Grady lives in Dallas. Austin lives in Chicago. They met earlier this year at a softball tournament in Palm Springs and immediately were attracted to one another. Today, despite the near-800 miles that separate the two, they are boyfriends, dealing with the dilemmas associated with an LTR.

We know there are many others - guys and girls - who have met their current "significant other" at one of the countless gay sporting events that occur throughout the country. We recently reported about figure skater Ron of Vancouver who met cyclist Lance of San Francisco at the Gay Games in Chicago. Ron and Lance are now dating, and Ron will be moving to San Francisco. Even I once dated someone who he met at a gay sporting event.

For an upcoming feature story, OutSports wants to hear from such couples who have met each other at gay sporting events. We also want to hear from anyone who is strongly opposed to such relationships due to the distance. Please email our reporter Ross Forman with your name, phone contact and a brief explanation about your relationship, or your reasoning for not jumping into such relationships. Ross will contact you over the coming weeks to hear your story.

You can reach Ross at Rossco814@aol.com

Do you want a list of all the professional athletes I've tried to date or just the ones who cared enough to serve restraining orders?

How romantic. I hope you have a nice story by Valentine's Day (and maybe a follow-up story to examine whether the relationships have ended after a year or so). I know that there is a lot of temptation to stray for gay males who live a long way from each other. I and my boyfriend of 10 years broke up this year. He lived in Charlotte. I live in Memphis. But, he changed in one direction. And, I changed in another direction. So, absence makes the heart grow fonder? Not every time. Lovers need at least daily physical, face-to-face contact to make a relationship work, I guess. Even then, it is not easy. Maybe, for lesbians, it is a little easier because of their genetic makeup.