As a lead-up to our Outsports Local Groups Challenge, we’ll be profiling the five first-round matchups on the blog. Voting is open now!
These two groups are quite the contrast. Golden Gate Wrestling has been around since the very early days of organized gay sports, since even before the Gay Games, and has been one of the driving forces behind worldwide expansion of gay wrestling. The group at Jimmy Evert Tennis Center is a loosely associated group that focuses on having fun in the sun. Both are dedicated to inclusion.
Golden Gate Wrestling
www.GGWC.org
Location: San Francisco Bay Area
Sport: Wrestling
Founded: 1980
The group was started before GayGames 1980 at behest of Tom Waddell to Don Jung. The GGWC has competed every Gay Games and has done well every time. The group started the international organization Wrestlers WithOut Borders in 1992 to join all the clubs in a federation to cooperate with and control the Gay Games wrestling tournaments. They have also held three practices perweek since 1986, started SF Alliance Youth Wrestling program in San Francisco at the behest of high school coaches in 2007. Their coaching partnership with Mission HS wrestling that took them from the doormat to Cinderella in 2007.
Jimmy Evert Tennis Center
Location: Ft. Lauderdale, Florida
Sport: Tennis
Every Friday evening and Sunday afternoon, The JETC plays host to a drop-in, open to anyone round-robin doubles tennis league. As the description suggests, it is open to anyone of any tennis level who wants to play two hours of competitive doubles tennis. It is common to see a mother, father and their high school age kids signing up to play dubs with a bear, a near drag-queen-Venus-Williams wannabe, a butch jock gay, a real estate bigshot or just a plain old ordinary flamer. The quality of play, the open and free environment makes this the best gay sports league.
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