New attraction added to HarbourCats games at Wilson’s Group Stadium at Royal Athletic Park

May 29, 2019

VICTORIA, B.C. — It’s a first in the history of the City of Victoria — a zipline attraction within city limits.

The Victoria HarbourCats have teamed up with WildPlay, a local company famous for its outdoor adventure parks throughout North America– including their signature Victoria location in nearby Colwood — 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 6:35pm game time. Doors will open that night at 5:30pm 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 will run every HarbourCats home game, during games — located beyond the right field fence, running parallel to Cook Street. Fans attending the games are urged to purchase their zipline tickets in advance as there are a limited number of tickets available for each game.  Fans will also save $2.50 per ticket over the game-day or in-stadium purchase price!   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.

“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.”

The WILDPLAY ZIPLINE, presented by TELUS Wireline, is believed to be the only currently operating zipline of its kind during a baseball game  (the Billings Montana Mustangs had one for their 2017 season)– adding another reason to take in HarbourCats games, with the team now in its seventh season in the West Coast League.

HarbourCats Head Coach Todd Haney was one of the first (along with Harvey the HarbourCat pictured above) to try the new WildPlay zipline on Wednesday (Photo: Christian J. Stewart)

About WildPlay Element Parks | WildPlay.com
WildPlay Element Parks has a nine-year history of opening and operating nature-based adventure Parks throughout North America. Their outdoor recreation activities encourage people to push their self-perceived physical and mental boundaries. The first WildPlay location, in Nanaimo, BC, opened in March 2006. Initially offering the well-known Bungy Jump and the Primal Swing activities, the Park introduced the company’s original Monkido® Aerial Adventure and DragonFLY Zip Lines. Expansion followed over the next six years as WildPlay took root in Victoria, BC, Maple Ridge, BC, Kelowna, BC, Wood Buffalo, AB, and now Niagara Falls, ON.

Backgrounder Available at: https://wildplay.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/NET-PR-Backgrounder-OCT2017_2.pdf