A hoody like this one, a cookbook, and other items
can be purchased online to support the Gay World Series
NAGAAA, the governing body for gay softball leagues throughout the US and Canada, will hold its annual winter meeting in Seattle in February.
Created in 1977, the North American Gay Amateur Athletic Alliance (NAGAAA) is a nonprofit international organization comprised of men and women dedicated to promoting amateur athletics for the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) community.
NAGAAA's current membership includes 56 softball leagues in 35 cities throughout the United States and Canada. Teams representing these leagues participate annually in NAGAAA's Gay Softball World Series (GSWS), hosted each year by a different member city.
NAGAAA's [and, yes, Jon Stewart's grandfathered-in joke about pronunciation could be inserted here] meeting is the first sign of something that will become far more obvious as the dark days begin to lengthen and summer approaches: This is the year of the Gay Softball World Series in Seattle. [see Qblog post]
The February event will consist of private organizational meetings at an airport hotel, so the presence of the group will probably go mostly unnoticed. But expect more and more public events leading up to the August 25 Opening Ceremony at the Mural Amphitheater in Seattle Center.
They've named the series "Northwest Quest" to "evoke the great outdoor spirit of our region and reflect the challenge of winning a championship competition."
And the whole event promises to be a very big deal. The local host committee expects more than 3,000 athletes, coaches, and officials from about 40 cities to converge on our fair city. They'll also be looking for a large number of local volunteers to help out with various aspects of the huge undertaking. Specific volunteer opportunities have not yet been published, but it's not too early to sign up.
