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After a desperate final attempt to resolve the license agreement impasse between Montreal 2006 and the Federation of Gay Games, the two parties were unable to resolve their differences and Montreal declared its intention to host an independent sporting event, Rendezvous Montreal 2006. The following day, 12 Nov, Montreal 2006 announced that rowing would be included as one of the official sports of the rowing event.
Then, on 13 Nov, the Board of Directors of Rendezvous Montreal 2006 approved the required budget line items for a rowing regatta, thereby clinching the deal.
The 2003 annual meeting of the Federation of Gay Games was held in Chicago 10 Nov – 14 Nov 2003. It was an emotionally draining week as we went through what seemed like endless motions and procedures. The first day’s business was totally consumed with the debate about the Montreal License dispute.
In the end, it was a very say day for the Federation of Gay Games because the FGG attorney openly said that the Montreal presented License Agreement, version 13, had no fundamental problems and that the FGG could sign it and do just fine. That means the crucial FGG logo and name would be protected and the FGG would receive its vital quadrennial license fee of $650,000, its only source of income.
The GLRF motion to accept Montreal’s License 13 was never considered. The previous motion submitted by the FGG Executive Committee for License Agreement version 13.5 carried and of course, Montreal rejected it and here we are. That means the Federation now has no source of income until it signs a new license agreement with another, alternate city.
The Director Organization membership was a hot topic. Several organizations did not renew their memberships, two lost their voting status, and one organization resigned. Only one organization was admitted – Team DC. The official recommendation was not to admit Team DC. GLRF voted for their admission. Team Montreal resigned in protest after being excluded from participating in the Montreal debate.
On the financial side, a three-year budget was presented and approved, even with a forecasted deficit of $72,000 by year three. Director Organization fees were doubled, as were the new applicant fees. The fee for a Host City to apply jumped 28% based on the average of the previous host cities’ bid costs.
An Image of the Gay Games paper was approved that provided more specific guidance to a host city considering a bid for the Gay Games. GLRF abstained from the vote since the guidance was meant to better prepare the host city applicants but the guidelines were so restrictive as to be suffocating. The paper will be published on the FGG website in the coming weeks.
A new Strategic Plan structured as a set of guidelines for the various FGG committees was approved. GLRF voted against the plan because it simply reinforces an already existing bureaucratic structure and attempts to increase organization contribution through increased threats and restrictions. GLRF called for a radical restructuring of the FGG organization using a much small Board of Directors, a paid staff, and a Congress of Sports Delegates represented by their leaders at smaller meetings held once every two or three years.
The Board of Directors or the Federation of Gay Games approved a plan to pursue an alternate city to host Gay Games 7 in 2006 or 2007. The three cities involved in the original Gay Games 2006 bid will be given the opportunity to submit a revised bid. The selection process will take several months and a new host city will not be announced until early 2004. GLRF did not vote.
GLRF hosted the first of its 2004 City Launch awareness events in conjunction with the GLRF visit to Chicago for the annual meeting of the Federation of Gay Games. The purpose of the City Launch events is to create awareness of GLRF among gay and lesbian rowers and to create greater awareness of rowing among the gay and lesbian community in each City.
The City Launch Social was held in the heart of Chicago’s gay community, Lakeview, at Hydrate. Twelve rowers braved the mid-30 temps (~3 C) to sip bartender Mike’s Rum shooters and chat up rowing. Attendees included a local rowing crowd dominated by women, as well as rowers from Seattle and Colorado. Take a look at the ad in the Chicago Free Press displayed here:
Homoroerne spokesman Steffen Johncke announced the formal launch of the new Homoroerne website and rowing club. The rowing club is based out of the Danish Students Rowing Club (known in rowing circles as DSR). Currently the website is only in Danish but when did a little Danish ever stop any of us from communicating with a bunch of Danes? By the way guys, sweet boathouse! Congratulations!
Club d’Aviron Odagawan took over the Cactus restaurant on Rue St-Denis Wednesday night for a well attended, first year end of season celebration. Filling three long tables were almost the entire team of rowers, all of whom were recruited as novices by Philippe Colas and Philip Hedrei.
Awards were given out for the “best of” in all kinds of categories. The trophy was a kitchen whire whisk which is called a “whip” in French. No wonder both Phillippe and Philip both received oversized awards...Of course there were smaller trophies for the best improved, best spirit, etc.
From the banks of the Charles River, at the Head of the Charles Regatta just before Noon on a sunny day, a table appeared adjacent to the Riverside Boat Club with a banner that was both shocking and new. Across a 1 meter by 2 meter white canvas with a blue world logo was printed the name: Gay + Lesbian Rowing Federation. Since the table faced the street and was just 10 feet from the sidewalk, and midway along the course, every pedestrian saw it. There were looks of shock, there were whispers, there were look-aways and peek-agains, and there were just plain open-gaped mouths stop dead in your track, points.
Thus launched the first public display of the Gay and Lesbian Rowing Federation. The Boston Bay Blades shared their table with GLRF and were thrilled with the attention as group after group of high school and college athletes walked up to ask for information. Current and future Boston Bay Blades Presidents Chris Schultz and Molly Jordan and Vice President Rob Jagnow handed out brochures and answered questions. As a backdrop, the Men’s Club 8 swept by, including the DC Strokes. Everyone got into the act as venerable gay rowing legends like Caroline X, Charley Sullivan, and Ray Boyd stopped by. Of course, Boston Bay Blade rower Mac Chinsomboon saved the day as he delivered the Boston Bay Blades banner, and the leaflet directions to the party, between his constant string of meetings and deals.
A reporter from the Harvard Crimson stopped by for an interview and immediately closed his notebook when he heard there was a pic of the Harvard Boathouse with the words Yale Rules superimposed on the river…But the three Yale hotties who sat down behind the table were at first a little uncomfortable but then all smiles when a certain exec director handed out his card and told them about the pic, and his admiration for the Yale Bulldogs.
Over 70 GLRF brochures were given out during the two day race. Let’s hope this will start a new era of awareness of the large community of gay and lesbian rowers. Does anyone have the number to FISA?
The party started at 6:30 pm at the home of Boston Bay Blades hosts Jeff F. and Steve S. Located in the Back Bay section of Boston, in the heart of the gay area, the party was the perfect setting for the rowers to gather after a day of serious head races.
Jeff had set a huge food buffet in the middle of the living room and Steve had the bar stocked to the exact specifications of yours truly who immediately began to make appletinis and cosmo’s. Oh, did I mention Cadillac Margaritas...oh yeah. My hat goes off to future Boston Bay Blades President Molly Jordan who just wouldn’t say no to my multiple concoctions and seemed to handle her liquor without a blink of an eye.
There were roaring fires in the living room as well as the patio which made a perfect gathering place to make a quick speech about the importance of GLRF to the GL rowing community. The bottom line? Anyone within the GL rowing community can bring the statistical power of our registration database to the table of a regatta or rowing official, whether it is in Canada, Australia, or Berlin, and show the size of our community, our gender, our age, and our experience.
So for those of you who are surfing the site and know a rower who might benefit from GLRF, send the link: register.glrf.info Tell them it's free and every single person counts. Know somebody who isn’t currently rowing? Grab ‘em by the ear and pull them to a keyboard! Whether you are an active or inactive rower, your registration means more power in numbers.
The drinks flowed on into the evening and the night. There were multiple runs to the store for more ice and Vodka. And GLRF cut its first check to support a local club.
GLRF is proud to announce that US Olympic Gold Medalist Holly Metcalf has joined the Board of Directors of the Gay and Lesbian Rowing Federation. Her presence with GLRF adds a wealth of rowing knowledge and an insight into the world of competitive rowing. As a top competitive rower from 1981 - 1987, Holly was a six-time national /Olympic team member, bringing home the Olympic gold in 1984, as well as three silver and one bronze World Championships medals between 1981 and 1987. She is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of the Row As One Institute.
The Amsterdam Gay Pride was a big success. Participants enjoyed both the the rowing trip as well as the Canal Parade. The rowing trip, which included a picnic for all participants, took place in the countryside just outside Amsterdam and was a very nice success.
The guests from abroad all really enjoyed spending some time in the 'flat' Dutch landscape. The day was concluded with a BBQ at one of the Amsterdam Rowing Clubs, Willem III. The Canal Parade was very packed with spectators and hotties alike.
The Nordic weather gods were in the gayest of spirits this year at the first Copenhagen Mermaid Regatta held May 29th 2003 at the beautiful surroundings of Lake Bagsværd. The late spring weather was warm, the sun was shining from a bright light blue sky and the leaves of the forest trees surrounding the rowing course was the brightest of green - but most important to the participants, there was just a calm breeze blowing down the rowing course.
With over 70 (predominantly) gay and lesbian rowers from 5 nations the Copenhagen Mermaid Regatta – the first regatta ever of its kind held in Denmark was a truly wonderful experience! Held in connection with Eurogames 2003 in Copenhagen the regatta was organised by three rowers from Denmark’s largest rowing club, Danske Studenters Roklub - Erik Koch Rasmussen, Rune Gärtner and Adrian Tan. Inspired by the gay regattas held in Amsterdam and Berlin, they thought it only obvious that rowing should be one of the sports offered at the Eurogames 2003.
Strawberries and Champagne
The regatta was declared officially opened by Klaus Bondam, a member of the Copenhagen City Council, to 50 bottles of chilled champagne and strawberries dipped in chocolate. An extravagant picnic table with delicacies galore, donated by the organisers of the regatta to all the participants and spectators, was served on the lawns overlooking the regatta course. A true treat for the spectators but a true trial for the participants that had to wait till after their races to taste the bubbly! Consumption of chilled champagne is not the best way to prepare for a race...
The were races for both men and women in 4 four different boat classes, single and double sculls, fours and eights. All races were held over 1000m on the six lane course which hosted the World Rowing Championships in 1987. Participants came with a whole range of different rowing backgrounds some were novices at their first regatta others were former national team rowers with ages from 26 to 56. No matter what their level the rowers were all determined to do their best out on the water.
The Races
The first race of the day was the men’s double sculls and already here a high standard of rowing was showed. It was a close race between the crews from the Nederlands and Denmark, with the Dutch team of Jeroen Onstein and Arne Wentholt passing the finishing line in only 3:29.
Next up was the women’s single sculls and here it was the Dutch again that showed unsurpassed rowing in the form of Gudrun Kremeier. Gudrun went on to win the women’s double sculls with Sonja Rouf from Denmark as well as the womens quad scull (combination Nederlands/Denmark/Germany) – and thereby became the most winning rower of the regatta!
The Dutch were dominant in the sculling races. Siebe Rosendahl of the Nederlands continued to win the men’s single sculls. In the men’s coxed four inrigger (a Danish sea-going tub) it was the team from London based Orion Rowing Club that showed their superior strength in this heavy boat class. Last but not least was the men’s coxed eight with 5 crews from four different nations. A tremendous sight seeing them coming down the course. Here it was the host nation, Denmark, that won closely followed by the Dutch and the British.
On the shore Olympic Gold medalist Victor Feddersen (Atlanta) and Olympic contestant Inger Pors (Seoul) honoured the regatta by handing out medals to all the winners of the races.
Due to the limited amount of boats and many of the participants competing in several races there was plenty of time between races. But this was not a problem as spectators on land were kept entertained by the Danish drag queen artist group, DUNST - Ms. Ramona Macho and Ms. Fish organised their own mini gay games with the original gay sports disciplins, 50m Stiletto Sprint and Handbag Throw to much amusement of the spectators.
The Dinner Party
The wonderful day was followed by a wonderful evening with a dinner hosted by Danske Studenters Roklub in their club house overlooking the marina. Heidi, the in-house cook, dished up a scrumptous three course meal and an a cappella choir created just the right atmosphere to enjoy the day’s achievements.
The Rowing Tour
The sun was up bright and early the next day and about 40 rowers embarked on a sight seeing tour of Copenhagen by rowing boat in the Danish speciality – the coxed four inriggers. These big and broad boats are built to row on the sea and many rowers use the boats to go on camping trips around the coasts of Denmark. From the club house a convoy of boats made their way in to the canals of Copenhagen passing the Little Mermaid, the Royal Palace, Nyhavn and finally stopping for a picnic just behind the old hippy community of Chistiania. After a solid late lunch the rowers found themselves experiencing the fun of rowing on the sea, as the wind picked up and gave everybody a choppy row back home to the club house.
The X-Party
After the official Eurogames 2003 sporting events were over and medals duly awarded it was party time – and what a party! The entire DGI-village was transformed in to the biggest party in town with over 3000 people gathered together with a choice of four venues featuring a variety of music: disco, techno, house and ballroom. It was the place were the participants could meet up and exchange experiences of the past few days – some with a medal to prove their success but most just with a smile that was proof enough of a wonderful experience.
