T-Birds celebrate Pride Night on home opening weekend

The UBC Thunderbirds make their long-awaited return to Canada West competition at War Memorial Gym this weekend in their first-ever meeting with the University of the Fraser Valley Cascades and a celebration of LGBTQIA2S+ pride.

“It’s been a long time,” said UBC head coach Doug Reimer. “Every home opener and first league game is exciting and comes with a bit of nerves, but obviously this year is unprecedented after the missed year. It is great to be back and we are all excited to get started and to be able to play in front of fans for the first time in such a long time. It is also a special home opener as we host Pride Night.  It is a time to celebrate the importance of respect for all athletes in sports while also recognizing challenges remain for many in the  LGBTQ+ community to ensure full inclusion in sport and society.”

Pride Night is an annual opportunity to celebrate inclusivity at UBC and LGBTQIA2S+ pride in partnership with the Vancouver Gay Volleyball Association. Fans are encouraged to dress up in their best and brightest colours on Friday night and show their support while enjoying both the volleyball match and additional entertainment during breaks in play. The UBC Equity & Inclusion Office offers further resources on sexual and gender diversity – specifically for LGBTQ+ and questioning students, connections to communities that support sexual diversity, and information on how to be an ally on campus.

First serve on Friday, November 12^th, is slated for 6:00 p.m. (PST), while game two gets underway on Saturday, November 13^th, at 5:00 p.m. (PST). All the action can be streamed live on Canada West TV.

The home opening weekend also marks the first Canada West volleyball inside War Memorial Gym in over 18 months with a new-look Thunderbirds squad set to take to the court. Three key veterans – Trinity Solecki (Calgary Dinos), Danielle Price (University of Colorado), and Elise Petit (Dartmouth) – join the ‘Birds alongside Saskatchewan’s Elyse Allard, Quebec’s Emma Doyon, and Vancouver’s own Lucy Borowski in making their debuts in blue and gold.

“We’re fortunate to have a large roster and have added some great people and players to our team,” said Reimer. “We have the potential to be a really exciting offensive  and well-rounded team with a lot of depth. That depth of skill and athleticism makes for a great training environment and will be a key part of our success moving forward. We have had a variety of injuries and had players out and coming back to the line-up and losing a few others. So we’ll use these early matches to continue to learn and solidify our unit and cohesion as a team.”

Although UBC had a bye week to start the conference schedule, UFV began their Canada West season last weekend against the UBC Okanagan Heat and are coming off back-to-back losses – dropping their season opener in straight sets and falling in four sets the next evening.

Tickets for Pride Night on Friday are sold out, but Saturday night tickets are still available and free! For more information and ticket availability check here.