Woodlands Elite gyms added a brand new competition to their 2025 schedule, Spirit Sports Grand Nationals in Palm Springs, CA. Kaitlynn and I were so excited to visit this venue and check out the area during our stay. We stayed at a super cute boutique hotel, decorated with a vintage feel but with all the class and modern amenities you'd expect in the posh Palm Springs town. The weather was absolutely perfect - no wonder folks love living out in CA! We were within walking distance of the convention center and soaked in the cool nights, warm and sunny days, and a beautiful backdrop of palm trees and mountains. Gorgeous!
The one thing we noticed right away in the city of Palm Springs, as well as the convention center venue, is that the mobile/cellular service was TERRIBLE! The only place we could get good cell service was in our hotel on the WiFi; everywhere else all around town was spotty and frustrating. Only a town as pretty and charming as Palm Springs could get away with that. We truly enjoyed walking around and enjoying the sights and the gorgeous California weather.
We really enjoyed this competition, too, although the venue was incredibly crowded and a bit claustrophobic at times. Because of the beautiful weather, teams were able to practice outside and they even hosted the Awards ceremonies outside as well. We just couldn't get enough of the beauty around us, which was a good thing because the competition scoring for the Spartans ended up in a disappointing 2nd place by the slimmest of margins - 0.1 points. Ouch, so tough!
As disappointing as the outcome was, we still loved the competition and hoped to be back again another season. Even the airport at Palm Springs felt special and unique; we loved checking out the sunrise from the tarmac when it was time to return home.
If nothing else, we left Palm Springs with amazing memories and awesome professional photos of Kaitlynn's performance on the mat. Love these!
