Photo Credit: Janet Wilson Thirty-two miles of powdery, sugar-white sand caressed by rich blue-green Gulf waters create the perfect playground for nearly 4.5 million annual vacationers on the Alabama Gulf Coast, which is impressive for a geography-challenged nation that barely realizes Alabama touches the Gulf of Mexico. Equally impressive is how this family-oriented destination has blossomed into a premier sports Mecca, thanks in part to the development of a local sports commission that attracts and services quality sporting events.
“We became a department within the Alabama Gulf Coast Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB) in 2007, and have grown by leaps and bounds ever since,” says Beth Gendler, director of sales for the CVB and the Alabama Gulf Coast Sports Commission (AGCSC), which is a partnership between the Alabama Gulf Coast Area Chamber of Commerce, the CVB and the cities of Gulf Shores and Orange Beach.
Not wasting any time, the AGCSC began planning for its first triathlon.
“We wanted to create a signature event for our Sports Commission, and a triathlon would allow us to showcase both our Gulf waters and pristine beaches,” she says.