Tepic Fail

When world-class volleyball meets bottom-tier planning

This post is a bit inside baseball (or inside volleyball?), but I wanted to share my experience visiting Tepic for my 2nd international volleyball tournament (as a spectator).

If you’re thinking, “Where the heck is that?”—you’re not alone. Even Mexicans responded with either:

• “Where’s that?”
• “Why are you going there? There’s nothing there.”

Not exactly the raving endorsement you’d hope for after booking international travel.

Loyal readers of this blog (all 3 of you) know that I went to Tepic a little over a year ago, and also stopped by Mexico City for a few days. My friend Spencer was already in Mexico and wanted to check out an “Elite 16” tournament, and Tepic seemed to fit the bill.

For the uninitiated, an Elite 16 tournament is the highest level of competition on the Olympic beach volleyball circuit. Since it was an Olympic year, the hope is that we would be watching world-class athletes battle it out for a ticket to Paris.

I’ve been to pro beach volleyball tournaments in LA, San Francisco, Chicago, and Paris, so I’d like to think I know what makes for a great fan experience. Ideally, you get at least one of the following:

• A venue at the beach, with nets nearby so you can jump into a game
• A fun, interesting location for fans
• A chance to interact with players (or at least awkwardly ask for a selfie)

Sadly, the Tepic Elite 16 was a fail on all three fronts. It still baffles me that the FIVB—the international governing body for volleyball—chose to host an event there.

Instead, here’s what we got:

• A venue nowhere close to the beach
• Minimal fan-player interaction since the players never crossed paths with the fans (in Paris, like in all AVP tournaments, the players walked among fans)
• Air filled with smoke from burning trash nearby (no really)

I’ll take the blame for not doing more research beforehand. I just assumed that the FIVB would, you know, want fans to enjoy themselves, and maybe even try to #growthegame. Apparently, it’s not part of the mission statement.

But hey—silver linings: Mexico City was fantastic, Spencer’s great company, and we got to see the Swedish pair before they won Olympic gold.

Final takeaway? Just because something is labeled “Elite” doesn’t mean it is. Okay, maybe I should have known that already…next time, I’ll pick a tournament with a coastline, a vibe, and—ideally—not near a dumpster fire.