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Wrestling. For complete Gay Games
wrestling results,
click here.
Waddell Cup winners. For
those of you who haven't yet heard, the Waddell
Cup winners are
Riviθre-Zijdel of Amsterdam and Derek Liecty of
Oakland, Calif. Congratulations to them!
WeHo takes water polo gold, Utah silver, SF
bronze.
In the latest addition to one of the most
dominant dynasties in gay-sports history, the
West Hollywood men's water polo team won the
competititve gold medal on Thursday, beating Utah, 11-9.
It looked like it was going to be a blow-out at
halftime, with the defending Gay Games champs
up, 8-3. WH2O used set plays and crisp passing
in the first half while Utah seemed stuck taking
head-on shots and sometimes simply tossing the
ball to the WeHo goalie. But Queer Utah Aquatics
Club came roaring back in the second half,
setting up plays and playing much smarter to cut
the lead to two.
They were also helped by an incredible shot by
their goalie, Jason Olafson. As time expired in the third
quarter, his looping shot on goal soared over WeHo's goalie and into the net to cut the lead
to three.
West Hollywood has been a dominant force in gay
men's water polo since its inception. The club
has won 11 of the 14 IGLA water polo
championships. They have never lost since former
Harvard water polo player
Mike Crosby joined the team six years ago.
In those six years, WH2O hasn't lost a single
water polo match. Crosby always has a warm
handshake and a nice smile a very friendly
guy.
In the bronze-medal game, the San Francisco
Tsunami came from behind to beat Team New York.
Cyd Zeigler jr.
Duck hunting: The Queer Utah Aquatics
Club is better known as QUAC, and their cheering
section would break into a chorus of "quacks!"
to spur their team on. They also had a cute
ditty for their goalie, serenading him with, "We
love you Jason!"
To counter the QUACs, the WeHo supporters wore
camouflage duck hunting caps, and when WeHo
scored a goal, they would rise en masse and
mimic shooting a hunting rifle. -Jim Buzinski
Outsports party at Crew.
Our party at Crew Bar + Grill Wednesday night
seems to have been a big success. It was very
well-attended by lots of athletes, particularly
flag football. Even Esera Tuaolo came with a Gay
Games gold medal around his neck and his NFC
Championship ring on his finger a pair of
awards that no other man in the world has.
Oddly, I had heard
"through the grapevine" that Crew wasn't much of
a sports bar. I heard wrong. With tons of sports
paraphernalia, sports on about a dozen gorgeous
TVs, and great sports-bar food like chicken
wings (I ate eight of the honey-glazed with blue
cheese delicious!), it's as much of a sports
bar as anywhere I've been. OK, they showed
Project Runway, too. But that just makes it a
gay sports bar.
A bunch of Outsporters were there, including
PhillyRunner, BridgeportJake, Bujeff23,
ChiAthlete, Stinger, and Mike Horton. We also
got to meet Ray Bordeaux, a photographer whose
gorgeous Gay Games photos will be appearing on
Outsports in the coming weeks.
All-in-all, we stayed an hour longer than we had
anticipated, we got to see a lot of old friends
(including my first bf-ish, PJ), and meet some
new friends, including Courtney, who runs
Talldates.com. - CZ
Basketball
finals set. The New York Warriors will play
the San Francisco Rock Dogs in the men's
competitive basketball finals on Friday. Either
way, the game will mark the first time a player
has won a gold medal in the top division of both
football and basketball in the same Gay Games,
as New York's Paul Sokolson and San Francisco's
Rory Ray each won gold in football with Team
Outsports on Wednesday.
- CZ
Disorganization at the track.
I medalled on Wednesday in track & field, but I
don't have hardware to show for it. I was part
of the second San Francisco 4 x 100 relay team,
and it was decided that I'd run the anchor leg.
When the race went off, our second leg runner
made up some great ground, and when the
third-leg runners came around the turn, the
potential second and third place teams were
neck-and-neck. We had a good exchange, and I'm
told I bolted out ahead of the other anchor leg
runner. But 50 meters down the straightaway I
pulled a hamstring in my right thigh. Despite
the pain, my only though was to keep going and
finish strong for the team. I had no idea where
the runner was next to me--he wasn't in my
peripheral vision--but I didn't want him passing
me in the last few meters. I made it across in
second place and limped directly over to the
massage/medical table for massage and ice.
But why no medal? Well, the skies were clouding
over as the day wore on and there were rumors of
rain and thundershowers on the way. I talked to
the woman apparently in charge of the stadium
crew who said the rain was on the way and that
she didn't want to get wet.
That was but one incident of apparently many
that have disillusioned many athletes so far
this week. I'm hearing story after story about
how the Games' events are being mismanaged.
Out at the track venue, the ring for the hammer
throw still did not have the proper netting
erected in time for the event. I was told that
participants in the event eventually agreed on a
time and place to hold the event elsewhere,
apparently at the original UIC track venue.
Participants running in track have no numbers
and wait interminably with little to no
information about their events. No wind gauges
are in evidence to show if a run was wind-aided
or not. I found heat results just taped to a
bench and listing everyone as "unattached," as
opposed to what city they represent. No results
have been posted to the Gay Games Chicago site,
and almost no one is paying the $15 tickets (or
$5 day tickets) to watch - the stands are nearly
empty.
Actually, there
can't be more than about 200 or so track & field
participants. So few people signed up, and so
many fewer people sign in to actually compete,
that many of the races in most age groups are
going directly to finals. Track & field is big
in Europe, and most of the Europeans seem to be
staying away from the Games, choosing instead go
to Montreal.
Which goes to show that, despite the best
efforts of some, you cannot separate sports from
politics. Chuck Martin
More on Opening Ceremonies' politicking.
Then again, Games organizers infused Opening
Ceremonies with politics. Lots of them. Four
hours worth, in fact. nearly everyone I talk to
say they left early. Memo to speakers: Make your
point, then finish.
If I had to guess, Games organizers hired the
Academy Awards director to run Opening
Ceremonies and found some of Bill Clinton's old
speechwriters to pen some of the speakers'
stem-winders. Four hours is way, way too long.
Chuck Martin
Time misprint.
When I was up in the North sports village
Monday, I ran into someone at the Purple line
station who had gone out for the diving
competition. But the time printed on his ticket
was a daytime time, and that day's competition
began at 7 p.m. Chuck Martin
Wrestling in a sauna.
There was no air conditioning at the wrestling
competition, which apparently was the same for
other indoor venues, like basketball, as well.
While there was plenty of water and Gatorade,
the conditions certainly were not optimal for
peak performances. It was like wrestling in a
sauna.
To be fair, no one
could have planned for this unusual heat.
Interestingly, heat is not unusual for the
Games. In New York City in 1994, it was 100
degrees and 100 percent humidity for much of the
week. In Sydney in 2002, it was close to this
hot and Western Australia was in the midst of a
2-year-long drought. Chuck Martin
Signage needed.
When I returned from swimming on Saturday and
mentioned that I go a bit lost finding the
venue, I was told that there would be signs up
starting Monday at train stations directing
people to venues and volunteers there directing
people as well. So far, I've seen none of that.
I went out to volleyball on Tuesday at Navy
Pier. I saw no signage at the end of the bus
line. I asked directions of a traffic control
officer, who directed me down the long pier
building. The volleyball turned out to be at the
far end. I saw no signs along the long walk
until I was about two-thirds of the way there.
And that sign was rather unobtrusive, with more
ad logos that directions.
When I got into the building, I was still lost.
I asked directions and was pointed up an
escalator. As I approached the escalator, I saw
a sign pointed to the competition. The sign was
mounted on a building column on the side facing
away from the door! Nearly impossible
to find unless you get lucky. Simply bad
planning. Chuck Martin
Where's Ozzie Guillen?
I got email the other day from the Games, and
one event being promoted was Gay Games night at
the White Sox game on Friday night. Now, I've
not heard word yet of White Sox manager Ozzie
Guillen attending any Games events as he said he
would, but I think it could be an interesting
reaction from any group that goes when Guillen
walks out on the field before the game to
deliver the lineup card. Or during the game to
change a pitcher. - Chuck Martin
Beam me around the track, Mr. Sulu.
Turns out George Takei is a track & field
athlete. The Hollywood star who became famous
for helming the U.S.S. Enterprise on the old
Star Trek TV series and in several Star Trek
movies (until he became captain of his own
starship) and who recently came out and who
spoke at opening ceremonies, was up on the medal
stand on Wednesday as part of a
medal-winning relay team from Team Los Angeles.
Of course, we knew Takei was no slouch. Who
could ever forget the episode where he fenced,
shirtless, through the corridors of the
Enterprise? Great job George! - Chuck Martin |
