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In a first but important step into the South American continent, GLRF received its first registration from a Brazilian rower. Rowing is a popular sport in both Brasil and Argentina, tracing its roots back to the 19th century and European settlers. At that time, it was considered the sport of the aristocracy and a prime way to get the attention of the ladies (hem, hem, we assume a few men were watching too). As a result, rowing was one of the most popular sports. Although rowing has long been surpassed by futebol in popularity, it is still pursued with a passion at the local and national level.
 
Follow up note: GLRF received its second rower registration on 11 Jan 2005 from a university student in Sao Paulo.
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The 2004 Annual Meeting of the Federation of Gay Games was in a word, unremarkable. No major decisions were made. No significant departures or arrivals of new organizational directors were observed. The Gay and Lesbian Tennis Alliance was readmitted after a 10 year absence. The International Figure Skating Union was readmitted after a 2 year absence. The London-based city organization, Out For Sport was admitted. Three more positions were created on the Executive Committee, which acts as the core action group throughout the year. The newly created positions had an inadvertent effect on the organizational director delegates. As soon as you are elected to the Executive Committee, you lose your status as an organizational director and become an individual director. So as soon as the meeting ended, about six organizational director positions were vacant, and left to be filled by other members of each organization. In a volunteer organization, giving up two working representatives to an outside group is difficult.
 
The Chicago Gay Games organizers gave their progress report and kicked off their partner program. It looks like everything is on track. No word or update on the progress of organizing the Chicago Gay Games Regatta .. yet.
 
The big controversy leading up to the annual meeting was the “Town Hall” meeting organized to discuss the possibility of a reconciliation between the Federation of Gay Games and the Gay and Lesbian International Sports Association, and the ongoing division that the two simultaneous 2006 multi-sport events have created. The meeting invitations would permit non delegate participation. Some imagined a room full of 200 or more. Instead, it was just the same room full of delegates and about 15 additional visitors, debating the two sides of the issue and expressing their feelings about the division and the two organizations.
 
Finally, Maloney & Fox and Kyle Ozier gave an outstanding presentation on nonprofit structural organization and fundraising. The 2005 Annual Meeting will be held in Chicago.
 
The highlight of the week was a visit to the FISA Class A rowing stadium just outside of Cologne, Fuehlinger See, and a 12km row along the Rhine River in a 3-man touring boat with Hans and friend. Truly wonderful.
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Hordes of women are set to invade the northwest Victorian town of Dimboola in December, as part of the second National Lesbian Rowing Camp. Organised by the Melbourne Argonauts Queer Rowing Association, the event is expected to attract women from across Australia. Argonauts vice president Michelle Gee said the December 3-5 camp would involve a full program of weekend rowing, social activities, and hopefully strengthen interstate ties between the gay and lesbian rowing communities.
 
About two dozen women took part last year — including friends of rowers who enjoyed the perfect weather and lazing on the banks of the Wimmera River. “It’s open to all women,” Michelle said. “The camp is not only going to be great fun, but for those thinking about going to the 2006 Gay Games, it is also a great opportunity to link up with other women rowers.”
 
Dimboola Rowing Club facilities have been booked, and camp participants are already signing on. Many bunked down in the Dimboola clubhouse last year, while some hired nearby cabins. Dimboola, which has a population of about 2000, is located on the tree-lined Wimmera River, 334km northwest of Melbourne, near the Little Desert National Park.
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The Head of the Charles Regatta is an international rowing event that some consider to be the largest in the world. Certainly crews from all over the world converge to vie for the coveted “Head of the Charles” designation. GLRF captured some eyeballs at the event by hosting a booth in the grand Expo Tent, adjacent to the finish line. The booth, near the center of the tent, was within easy view of the winners platform where the US Olympic Mens and Womens eight rowing teams signed autographs and overheard announcements about the ongoing raffle at the Gay and Lesbian Rowing Federation booth. Visitors from South Africa, Holland, Australia, and the UK stopped by to say hello and check out the live GLRF website on display via 3 laptops.
 
GLRF had displays on the Chicago Gay Games and the Montreal World Outgames. Coaches and athletes had a chance to read and learn about the National Center for Lesbian Rights’ Homophobia in Sports project, and local rowers picked up information on the Boston Bay Blades. Both the GLRF Thermal shirts and the GLRF Summer50 Henley shirts were available for purchase as well as the new rainbow socks.
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Sculler Greg Edelston doesn’t shoot low. He is intent on securing a seat in Great Britain’s lightweight senior squad next year. To do that, he heads into a tough fall season with the first of three trials this Saturday in Boston. Yes, for the rest of us who think there is only the one Beantown across the pond, the town of Boston is situated on the Boston River, in Lincolnshire in Great Britain.
 
This first trial, on 23 Oct 2004, consists of a 5 km Head Race down the Boston River. The trials include the usual drug tests and weigh-in procedures. The second trial, in December, will consist of an identical 5km piece as well as a 2k ergo test. For lightweights, that means a sub 6:35. Currently, Greg is holding at a 6:36. He assures us that he can shave one second. Depending on the outcomes of these trials, Greg will face a third trial in February.
 
Greg is entering as a 70 kg lightweight, representing Vesta Rowing Club.
 
Greg says he enjoys a challenge and apparently so. Following on the heels of his first trial, Greg will compete in the huge Armada Cup in Berne, Switzerland on 30 Oct 2004. This 9km race is best known for its namesake, with waves of 25 scullers abreast at the starting line.
 
Best of luck to you Greg, and we expect you to do your part to represent the very honored and successful Vesta Rowing Club!
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The Melbourne Argonauts are branching out. Argo promoter Sandy Mitchell recently held exploratory talks with Greg Howell, CEO of Rowing Queensland (RQ), about starting a Gay and Lesbian Rowing Club in Brisbane.
 
The meeting went very well and Sandy came away with the sound impression that RQ would actively welcome a gay and lesbian club into their association. So much so that Mr. Howell even showed Sandy some rack space that was available directly under the RQ offices on the Brisbane River at the West End. Said CEO Howell, “anything that breaks down barriers to participation and helps develop the sport” is welcome.
 
A Brisbane gay and lesbian rowing club would be the fourth organized group in Australia. The Melbourne Argonauts are super organized and home to over 80 members. A loosely organized group in Sydney continues to row together on a regular basis. Adelaide lays claim to the oldest rowing group – a small group of women who have rowed together for … “a very long time.”
 
Sandy is looking for expressions of interests from rowers in the Brisbane area who would like take this initiative and run with it. If you have some kind of rowing pedigree, whether it be from School, University, Club, no matter how long ago, please send him an email. Alternatively, if you hear or know of someone who might find this of interest, please send them this article.
 
Update 10 Apr 2010: With the launch of the All Oars Groups, Queensland rowers can establish an immediate community by forming a group for Brisbane rowers, as one umbrella group, or for men and women separately. You decide!
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The Gay + Lesbian Rowing Federation became one of the inaugural members of the Gay and Lesbian International Sports Association (GLISA) when the GLRF application for membership was approved by the GLISA board. GLRF was admitted as an International Sports Federation. Membership in GLISA is comprised of three categories: International Sports Federations, Continental Sports Association, and Host Cities.
 
The GLRF Board of Directors decided to submit an application for membership as an International Sports Federation because it saw an opportunity to shape the direction and future of this new sports organization. Additionally, membership is appropriate because part of the mission of GLRF is to promote international sports competition. Since GLISA licenses the new World Outgames, which features an international rowing regatta, it follows that membership in GLISA would be goof for gay and lesbian rowing.
 
One of the key features of this new sports association is the creation and maintenance of a quadrennial sports calendar. This concept is key to further developing gay and lesbian sports. The idea is to encourage sports competitions at every level: local, regional, national, and international, in a sequential manner. Athletes will now have a structured, scheduled set of competitions that will act to develop and improve their performance through regularly scheduled events.
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Montréal’s Olympic Basin on Île Notre-Dame was the centre of activity on Saturday, 31 July and Sunday, 1 August for the 11th Edition of the Rowing Canada Cup, a competition that brought together about 350 elite Canadian athletes. Staff and volunteers from the 1st World Outgames were present for the entire weekend to lend a hand to the Rowing Canada Cup Organising Committee.
 
Top rowing athletes from each province — the future members of the Canadian national rowing team —participated in the Cup. The event attracted a large number of spectators who cheered on the athletes who will represent Canada in future national and international competitions.
 
Michel Prescott, Vice Chairman of the Executive Committee of the City of Montréal, presented medals to winners at the close of the tournament on Sunday.
 
The Gay and Lesbian Rowing Federation (GLRF) held its GLRF Montreal City Launch as part of the competition weekend. The GLRF also had an information kiosk and held a Sunday afternoon summer social and barbeque at the Olympic Basin organised in collaboration with the Montréal Rowing Club.
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The GLRF banner was on display at the World Class Oberschleissheim Rowing Centre for the two days of the EuroGames 2004 Rowing Regatta, 20 – 31 Jul 2004. Some of the more notable observers were the Dutch National Rowing Team and Deutschland’s multiple World Champion single sculler and rowing celebrity, Marcel Hacker.
 
GLRF hosted an information kiosk at the rowing course, featuring information and brochures, the GLRF Summer50 Henley shirts, and the promotional information on the 2006 Montreal World Outgames Regatta and the 2006 Chicago Gay Games Regatta. GLRF also issued a press release announcing its debut on the European Continent.
 
At the conclusion of the regatta, rowers were invited to the GLRF Munich City Launch Social, held at the Seitensprung Bistro, in the heart of Munich’s gay and lesbian district. See the summary of the city launch: www_glrf_info_ABOUT_GLRF_MEDIA_2004_City_Launch_Munich_City.pdf Over 45 sun burned, blistered rowers drank beer, at schnitzel and strudel, and enjoyed the warm Munich evening before heading out to the big EuroGames Orange Party Dance.
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The sun shone brilliantly on Friday and Saturday, 30 - 31 Jul for a flawless EuroGames 2004 rowing regatta. Held at the world-renowned Munich Oberschleissheim, site of the the 2001 FISA World Championships, the competition included 70 rowers from Norge, Danmark, Nederlands, France, Great Britain, Suisse, Australia, USA, and Deutschland. Crews had the chance to train on Friday afternoon before competing on Saturday afternoon. Fifty boats launched for 14 races between 1500h and 1900h, Saturday, 31 Jul, on smooth as glass water.
 
The most exciting races were the Mens 8+ with Danmark, Great Britain, and Holland all racing for the first place finish, and the Womens 2x with the crews from Holland and Danmark fighting for the gold. In true rowing tradition, the winning boats from each race proceeded directly to the award dock where the rowers disembarked and stood on the same 1-2-3 blue winners’ boxes used at the FISA World Championships.
 
After an exhausting day of multiple races, with some rowers competing in several races (Orion’s oarsmen were amazing in that regard), everyone gathered for Lowenbrau beer and chat at the finish line. Hip Hip Hoorah to the regatta organizer, Frank Tjaben, and his regatta volunteer team who arranged the boats, set the race schedule, and orchestrated each race from start to finish. That evening, those crews who were not completely spent gathered for the Munich City Launch.

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