The team voted amongst themselves in December regarding participating in the 2023 Vancouver Pride Parade & Festival. The poll was split between those wishing to participate and those who felt the team should not. As such we're treating the Parade & Festival like Tournaments and participation will not be financed by the team for 2023. This is the second time the WhiskeyJacks have had an official presence in the Vancouver Pride Parade with the first being in 2019 with just 4 members attending as part of the Greater Vancouver Allied Athletics entry and the team providing financing. As of today March 23, 2023 the team has formally been accepted to participate in the Vancouver Pride Parade yet again. I hope more members will join us along the parade route this year. Parade participant-specific social activities will be organized later on! I am choosing to put this information in the forum rather than the News feature because it is technically not an "official" event despite being open to all members. I'll be paying for the event on behalf of the team and doing my best to organize it and make it a success on my own time. 😀

I know a lot of folks engage with each other outside of the team but I wanted to inquire as to what if any events or activities members would like to see the team try to organize for everyone in the coming months and summer season. Historically the team takes a break during the summer months largely due to low participation that being the late June-August period. If people wanted to stay engaged and social during that time we could try and host a few gatherings. We have done some organized bike rides to parks and ice cream parlors in the past, and a few socials hosted by members in their homes. Out-of-town events (hiking mountains, camping etc) seem less doable due to organizing transportation etc but I'm open to hearing what ideas everyone has. I've tossed some ideas I have been playing with below to get things started. Low Cost and Local Activities: Picnics Day Hikes (Sea Wall, Cherry Blossom Tours, Queen E etc) Nature Walks (Pacific Spirit, Reifel, Lighthouse Park) Beach Days Bike Tours Community Events: Gay Bingo Nights