FEATURE
Sports Complex
Snow Way: Gay Winter Games, Anyone?
Jim Provenzano | Febuary 3, 2004
Snowboarder Ryan Miller on the slopes
|
As lesbian and gay skiers, snowboarders, and figure skaters travel the country to enjoy snow and ice, one question pops up: What about a Gay Winter Games?
While such an event remains purely theoretical - and perhaps "on ice" - some athletes I spoke to recently expressed enthusiasm for the idea.
Athletes and organizers see the recent split between the Federation of Gay Games and Montreal 2006 as a sign that caution should be used in organizing future events. The Canadian city won a bid to host Gay Games VII, but then abandoned contract negotiations last November at the Federation's annual meeting.
Still, many winter sports hold successful smaller annual events without official recognition. For example, Aspen Gay and Lesbian Ski Week is the nation's premier weeklong gay and lesbian ski event. Held this year from Jan. 25 - Feb. 1, it attracts up to 3,000 participants to parties, a film festival, and events to raise funds for local nonprofits (www.gayskiweek.com). Adding a few competitive events to the festivity could happen, but Ski Week focuses more on fun and fundraising.
Snowboarder Ryan Miller sees his fledgling sport possibly moving toward more organized winter GLBT events. "I've been contacted by various groups to get a Winter Games going," Miller said, "including private organizations. The mayor of Salt Lake City even expressed his enthusiasm." But the move toward organization fell away, as few others offered to help.
A former member of the U.S. pro snowboarding team, Miller has competed all over North and South America. He trains with Colorado's Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Group, a professional 10-member team. "We train and travel together," he said. "But as soon as competition comes up, it's every man or woman for himself."
His coming out in the pro ranks resulted in difficulty with some fellow team members on the now-defunct pro team. This led to his goals to promote GLBT-inclusive snowboarding. In competition, he said, "I do get some comments from outsiders, but on the team, it's fine." As "the token out gay guy in the sport," he seeks gay-friendly sponsors who can assist what can be an expensive sport.
Miller is also part of Outboard, a 3,000-member-strong association of lesbian and gay snowboarders. He is enthusiastic, but practical, about a Winter Games. Despite the appeal of "pink dollars," getting sponsors for gay events can be limited.
"We have to have the right people behind it, with a team that has the skills and forethought to get it together, or someone whose skills are connected to a large promotional company, like the X Games," he said. "[These events] don't happen by themselves."
Figure skating has been one of the most popular Gay Games events since 1994, and indoor skating could be a festive addition to a winter event. The International Gay Figure Skating Union, whose founders include Gay Games medal winners, has steadily gained members and participants, mostly due to its strength in developing a community of individual athletes.
San Diego skater Lisa Hall has competed in regional tournaments, as well as Gay Games VI and San Francisco gay-inclusive events. "Most of the figure skaters would be excited to have an event like [a Winter Games]," she said. "It would probably be small at first. But even standard ice-skating competitions are, in the beginning."
She added, "It would also be nice for organizers to talk with a skating club that has an annual competition to get tips on getting started. I would love to skate in more gay events, especially more than once every four years!"
Alpine skiing might daunt most recreational skiers, but cross-country skiing could provide a horizontal alternative for novices. Nordic skier Nathaniel Brown was a medal-winning member of the U.S. Olympic Biathlon and Cross-Country Ski Teams (1979-1993). He later prepared skis at three Olympics and several World Championships. Still an avid skier, he runs a ski shop in Edmonds, Washington.
Where Winter Games are concerned, "Good skiing and convenient housing are the only real issues," he said. And "it's important for competition to be wide open so everyone can participate. In cross-country skiing, a reasonable course is definitely an issue. It's equally important to put the race on well, observing all the rules. I think doing it in conjunction with a larger event might be very enjoyable."
Brown added that a party atmosphere might not mix with Nordic skiers, whom he described as "a bit hermetic, at least before the race. I have a nervousness about large numbers of 'scene' gay people."
He remains hopeful, but realistic, about the prospect of GLBT winter games. "These things are always hard to organize, and a gay cross-country ski event is never going to happen if we wait for something 'big and perfect.' The key might be just to do it, and commit to it a few times. That way, word would spread, and it would grow slowly, which might also mean it would grow without some of the problems inherent in big events."
Jim Provenzano is the author of the novels PINS and Monkey Suits. Read more sports articles at www.sportscomplex.org
Related link
Gay Ski Week.com
Outboard
Snow Freak
International Gay Figure Skating Union
Ultra Tune
Related stories
Cirque du Soleil illegally sacked HIV+ acrobat [02/02/2004]
Jerry Smith the first gay player in the Super Bowl [26/01/2004]
Basketball player forced back into the closet [22/01/2004]
|
