So, after a well-rested night in Chattahoochee (right) we were off to Gulf Shores, AL to witness our niece, Macy’s, last year for NCAA Beach Volleyball Championship. Macy is a senior at Florida State University (FSU) and we are very proud of her accomplishments throughout her collegiate career.
Since this was going to be her last year, we had a downsized Jerger family reunion on the beach. Because of this, we rented a big house on the gulf right down the beach from the Hang Out restaurant and bar where the championships are held. Nice place that we were able to park the Busse Bus in front of on the sand. I was a bit worried that we would sink, but the ground held firm. The house sat on the beach with beautiful views of the gulf and it had a pool that the dogs sort of loved.
Bear had fun trying to extend as much as possible to retrieve his ball and almost fell in multiple times. Sydney did fall (like she did at the Shell House earlier) when I called her from across the pool and she just stepped into the pool.
Since we had all day waiting for other family members to arrive I decided to wash the Busse Bus by myself. Took me 4 1/2 hours. I was beat! It’s a big rig!
That night we met Kat’s brother, Darin (Macy’s dad) and his wife Lisa, at Big Wave Dave’s which was a quiet place except for the gal strumming on the guitar and singing along:
Nice quick dinner and we had a chance to catch up. We headed back to the house as Kat’s mom, Rita, was on her way. Her plane has been delayed and she was lucky enough to have other FSU parents drive her over to the house. Off to bed as the tournament starts tomorrow.
We had enough time in the morning to run the dogs over to the local dog park that was right on the Intercostal waterway.
Bear loved running through all the obstacles and playing in the water until I read this sign:
Needless to say, I kept a watchful eye out after reading that.
Right before the first game, Keenan and two friends (Lindsey Hieb and George Antoniou) drove in from Houston after spending the night in New Orleans. Lindsey and George are getting hitched in January!
Off to the competition – here are some stats that you need to know: Macy plays on Court 5, Eight teams make the NCAA Championships, the powerhouses are UCLA and USC. Double elimination. FSU is ranked 3rd going into the tourney. Play is over multiple days.
First round: FSU handily beats Cal Poly. Big upset as USC (ranked #1 is upset by Stetson). Macy plays very well and her teammate win court 5.
Second round: FSU has to play UCLA. Lost. Bummer. Into the loser bracket to play their way back into the championship.
Third round: FSU has to play USC who has been on a winning streak since losing to Stetson. Macy had an outstanding game. They win court five. Unfortunately, court 5 is the only FSU court to win. And just like that, Macy’s collegiate career is over. What a fantastic run she had all four years. She finished with over 100 wins – an excellent achievement! Congratulations, Macy!
Now for the pics:
Kat and I had fun watching Macy play over the years. We had been there three times and had a blast each time. So proud of her!
Whilst we were at the championships, we ran into friends of ours from Mundelein:
The Fenton’s! They were down visiting friends of theirs and thought it would be fun to watch some sand volleyball. How surprising!
As people had to return to work and their lives we said our goodbyes one-by-one. We were able to stop at the Ruby Slipper for breakfast before heading back to the Busse Bus and continuing our travels.
BTW, the Ruby Slipper has excellent:
Yep, corned beef eggs Benedict! Yum!
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