The Gay Games
There seems to be a fight brewing in the Midwest over the Gay Games, an all-inclusive athletic event that is going to have competitors from all over the world. According to their website, the games are: "open to anyone. There are no qualifying events, no minimum or maximum requirements, and no mandatory affiliations. The Games are built on the founding principles of Participation, Inclusion, and Personal Best, and promote a supportive environment, free from bigotry, where participants achieve success by their own measure. More than a tournament or cultural program, the Gay Games is a gathering of the international sports and arts community that changes lives, attitudes, and the very nature of competition."
Rowing is included in the program of events, and one of the venues in dispute with local residents is Crystal Lake, where the organizers of the games hope to have the regatta. There were links to letters on the front page of row2k about the rowing events, editorials speaking of both sides of the argument.
I wasn't planning on touching on politics in this blog. I usually save things like that for my personal, non-anonymous blog. I have never really found reason to bring politics into the world of sport; although it's very idealistic, it's also realistic.
In high school, my coach told the team something that I would never forget, something that I try to carry with me every time I tie in and push off: leave it all on the dock. There are enough problems out on the water for you to worry about without thinking about unnecessary things while underway. Grades, deadlines, girlfriend issues, those will all be there once you come back, and you can pick them up once your row is over. But when you're out there, concentrate on making the boat move as fast as you can. That's it. To do anything less is disrespectful to yourself and to your boatmates.
I think any kind of rowing event is a good thing for the rowing community as a whole. A regatta is a regatta, regardless of the sexual orientation of the competitors. The fact that these games are all-inclusive means that the oarsmen and women in them are rowing to compete, not because of some hidden homosexual agenda. So let the Gay Games have it's regatta, Chicago. Don't let your bigotry defeat something with decent intentions in it's heart.
Rowing is included in the program of events, and one of the venues in dispute with local residents is Crystal Lake, where the organizers of the games hope to have the regatta. There were links to letters on the front page of row2k about the rowing events, editorials speaking of both sides of the argument.
I wasn't planning on touching on politics in this blog. I usually save things like that for my personal, non-anonymous blog. I have never really found reason to bring politics into the world of sport; although it's very idealistic, it's also realistic.
In high school, my coach told the team something that I would never forget, something that I try to carry with me every time I tie in and push off: leave it all on the dock. There are enough problems out on the water for you to worry about without thinking about unnecessary things while underway. Grades, deadlines, girlfriend issues, those will all be there once you come back, and you can pick them up once your row is over. But when you're out there, concentrate on making the boat move as fast as you can. That's it. To do anything less is disrespectful to yourself and to your boatmates.
I think any kind of rowing event is a good thing for the rowing community as a whole. A regatta is a regatta, regardless of the sexual orientation of the competitors. The fact that these games are all-inclusive means that the oarsmen and women in them are rowing to compete, not because of some hidden homosexual agenda. So let the Gay Games have it's regatta, Chicago. Don't let your bigotry defeat something with decent intentions in it's heart.
posted by Anonymous at 17:35
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