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By
Ross Forman
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Celebrity:
Seeing Hockey Hall of Famer Ken Dryden drop the
ceremonial “First Puck” before a semifinal game
on Thursday was special (click image for larger
view). He then talked to the
few media members present, sat in the stands
with players watching the entire overtime game
and signing autographs.
His class act and gay-friendly approach
shouldn’t, or, wasn’t a surprise.
He is now a Member of Parliament (MP) in Canada
and a candidate for the leadership of the
Liberal Party of Canada – and, in late-June, he
wrote a newspaper column titled, Why I Support
Gay Marriage Bill.
“I’m here because it’s a big and important
event,” he told me in an exclusive interview.
“When I’m here, yeah, I know what (the event)
is, but it’s just fun.”
Dryden also attended medal ceremonies for track
& field, as well as soccer and slow-pitch
softball games.
I asked Dryden if he ever expected an NHL player
to reveal he is gay while active, and the
politician in Dryden came out at first.
“Wow, that’s a very good question. What do you
think?” he said. “Hmm, that’s a very good
question. I certainly think a player will come
out after retiring. But while still active?
Yeah, I think it’s possible. If a player ends up
making it to the NHL, then it is possible.”
Dryden said there was, “no way of knowing,” if
any of his teammates were gay, “but likely,
there probably were.”
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DQed: Damian
Garis turned in a gold medal performance in the
400-meter Individual Medlay swimming race, but,
before he could even get out of the water, he
was informed by a judge that he was being
disqualified for the way he was swimming one of
the event’s strokes.
That would have been Garis’ 10th medal in the
OutGames. And that was his best event.
Nonetheless, Garis was the picture of class on
the pool deck, never once bad-mouthing the
decision to anyone, be it other swimmers, fans,
media or organizers.
After hearing about, and experiencing first-hand
poor sportsmanship at various OutGames and Gay
Games events, it was a pleasure to see Garis
after he “lost.”
Garis, who lives in Toronto, claimed two gold,
four silver and three bronze medals in the
Games.
“I’m happy,” said Garis, who is gay and formerly
swam professionally in his native Argentina for
eight years. “This was the first time I
represented Canada and Canada treated me with
open-arms. This was my way of giving back.”
Garis said he was most surprised with the medals
he won in the 50-meter butterfly and 100-meter
freestyle, “because I went a lot faster (in
those events) than I thought I could.”
The gold and silver that he claimed in the
4-by-50 mixed IM and 4-by-50 freestyle,
respectively, are his most cherished titles –
because he won them Monday, on his 27th
birthday. “That was the best present I could
give myself,” he said.
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Rolling along:
Frank Bensing, 35, a gay scientist from Germany,
explained that the thrill of Roller Racing is
the simple ability, “to go fast.”
He has been competing in the “sport” for eight
years and admitted that he was nervous about the
speed (up to 35 kilometers) when he first
started, but has “gotten used to it.”
Bensing added that he often chases bicyclists on
his blades – and normally catches them.
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Wanting
competition: Kasper Palleson (left) said the
level of basketball competition was “a lot
higher” in Chicago than Montreal.
“The standard of play was just a lot higher in
Chicago,” said Palleson, 30, who played in the
gold medal game in Montreal for the all-gay
London Cruisers. (Read
about the London team at the Gay Games).
The Cruisers truly cruised to wins in Montreal,
beating teams by 60 and 70 points, “and that’s
not really fun,” Palleson said. “We really were
hoping there would be more American teams here,”
to raise the level of play.
Palleson said both basketball tournaments were
well organized, with the slight edge going to
the Gay Games crew.
“I’d rather get eliminated (by stiff
competition) than go out and win by 60 points,”
said Palleson, originally from Denmark.
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Just for kicks:
The Team Japan soccer team actually should have
been called Team United Nations. The club also
had representatives from Spain, Germany,
Australia and America.
“The languages (players speak) are different and
that can be difficult, but soccer players don’t
have to speak the same language,” said Team
Japan captain Akio Matsui, 32 (left). “We had no
(language barrier) problems on the field.”
Matsui said his club chose Montreal over Chicago
because it plays against American teams on a
regular basis and he expected many of them to
participate in the Gay Games. “We heard the
OutGames would have more international teams
(participating),” he said.
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Butt,
seriously: The towel that hung from Jet
Villavicencio’s shorts caught my eye and made
me, uh, carefully examine his back-side. The
towel, you see, was from the Gay Games last
month in Chicago.
Villavicencio, 31, of Mountain View, Calif.,
played B-Division volleyball for the San
Francisco Cabana Boys, yet was limited in his
play late in the OutGames after rolling his
right ankle after bumping into a teammate when
both went for a block.
Villavicencio played in the Gay Games for a
Vancouver (B.C.) team.
So which event was better?
“For organization, Chicago. But for overall
(event) presence and support, Montreal,”
Villavicencio said. “Montreal really did a
tremendous job. The volleyball in Chicago was
really organized. "As for competition, it’s
better here (in Montreal) because it’s more of
an international spin to it.”
For the ever-important social aspect of the
tournaments, Villavicencio gave the slight edge
to Montreal.
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Smile for
the camera: Tony Zoras of Toronto was
well-aware of a camera
snapping his picture at
volleyball as he prepared to play for Team
Karma.
So, trying to be sly, he rolled up his sleeve to
show off his “guns.”
Zoras, 43, was playing in his first major gay
tournament. “Our team is all about positive
energy,” he said.
Zoras also enjoys yoga, jogging and working out
five days per week.
Oh, yeah, he also is a go-go dancer.
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The hair:
Every sport seems to have its share of
characters with, uh, unique do’s. One of my
favorites was Sean Curran, 34, from Galway on
the western side of Ireland. Curran
sported a Mohawk with red, yellow and
orange.
“I think (the Mohawk) helps; I might hold on to
it,” after the OutGames, Curran said. “I’m
definitely more aerodynamic.”
Curran, who played for the Sydney (Australia)
Rangers soccer team, has been shaving his head
for seven years and “just wanted to do something
different” for the OutGames.
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Soccer
hotties: The award for the most hot-shots
(off, not just on) had to go to the club from
Paris, France. In fact, many of the Seattle
players were quite pleased Paris was playing
after them on Thursday.
Seattle soccer: The Seattle club chose Montreal
over Chicago this summer because, well, team
captain Scott Daniels wanted to go to Montreal.
“I kind of rigged the voting,” he said,
laughing. “Actually, about half (of the team)
wanted to come here, half wanted to go to
Chicago. I guess I was the deciding vote.”
Team Seattle brought 15 players, two boyfriends
and one injured player to the event.
“It’s been great competition; I just wish there
were more soccer teams here,” Daniels said. “The
refs are awesome; the fields are excellent.
“France, by far, is the best team. They’re fast
and have excellent ball-handling skills. Plus,
they’re very focused. I have not seen them out
socializing at all during the Games. They are
very serious about winning. That’s obviously
their main focus, whereas we’re here to have fun
first, win second.”
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Anyone
speak English?: The physique competition
Thursday night would have been better, at least
for me, if the host had spoken English, not just
French. Granted, French is the main language in
Montreal, but I think more people in the crowd
would have enjoyed the event with English spoken
too.
Nonetheless, I enjoyed the performer who did his
routine to the ’80s hit Rock Me Amadeus from
Falco. I also can report that one performer once
was Mr. Pittsburgh; that I understood. There
also was a performer who used an un-lit
cigarette during his routine; very clever.
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Tahiti
triumph:
Patrick Praud, 40, captured the
gold medal Thursday in the 40-49 Master’s
Division of the physique competition. He then
posed for pictures with the flag of his native
country.
“I am very happy,” he said. “When you compete
and finish first, it makes me very happy.”
The win was Praud’s second gold medal, and he
plans to frame both to honor his first visit
ever to Canada.
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Seen and
heard: I spoke with a medal-winner in the
physique competition on Thursday and he was
thrilled with his performance. But his
conservative company in America doesn’t know
he’s gay, so he couldn’t boast of his
performance.
--I spotted a three-time medalist at the
volleyball venue and, well, he gave me the most
unusual response to what he plans to do with his
medals. “I’m going to take the
two golds, melt
them down and make a cock out of them. I’m going
to take the silver and make a cock-ring.” Only
at a gay event.
--Kudos to the OutGames organizers for the
abundance of signage, including the huge
stickers on the floors of baggage claim, at
Montreal’s Dorval International Airport. That’s
what you get at major sporting events, such as
what I saw earlier this summer in Pittsburgh for
the Major League Baseball All-Star Game.
--I’m always
intrigued by athlete’s pre-game music choices,
you know, what’s playing on the iPod for
motivation. But I was shocked when I asked a
Sydney Rangers soccer player what he was
listening to. “I have no idea,” he said.
--I’ll go on record right now, bridge is NOT a
sport. I mean, seriously, what athleticism is
needed to be a top bridger, or whatever the heck
the top bridge “player” is called? Sorry folks,
you’re not gonna convince me bridge is a sport.
If bridge is a “sport,” then so too is M&M
Eating. After all, whenever my mom hosted the
ladies for Tuesday Night Bridge, I knew there’d
be M&Ms around.
--There was at least one all-male volleyball
team wearing those short, short shorts,
reminiscent of 1970s NBA … only shorter.
--The presentation of medals at the swimming
venue was classy – officials presented the
medals on a red, clothed board. |
Bodybuilding
(20 photos)
Swimming, soccer, cycling,
volleyball, track
(48 photos)
Track and field
(44 photos)
Diving
(27 photos)
Swimming
(52 photos)
Beach volleyball
(39 photos)
Powerlifting
(19 photos)
Rowing
(65 photos)
Water polo
(11 photos)
Wrestling
(24 photos)
Tennis
(18 photos)
Opening cermonies
(59 photos)
Soccer
(12 photos) |
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