Palm Springs International Pride Hockey Tournament aims to foster inclusion, positive change through visibility
The Coachella Valley Pride Hockey Association brings the Palm Springs International Pride Hockey Tournament to Acrisure Arena for the third time from Feb. 20-23.
With 16 teams and players from 105 cities in the United States and Canada, the CV Pride Hockey Association aims to grow access to hockey for everyone in the Valley, "by engaging LGBTQ+ Athletes and Advocates."
Paul O'Kane, the President and Co-founder for the CV Pride Hockey Association, says hockey is a sport for everyone that can foster inclusivity and lasting positive change. Through the tournament, CV Pride Hockey Association hopes to show visibility – something they say doesn't happen often in sports.
"A lot of LGBT youth quit. They quit sports," O'Kane said. "And so the ability for us to have visibility where young kids can see, there’s a CV pride hockey association, if they’re gay they can think, 'Well you know what? Maybe I can play hockey.'”
O'Kane also recognized the difficulty of staying in sports when players feel unwelcome and unsafe, especially in the locker room.
“For many of us growing up that are LGBT, it was difficult to stay in the sport where you know the locker room dynamic can be very challenging,” O'Kane said.
The organization hopes to show people homophobia still exists in sports, and "when LGBTQ+ individuals are visible, it encourages a culture of respect and accountability, making the game more welcoming for everyone," according to the associations announcement.
With the Trump Administrations changes to DEI programs, transgender athletes in particular have been excluded from participating in sports, along with being removed from websites and the widely used LGBTQ+ acronym.
Brooklynn Vike, a player for the Coachella Valley Bighorns, said she struggled playing the sport when she was younger. She started playing when she was around three to four years old, but ultimately ended up being a referee. After 20 years, she's picked the sport back up.
She said with the exclusion of the transgender community throughout the United States, being able to go out on the ice clears her mind.
“Having a place where we can play and having an opportunity to be on the ice and play the game that we love, it’s absolutely the best thing. It’s probably been 20 years since I felt like I could play hockey," when you’re out on the ice, you forget about everything.”
The CV Pride Hockey Association hopes to encourage young players to be seen and show them that they don't have to hide to succeed in sports through the visibility of the tournament.
Stay with News Channel 3 at 5 p.m. to hear from players about the significance of the Palm Springs International Pride Hockey Tournament.
For more information on the CV Pride Hockey Association and the Palm Springs International Pride Hockey Tournament visit https://www.palmspringsgayhockey.org/home.
