turned out there was no power at the site for the time being either. A decision was made - buy some extra time, but play on!
Delayed play started around 10:30am, with next to no precipitation in the mix. By early afternoon, Gainesville featured perfect, sunny fall weather and the power was restored to the sports complex!
The event not only continued as planned but also turned into a memorable success story the entire weekend. The adaptability shown by everyone involved was nothing short of remarkable!
Who Attended AVP Grass Nationals?
Luckily, all days of the event were able to be held as planned. This means that three exciting playing formats were offered.
Friday featured Men’s and Women’s Doubles, Saturday featured Men’s and Women’s Triples, and Sunday featured Reverse Coed Doubles.
Overall, 826 players were registered across the weekend’s events. Not too bad at all!
The daily breakdown follows:
Friday - 80 teams of doubles
Saturday - 152 teams of triples
Sunday - 105 teams of doubles
Expressing Gratitude
While we have countless groups to thank for supporting this event, we would like to extend a special thank you to the following organizations:
Gainesville Sports Commission
Visit Gainesville
Newberry Parks and Recreation
Easton-Newberry Sports Complex
We'd also like to give a special shoutout to the on-site AVP Crew (Tristan, Nick, Tyler, Sydney) for their hard work!
The Gainesville Volleyball volunteer staff played an instrumental role in every part of the weekend as well. Thank you Dryden, Brandon, Jordan, Grant, Ayush, Duncan, and Ashley!
Finally, thank you to the whole volleyball community for bringing the energy to make the 2024 AVP Grass Nationals the best ever!
Gainesville Volleyball would again like to send our best wishes to those who faced significant impact and devastation from Hurricane Helene. We were very lucky to remain safe, and acknowledge that many players and communities around the region are still coping with the aftermath of the storm.
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