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Let the Games Begin
Let the Games
Begin
An epic tale
of two cities competing for
athletes and the future of LGBT sports
Multiple
Medal-Winner Alverta Perkins
by
Max Harrold
MONTREAL - As La Belle Province gears
up to host the largest athletic gathering here since the 1976 Summer Olympic
Games, many are wondering if the real competition isn't just between the
athletes but also with the entire city of Chicago. In the race for athletes
and GLBT tourist revenues, Montreal's first-ever World Outgames, from
July 30 through August 5, is ahead with just over 12,000 participants
signed up so far. Right behind is Gay Games VII in Chicago, from July
15 through July 22, with 10,620 participants.
Although one could attend both
events, it's not likely many will. Aside from getting time off work, there's
the money required for travel, a hotel and, not insignificantly, to register
as a participant .
Adding to the allure of both
destinations is a dazzling array of stars (Martina Navratilova in Montreal;
Greg Louganis in Chicago) and a swirl of parties, fairs, festivals and
conferences associated with both events.
The Gay Games VII was originally
awarded to Montreal but was moved to Chicago after Montreal and Gay Games
Federation officials disagreed over the control of financing. From that
came the founding of a separate worldwide GLBT athletics network, and
the Outgames.
But for most LGBT Vermonters who want
to compete, the choice comes down to logistics, not politics. Alverta
Perkins decided to go to Montreal because it's close in terms of driving
and because a few of her friends were going as observers. (The distance
from Burlington to Montreal is 96 miles; to Chicago, it's 915 miles.)
"I said the heck with Chicago, Montreal is a lot closer," said
Perkins, 81. She plans to compete in the javelin, discus and shot-put
events. Although she is a veteran of the Vermont Games and the Senior
Olympics, Perkins doesn't approach sports with a killer attitude. "I
don't have that fire in my belly for competition," she said. "I
like meeting other people. At the Senior Olympics, the people are very
supportive."
Since fracturing her tibia while doing
the long jump last December, Perkins has re-structured her workouts, gearing
them more toward other track and field events. "I go to an exercise
class three times a week at UVM," she explained. "And I work
out in the pool twice a week. Sometimes I don't feel like going but I
make myself. I just do it and it feels great."
Fran Moravcsik, 71, plans to compete
in the same three track and field events, but at the Gay Games in Chicago
instead. "I heard Montreal was splitting from the Gay Games and that
was kind of a negative for me," she said. "Besides, my daughter
lives in the Chicago area. I'll visit her when I'm there but I'll be staying
with a friend who's also going to the Games." Moravcsik said she
trains witha coach at UVM. "He tells me what to do, what to eat,
how to do things safely," she explained. She said she started jogging
to reduce stress and eventually got into track and field. "I'd be
driving around and I was so emotional. I went to the track to get rid
of my frustration."
For Joan Gardner, 49, attending the
Gay Games in Chicago presents a thrilling opportunity to share the limelight
with 17 female powerlifters. "That's amazing," said Gardner.
"Usually there's just one or two women powerlifters at a competition."
But is the competition between Montreal and Chicago good for the long-term
fitness of the gay sports movement?
"It's a real dilemma for many
athletes," said Pascal Dessureault, a spokesperson for the Outgames.
Kevin Boyer, Co-Vice Chair of the Board of Gay Games VII, agreed. "It's
not good to have both at the same time," Boyer said, adding that
even if both events are successful there will still be a desire to bring
the pinnacle of GLBT sports back under one roof.
"There's great value to having
a global, unified event," he said. Boyer said the split poses many
organizational difficulties for gay athletic groups.
Many have traditionally had annual
championships except in Gay Games years. Now they must contend with 2009
and 2010, when the next Outgames and Gay Games will be held.
"I'm sure both of this summer's
events will be successful," said author Patricia Nell Warren.
"But afterward, there will be
some hard choices to make about the future." Warren's groundbreaking
1974 book The Frontrunner depicted a love story between an ex-marine
track coach and an Olympic athlete. Recently, she has been writing about
famous gay and lesbian athletes through the ages, including Achilles and
Joan of Arc. The series is posted on Outsports.com
and Warren said she hopes to publish the series as a book. She said gay
athletics inherently has "an extra degree of drama."
But she wondered why the various parties
involved with the Gay Games and Outgames can't resolve their differences.
"Imagine if there were two Olympics?"
she asked. If the Olympics can figure out how to handle steroids and gender
testing, she said, gay athletics groups should be able to come together
as well.
Max Harrold is a journalist who lives in Montreal. He is a parttime
reporter for The Gazette, Montreal's English-language daily newspaper,
and a scriptwriter for How It's Made, a TV show airing on the Discovery
Channel. Max was a swimmer at the Gay Games in '94 and '98. He hopes to
convince his life partner, OITM Operations Manager Greg Thompson, to participate
with him at the Outgames this summer.