2018 SOFTBALL ‘WINTER CLASSIC’ TO BENEFIT AAP – FOOD SAMARITANS
27th Annual Softball Tournament Features LGBT Players, is Free to the Public
PALM SPRINGS – January 29, 2018: AAP – Food Samaritans (AAP), in cooperation with the City of Palm Springs and the Palm Springs Gay Softball League, announces the 27th Annual Palm Springs Winter Classic Softball Tournament will take place February 9 -11, 2018. The teams participating in the tournament, which benefits AAP, are members of the North American Gay Amateur Athletic Alliance (NAGAAA), a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting amateur athletics for the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community.
Registration and a public opening reception will take place on Friday, February 9, 2018 from 7-10 pm at Hunter’s Nightclub, 302 East Arenas Road in Palm Springs. Throughout the weekend, teams will compete on several locations, including Demuth Park (4365 E. Mesquite Ave, Palm Springs) and Big League Dreams Sports Park in Cathedral City. Games will start at 8 a.m. both days with finals in all divisions played at Big League Dreams. All games are free to the public. Competition is open to a maximum of 80 teams in various divisions of play, and the tournament schedule will be posted at pswinterclassic.com.
“This is a fun event for players and spectators, and the fact that it benefits AAP- Food Samaritans makes it that much more rewarding for us,” says Vicki Oltean, Tournament Director. “We hope the public comes out to the opening reception at Hunter’s on Friday night to meet the athletes, buy souvenir shirts and support this 26-year tradition of softball in the desert.”
The ‘Winter Classic’ was established in 1991 as a fundraising event to help offset out-of-town tournament travel expenses for the Desert Heat Softball team members. Local host hotels have also agreed to donate 10% of that weekend’s proceeds to AAP. For more information, visit pswinterclassic.com or call 760-323-8277.
Since its founding in 1991, AAP- Food Samaritans remains dedicated to providing nutritional support to improve the quality of the lives of people living with HIV/AIDS and other chronic illnesses. Initiated by a small group of concerned citizens led by the late Gloria Greene and Jeannette Rockefeller, AAP provides nutritional support to members of the community with low incomes. For more information, please call 760-325-8481 or visit aidsassistance.org.