Men ‘Spike for Pride’ at UCLA

Monday, September 29, 1997

Men ‘Spike for Pride’ at UCLA

LAMBDA: Volleyball benefit tournament funds scholarships

By Traci Mack

Daily Bruin Senior Staff

Volleyball tournaments are nothing compared to the ones held on
the UCLA campus; our renowned team frequently plays in front of a
packed Pauley Pavilion. However, a tournament with a slightly
different twist was held here over the weekend. Players in these
matches hailed from places as far away as Alaska, Hawaii and
Canada, but all had one thing in common; all were openly gay
men.

The seventh annual "Spike for Pride" gay men’s volleyball
tournament was held over the weekend in the John Wooden Center and
in Pauley Pavilion.

Over 40 teams from the North American Gay Volleyball Association
came to compete in the two-day, double-elimination tournament,
which benefitted the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center "Freedom to
Marry" campaign and the UCLA Lambda Alumni Scholarship Fund.

"Spike for Pride," hosted by the Volleyball Organization in Los
Angeles (VOILA), kicked off the weekend with matches in the Wooden
Center on Saturday morning. Spectators were admitted at no
cost.

The event was anything but all work and no play, however.
Participants were treated to a banquet in Sunset Commons, hosted by
Patrick Bristow of ABC’s "Ellen" and former Mr. America Jim Morris.
A dance party was also held Saturday night, to blow off some
post-match steam. Concessions provided by Koo Koo Roo and Skyy
Vodka, sponsors of the event, were free to participants.

Organizers of the event were pleased by the large turnouts, but
not surprised. "Volleyball is very popular among gay men," said
Doug Walters, Spike for Pride Chair and VOILA board member. "It is
consistently the most popular sport at the Gay Games. We
anticipated a fantastic tournament this weekend, plus dinner and
dancing."

This year, tournament play was moved from the Men’s Gym to the
state-of-the-art Wooden Center, a fact that pleased organizers to
no end. "I think players and volunteers will be getting much
greater value conditions," said Walters.

Above all, the event was for a good cause – raising scholarship
funds for UCLA students, with an emphasis on gays and lesbians. In
this instance, working toward such a good cause as the "Spike for
Pride" campaign led to a good run for all.JUSTIN WARREN/Daily
Bruin

Teams from all over the nation participated in the Gay
Volleyball Tournament held over the weekend.