THE GAY SOFTBALL WORLD SERIES EXPERIENCE
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Since 2008, WESA has been a proud member of International Pride Softball. With over 17,000 members, iPride Spoftball organizes the Gay Softball World Series (GSWS) each year and brings together 54 participating cities and over 5,000 participants and fans.
Host Cities:
2025 Houston, TX
2024 Las Vegas, NV
What to expect at the GSWS
Playing in the Gay Softball World Series is a great opportunity to bond with your fellow WESA members and visit other parts of North America. iPride Softball is fortunate to have member cities that also play host to other major attractions including State Fairs, world-class cuisine, and Major League Baseball teams. Of course, players also make new friends from member leagues from Fort Lauderdale to San Diego, from Hamilton to Ohio. Many WESA members have built life-long friendships and memories at iPride Softball tournaments, including the Gay Softball World Series.
The GSWS is scheduled from Monday to Saturday in a specified week each year in the host city. The week is typically scheduled with games and events each day.
Volunteers Needed - If you are going to Las Vegas for the Gay Softball World Series, they need volunteers. Please let Seán, the WESA League Commissioner know and he will refer you to the right person.
If you have any questions about the Gay Softball World Series, please do not hesitate to contact Ian at membership (at) WESA.net
Video from the 2023 GSWS in the Twin Cities here
PLAYING IN THE 2024 GAY SOFTBALL WORLD SERIES
GSWS 2024 Team Selection Process update
(May 21, 2024)
The 2024 season has seen a significant uptick in the level of interest in WESA membership to attend the GSWS. Historically, the problem facing the league has been recruiting enough members to send whole teams. In some instances, the GSWS Coaches had to supplement their teams with players from other iPride Softball leagues to send a full complement.
While the increased level of interest is a nice problem to have, it presents its own challenges. The purpose of this message is to keep members interested in participating in the GSWS abreast of the selection process and timelines for the 2024 World Series in Las Vegas.
Roster Selection
The WESA Commission chooses GSWS coaches based on applications submitted by interested members. The Commission then delegates player selection to the Coaches according to the GSWS policy outlined in WESA’s Governing Manual.
Coaches consider many factors including team cohesion, maximum team rating, style of play, coachability, and individual player skill when selecting their rosters. A team with the most talented individuals does not always result in the best performing team, and the Commission endeavors to select coaches who understand and can manage this balance.
The Commission encourages coaches to be transparent with interested players and to communicate early and often during the selection process. If you have questions about your status and/or the process for the team you are interested in playing on in GSWS, please reach out to the respective coach directly.
Timeline
Below is the timeline for GSWS roster selection:
- April 15 – Coach selection for GSWS Teams & Player interest begins
- June 1 – Coaches submit their preliminary rosters to the NQ Committee so the Committee can prioritize their NQ assessments
- June 30 – Players must accept or decline any offers from Coaches
- July 15 – Coaches must submit the final team roster to the WESA Commission
- September 15 – Deadline to register final roster to IPS/NAGAAA GSWS (for 2024 only)
Participation
The old berth system of selecting teams for GSWS was fraught with issues. It restricted many players from participating because of the tight timeline. This led to the same small set of players participating every year. In contrast since WESA moved to the All-Association Roster method:
- In 2023, WESA sent three All-Association teams including our first-ever in the E division. 28% of WESA players were first time GSWS participants, including four WESA 2023 Season Rookies.
- In 2024, noting that roster selection is still underway, currently 30% of confirmed players are first-time participants.
In Summary
The Commission is excited to see all the interest in the World Series this year. To date, we have played just 3 weeks of our regular 13 week season and the series does not take place until the week of Canadian Thanksgiving in October this year. We ask that those of you who have not received final decisions from coaches yet please have patience while we work to the timeline included above.
If you have any suggestions on how to further enhance the coach and player selection process for the GSWS, please forward to Commission (at) WESA (dot) net.
Thank you!
WESA 2024 Commission
About Vancouver Teams
As a member of WESA, you are eligible to play on one of the teams travelling to the Gay Softball World Series (GSWS) in Las Vegas in 2024 this October. More than 5,000 participants from our sister leagues across North America will come together to compete again for the GSWS. Part of International Pride Softball (iPride), the GSWS is the major LGBT+ sports event of the year in North America.
The rosters for the WESA teams going are 'All Association', which means the teams are made up of members from any team in WESA. GSWS Team members must have played a minimum of ten games in the season (five for Legends). To express interest in being a part of a Vancouver GSWS team in 2024, please use the form HERE.
- E Division Coaching team: Rick DeHart / Sean Hayden
- D Division Coaching team: Jeff Cheng / Tommy Jaw
- C Division Coaching team: Ian Gibson / Peter Haughton
Expenses & Fundraising
Playing in the GSWS can be a memorable experience. And its important to note that all financial expenses incurred by players are theirs to cover. The league does not pay for any expenses. However, to assist the members travelling to the GSWS, the league has arranged for a BBQ fundraiser at Junction Public House on Sunday, May 26th. This popular event is a great opportunity to raise money and to support your fellow WESA members as they prepare for representing our league in Las Vegas in October.
To express interest in playing on a Vancouver team at the 2024 GSWS, please use the form at this link. For more details on the official policy for sending GSWS teams please see the WESA Governing Manual page 52.
To find out more about iPride Softball please visit this page.
iPride limited edition GSWS jersey
2023 GSWS Minneaspolis, MN
Gay Softball World Series (GSWS) 2023
Above: Vancouver Teams Group Photo of the Vancouver Pumpjack Orcas (E), Vancouver Ehs (D) and Vancouver Brew Jays (C) teams.
2019 GSWS Kansas City, MO
Above: Vancouver Teams Group Photo of Vancouver PumpJack Rage (C), Vancouver PumpJack Brew Jays (D), and Vancouver PumpJack Drillers (Masters) all Open Roster teams.
2017 GSWS Portland, OR
Above: Vancouver Teams Group Photo of the Vancouver Numbers (C), Vancouver PumpJack (C), Vancouver Attitude Promo (D), Vancouver Celebrities Nightclub (D), and Vancouver PumpJack Drillers (Masters), and Vancouver Highballers (Masters) teams.
2015 GSWS Columbus, OH
Above: Vancouver Teams Group photo of the Vancouver Celebrities Nightclub (C), Vancouver barrette Salon (D), and Vancouver Fountainhead Pub (D) teams.
Sponsors
