The Victoria HarbourCats (summer collegiate; West Coast League) will debut a unique ballpark attraction this season, as the club has unveiled a 400-foot zipline.
The Victoria HarbourCats have teamed up with WildPlay, a local operator of outdoor adventure parks throughout North America and Telus to install a 400-foot addition to the already entertaining activities available during West Coast League games.
The WildPlay Zipline, presented by Telus Wireline, will be open to the public for the first time on June 1 when the HarbourCats hold their first Peninsula Co-op Alumni Classic, a 6:35 p.m. game time. Doors will open that night at 5:30 p.m. and fans will have their first chance to try it out while they watch the Special Olympics pre-game softball game that is happening prior to the Alumni Classic.
The zipline, located beyond the right field fence, running parallel to Cook Street, will run every HarbourCats home game. Advance tickets ($12.50) will be available through the team office or on-line at each individual game link on the HarbourCats ticketing web page at harbourcats.ticketrocket.co. Tickets can also be purchased for $15 on game day at the office or box office (which opens one-hour prior to game time). Any unsold tickets will be available inside the park for $15. Fans must also have a game ticket to enter the stadium. Zipline tickets on their own are not good for park entry.
A video from the HarbourCats’ Facebook page, embedded below, shows how the zipline operates:
“This is a big first and we want to thank the City of Victoria for sharing this vision of adding a major attraction at Wilson’s Group Stadium at Royal Athletic Park,” said Jim Swanson, Managing Partner/GM of the HarbourCats. “A lot of work and coordination, spanning more than a year, has gone into this. Working with Tom Benson, Robert Kemp and the team at WildPlay has been a true pleasure, as well as with Shaye Draper, Don McIsaac and the crew of TELUS. Also a big thanks to Troy Birtwistle of TRB Construction, and to all the people with Chinook Scaffolding. So many pieces came together on this.”
“We look forward to expanding our WildPlay Victoria presence to include this exciting new experience” said Tom Benson, CEO of WildPlay Element Parks. “The zipline is going to thrill our guests and be a great new addition in the heart of the community.”
While unique, this is not the first instance of a zipline installed at a ballpark: the Quad Cities River Bandits (Low A; Midwest League) installed a zipline at Modern Woodmen Park several years ago.