Team GForce, a group of gay hockey players who travel to various hockey tournaments together, has announced that they may have to cancel their annual “Friendship Cup” during Aspen Gay Ski Week. The annual event pits them playing against a very good straight hockey team, followed by a pool party (of course). They have recently lost their sponsors and high-level individual donors, and they are now looking for smaller individual donations to keep the event going. While the event has cost upwards of $30k in the past, team leader Glenn Whitman says they can put it on for $10k.
"The 10k pays for the basics, which include housing the players (16 of us) for three nights each, two hours practice time, uniforms for new players, and referees for games," Witman says.
Team GForce, a group of gay hockey players who travel to various hockey tournaments together, has announced that they may have to cancel their annual “Friendship Cup” during Aspen Gay Ski Week. The annual event pits them playing against a very good straight hockey team, followed by a pool party (of course). They have recently lost their sponsors and high-level individual donors, and they are now looking for smaller individual donations to keep the event going. While the event has cost upwards of $30k in the past, team leader Glenn Whitman says they can put it on for $10k.
"The 10k pays for the basics, which include housing the players (16 of us) for three nights each, two hours practice time, uniforms for new players, and referees for games," Witman says.
The group has loftier goals than just putting on a game and going to tournaments. They have made it their mission to change how the hockey world perceives gay people by playing against mainstream hockey teams. Last year at the Aspen Gay Ski Week, they hosted a panel discussion on gays in sports that I was lucky enough to moderate.
