Apollo Calgary, Friends in Sport has been a mainstay in the Calgary GLBT community since 1981. Their “Western Cup” yearly event is currently in it’s 24th year, and this year’s event looks better than ever!
Apollo has always been one to raise the bar when it comes to events on the Calgary landscape. The clear and concise Western Cup website design is testament to how they run their entire weekend: Incredibly organized, innovative and exciting.
Director Brad Bostock tells me, “In the past, we have hosted approximately 450 participants every year – mostly Canadian and American – but once as far away as Hong Kong! Due to the addition of two new sports this year (Running and Swimming) we are expecting a much bigger turnout.”
There are six sports featured as part of the Western Cup this year: Badminton, Bowling, Curling, Running, Swimming and Volleyball.
Beginning with Registration Night on Thursday, April 13th, each sport has a different venue for registration and for participants to pick up their welcome package. Events begin the next day on Friday the 14th aside from Curling, which has two draws the evening of the 13th with karaoke in the curling lounge. (Growing up as the sister of an avid curler, I know those crazy rock-tossers know how to party!)
Apollo’s “Absolutely Smashing!” Badminton group is hosting the Western Cup Badminton Tournament. The format is doubles (single registrations OK - they will do their best to match you up with a partner) that runs Friday, April 14th at the Talisman Centre and Saturday, April 15th at Western Canada High School’s main gym.
The bowling competition will be held at Bowlarama (2916-5th Ave NE) on Friday, April 14th for singles, and Saturday, April 15th for doubles and teams.
All Curling events will be held at the Calgary Curling Club (720-3rd Street NW) on Thursday, April 13th, Friday, April 14th, and Saturday, April 15th. The finals take place starting at 3:00 pm on Saturday, April 15th. Up to 48 teams are expected to participate.
Western Cup XXIV is working in conjunction with community partners “The Calgary Frontrunners” to host the first annual 5/10 km run as part of the Western Cup. The event is from 9am - 11am on Saturday April 15th, 2006 and starts outside of the “Bean Scene Café” (795-1 Ave. SW). Participants can choose to run or walk the 5 km or 10 km course.
Again working in conjunction with community partners “Different Strokes Swim Club”, Western Cup is pleased to introduce swimming to the events in 2006! A one-day sprint meet will be open to all registered swimmers from novice to expert. All swimming events will take place at Foothills Pool (24th Ave. and University Dr.), on Saturday April 15th. Bring your digital camera for a Fun FOTO event!
The Inner-City Volleyball League will be holding this year’s Western Cup volleyball tournament on Friday, April 14th and Saturday, April 15th at the University of Calgary.
After a hard day of competing, the evening of Friday the 14th presents Viva Las Vegas! a fun-money casino, and the finals for the second year of Apollo Idol. This year, semi-finals are being held at three different venues throughout the city. The top three from each venue will then meet head-to-head with one another to battle for final victory. After a raucous vote by crowd applause, the 2006 Apollo Idol will receive $250, second place to receive $150, third place $100. (Preliminaries will be held between April 1st and April 9th. (Locations, dates, and times to be determined.) Viva Las Vegas! will also be hosting the Premier Release of Mark Tewksbury’s new book, “Inside Out: Straight talk from a gay jock!”.
All competitions end Saturday, April 15th and it’s time to celebrate with the Hero’s Ball, which starts at 9pm at The Calgary Westin Downtown Ballroom. Tickets for the dance alone will be on sale ($15.00) at Money Pennies and Priape. These advance tickets will only be on sale until April 14th. If the event is not sold out in advance, tickets will be available at the door for $25.00 each.
Last but not least, for all of the survivors, the Celebration Brunch being held on Sunday, April 16th from 11:00am to 1:00pm. This is the time to sit back, enjoy the entertainment and celebrate with your fellow participants of sport! Not to be outdone in terms of entertainment, the brunch will also feature a keynote address from Olympic gold medalist swimmer Mark Tewksbury.
The Party-PAC is the best deal of all! For admission to Friday’s Viva Las Vegas!, Saturday’s Dance - Hero’s Ball, and the Sunday Celebration Brunch, the Party-PAC is only $55 per person! It must be pre-ordered prior to April 7th. Once ordered, it will be available for pick-up on registration night, April 13th.
All events are being held at The Westin Calgary (320 4th Avenue SW), and everyone at Apollo Calgary and Western Cup look forward to welcoming competitors and spectators to celebrate their XXIV this year, and are very excited at the prospect of their 25th anniversary next year in 2007!
Apollo Western Cup
223 - 12 Ave. SW,
Calgary, Alberta, T2R 0G9
director@westerncup.com
www.westerncup.com
