GLORY News - 16th November
2002
Gay Games Coverage | GLORY Logo Contest
Scuttlebutt is a daily sailing email newsletter
sponsored by Seahorse
Magazine focusing on North America.
http://sailingsource.com/scuttlebutt/default.php
There is also a European version at
http://www.scuttlebutteurope.com
Scuttlebutt 1199 Dated 14th November carried the following:
SYDNEY GAY GAMES REGATTA
Gay Games VI included a sailing regatta among its competition sports for
the first time ever. Fifty-one three-person teams snatched up the available
spaces within two months of registration opening. The US fielded 19 teams,
Australia 12, the Netherlands 8, the UK 5, France 4, and, Germany and
New
Caledonia 1 each. At least twice the number of the 51 successful
registrants had to be turned away for lack of capacity; soundly disproving
skeptics who said that sailing would never work in the Gay Games.
The regatta was organized by ASCC with reception, club and marina
facilities provided by the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia and the City
of
Sydney. CCYA also provided the boats for open and non-spinnaker divisions,
10 each Elliot 5.9s and brand new Elliot 6.0s.
Several afternoons of 18-25 knots with higher gusts proved the mettle
of
virtually all the competitors on these tough, light keel/bulb boats. No
small number of crew took unexpected dives into the shark-infested waters,
but no harm was done and there were minimal breakdowns and damage, though
plenty of protests to keep the international jury working night and day.
Australia's Black, Green and Gold dominated the open division, as expected,
with a first in every race. USA's SF12 Carpe Cerevisiam took the silver
and Great Britain's Gust Superheros the bronze. In the non-spinnaker division,
Australia again dominated, taking thegold and bronze, with Chicago taking
the silver.
Gay Games VII will be held in Montreal in 2006. At press time sailing
was
not included on the list of planned sports but plenty of international
pressure is already building to force reconsideration. - Robert Johnston,
www.gaysailing.com
And this response in Scuttlebutt #1120
* Thank you for your coverage of the Sydney Gay Games in Scuttlebutt
#1199. As the only openly gay sailor I know of who trained for the Olympics
in both 1996 and 2000, it's encouraging to see the efforts of other gay
sailors acknowledged in a "mainstream" publication with such wide reach.
Sailing is a very homophobic sport. Over the years I have gotten a
lot of
grief from competitors for my orientation, been called a "fag" and had
innumerable opportunities withheld. To be fair, there have also been some
terrific people who have stepped up and been supportive, including the
sailor from Alabama who, at the end of the 1996 Savannah Trials said:
"I've
never really known a gay person before, but being around you has changed
my attitude (toward homosexuals)." It's one of my most cherished memories.
(My italics - PW)
Today I am the "sailing pro" at a conservative east coast club. While
some
here are aware of my orientation many are not, so I ask you not post my
name. I held the torch for a long time and at this time don't care to
have
my livelihood threatened.
CURMUDGEON'S COMMENT: We don't often publish letters without identifying
the writer, but we will honor this request for anonymity."
GLORY PRESIDENT'S COMMENT: Anyone who thinks there is no need for a voice for gay sailing should read the above and then reconsider.
More on this thread at http://sailingsource.com/scuttlebutt/default.php
GLORY Logo Contest
Like every organisation, we need a recognisable logo so get out your
crayons and submit your design into the contest which closes 1st December
with the winner announced 5th December.
The winner will receive a free GLORY T-shirt carrying their new design.
Design suggestions:
- Should be recognisable from a distance (e.g. when flown as a burgee)
- Lambda signs and pink triangles have been used by many of the existing
gay sailing groups so something else may be more appropriate
- Should have a yachting theme
- Should scale easily for reprduction on notepaper and banners
- Should use solid colours rather than blends as these are easier to reproduce
accurately
- Artwok should be submitted in JPG or GIF format and uploaded to the
Members Smartgroups Site at www.smartgroups.com/groups/glorygroup
- All submissions remain the property of GLORY
