So last Friday it was off to Virginia Beach for the Excalibur Cup for some of the Optional Team. We had a range of weather during this world-wind weekend. Friday was foggy which resulted in Karen and Ellie spending about 17 hours of their day in airports. Yuck!! Saturday was around 65 degrees which made for a beautiful day to play on the beach for the brave (Ellie) to dip their toes in the ocean. Sunday was raw and rainy, but didn’t cause any issues with travel for those flying out of Norfolk, but those flying out of Richmond did have snow to contend with. We were glad there was no school on Monday so we could catch up on our sleep! 
The meet was held at the Virginia Beach Convention Center which is an absolutely gorgeous, unique, and huge building - it’s over 500,000 square feet of space enclosed in glass and steel walls! From the outside the first thing that catches your eye is a soaring 147 foot glass and steel tower tapered from base to apex like the Old Cape Henry Lighthouse. The rooftop observation deck is lit at night to form a glowing 
beacon that can be seen for miles. As you enter the building an energy-saving glass curtain wall that curves around the entrance grabs your eye followed by the reflecting pools full of plants that tolerate draughts and conserve water. The lobby has a really cool panoramic video screen that displays digital artwork and information about the Convention Center. 
The Convention Center is the first center in the country to achieve LEED Gold certification for Existing Buildings. The LEED rating system for existing buildings measures operations, improvements, and maintenance on a consistent scale with the goal of maximizing operational efficiency while minimizing environmental impacts. The Convention Center was built on the location of the original Pavilion Convention Center using recycled materials from the Pavilion such as steel, copper, aluminum, and concrete and reused asphalt from the original Pavilion. It has lots of green features - even the lighting and HVAC systems are programmed to conserve electricity during off hours and the energy-efficient windows limit UV penetration. Cool huh? In the big picture it is part of Virginia’s 40 year master plan to reinvigorate and “green” Virginia Beach. Gotta love that!
As you work your way through the building there are abstract references to the beach, ocean, and ship masts, and rigging. Even the carpet had an abstract geometric pattern that looked like towels laid out on the beach! Among the grand ballroom, meeting rooms, exhibit halls and suites, there was a Starbucks which made me a very happy woman at Nicole’s 8:00 A.M. report time. There were gun and knife, coin, and bridal shows all going on at the same time, but they were on different floors with separate entrances and exits so it really seemed like the gymnastics meets were the only thing going on – which was amazing! There was plenty of parking, plenty of seating, and everything was clean and bright. 
The meet was held in Exhibit Halls A – D which can be reconfigured for any type of event. For the meet they were configured as one large room with 4 meets being held simultaneously. That was cool because we could watch a wide range of gymnastics from Level 3 to Level 5, to Level 8, to a Men’s meet all at the same time. The music resonating from 3 floors was a little crazy at times, but it kept things interesting! The halls have 40 foot ceilings and a 240 foot clear span roof. The roof is one of the largest column-free spans in the U.S. Now that is a significant feat of engineering!! 
The second floor where awards were held looked like a ship’s hull! Separate rooms were used for each level so we didn’t have to sit through awards for the other sessions – thank heavens! Being an international meet there was tons of competition, but each of the OTW competitors made it to the podium. The results are:
LEVEL 7
Ellie Sr A Division
Vault 8.9 7th
Bars 8.875 5th
Beam 9.025 5th
Floor 8.90 7th
AA 35.70 4th
LEVEL 8
Jacqualyn Sr B Division
Vault8.50 3rd
Bars 9.425 1st
Beam 9.075 3rd
Floor 9.025 1st
AA 36.025 1st
Nicole Jr Division
Vault 8.45 7th
Bars 8.925 8th
Beam 9.10 8th
Floor 8.85 8th
AA 35.325 7th
LEVEL 10
Allison Sr A Division
Bars 8.00 7th
Alyssa Sr B Division
Vault 8.70 7th Bars 8.65 4th
Beam 8.325 10th
Floor 8.875 5th
AA 34.55 3rd
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