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The final results of the 2014 Gay Games Regatta are attached.

The results differ slightly in event number from the online results provided by Gay Games website. The difference is that GLRF chose to preserve the event numbers and the sequence of events as published in the original lineup:

RowingLineUp.pdf

Originally there were 16 planned events. With no entries in two events, there were a net of 14 events. Following the guidance by the Cleveland Gay Games organizers, the regatta committee chose to run the races even if there was only one entry.

GG2014_RegattaResults_GLRFv1.pdf

The results file may be updated to further define the organization names which currently are abbreviated.

The Cleveland Rowing Foundation has published the heat sheet/draw for the 2014 Gay Games Rowing Regatta. View it here:

RowingRegatta.pdf

Click on this thumbnail to see the course map:

http://www.glrf.info/gotchagallery/data/thumbnails/439/GG2014_CourseMap.jpg

View the race lineup here:

RowingLineUp.pdf

Finally, here is an overview of the race schedule:

Gay-Games-Regatta-Schedule-1.pdf

Results are supposed to be available on Tuesday, 12 August 2014. As soon as they are available, we will post them as a news item.

The deadline to register for the 2014 Gay Games Rowing Regatta has been extended to Sunday, 20 July 2014.

As a reminder, there are two ways to register for the regatta:

1. As a fully registered participant of the 2014 Gay Games. The cost for general registration is US$275. That option gives you full access to the Opening and Closing Ceremonies, a participant medal, access to all Cleveland YMCA branches, and a public transit pass in the three county area in and around Cleveland. You also have to pay the sports fee for rowing which is US $70. Click this link to use this registration option.
   
2. Register for the rowing regatta through the Event-Only registration option. The cost for the regatta registration is approximately US $75. Rowers who select this option will be able to compete in the regatta as participants but they will not have the extras offered as part of the "general registration." So it will be no different than just going to a city, competing in a regatta, having a team dinner, and touring the sights. Click this link to use the regatta event-only option.
   

The Cleveland Gay Games has added a new feature to their sports programmes: team rosters.

Participants can now view the roster of registered entries for the events. What is not clear is whether the roster includes those teams who have registered through the event-only registration or whether the listed teams reflect only those individuals who have registered with the Gay Games Full registration process.

Click to view the rowing team roster.

There is still time to register for the 2014 Gay Games Rowing Regatta. The deadline to register is Tuesday, 15 July 2014.

As a reminder, there are two ways to register for the regatta:

1. As a fully registered participant of the 2014 Gay Games. The cost for general registration is US$275. That option gives you full access to the Opening and Closing Ceremonies, a participant medal, access to all Cleveland YMCA branches, and a public transit pass in the three county area in and around Cleveland. You also have to pay the sports fee for rowing which is US $70. Click this link to use this registration option.
   
   
2. Register for the rowing regatta through the Event-Only registration option. The cost for the regatta registration is approximately US $75. Rowers who select this option will be able to compete in the regatta as participants but they will not have the extras offered as part of the "general registration." So it will be no different than just going to a city, competing in a regatta, having a team dinner, and touring the sights. Click this link to use the regatta event-only option.
   

Three cheers to the rowers who prevailed on the keepers of the Gay Games dogmatists!

For years, the Gay Games organizers have insisted that athletes must pay both a participation fee and a sports fee in order to compete. For rowers, the idea of paying upwards of US$200 just to have the right to pay a regatta registration fee of US$70 was beyond ludicrous.

So now we can just pay the event-only registration fee of US$70. Unlike most regatta entries, the fixed price allows crews to enter any number of races in five boat divisions. So if you have the crews and the energy, you can can race as much as you want!

As stated in our earlier news, regular Gay Games registration ends on 31 May 2014, and late registration begins on 01 June 2014.

For event-only, there is no published deadline for registration as of this writing. If you visit the Eventbrite event-only registration page, it does give a 'sales end' date, but we would encourage everyone who is considering competing to register sooner than that.

Well, sort of.

The Cleveland Rowing Foundation, organizers of the rowing event for the 2014 Gay Games, has changed the format of the regatta from a shortened, 3200m. head race to a 1500m. sprint race. That's great news for those who are eager to enter multiple races!

However, here is the catch: the sprint race is not at all straight (Gay Games pun entirely intended). Here is the updated description:

The race will be a 1,500 meters Sprint race, consisting of two challenging turns under two bridges. The course will run through varied areas of Cleveland, from downtown Cleveland to Rivergate Park. The finish line will be located on the CRF Property so that spectators will be able to view the finish.

The competition divisions remain the same:

• 1X
  
• 2X
  
• 2-
  
• 4+
  
• 8+
  

There will be mixed boats although the very successful option offered at the 2013 Outgames has been disapproved for the 2014 Gay Games Regatta: allowing one or more women to row in the men's event, as a men's event.

The mixed boat rules, based on USRowing rules but modified are:

The USRowing rules require that mixed boats be composed of 50% men and 50% women for any given lineup. The 2014 Gay Games Regatta permits mixed boats to contain more than 50% of any lineup as women. However, every mixed boat must contain at least one (1) man. For example, a Mixed 8+ may contain up to 7 women and 1 man.

Two registration options are now being offered:

1. Event only registration: event fee (US$70)
   
2. Gay Games registration: participation fee (varies depending on when you register) + sports fee (US$70)
   

Both registration options permit unlimited entries.

The deadline for regular registration at the 2014 Gay Games is 31 May 2014. Late registration will begin on 01 Jun 2014 and end on 15 Jul 2014. But be careful! The late registration period is comprised of a two-tier late fee structure:

• register between 01 Jun - 30 Jun 2014, pay a USD $30 late fee, for a total participant fee of USD $195 + USD $30 = USD $225
  
• register between 01 Jul - 15 Jul 2014, pay a USD $80 late fee, for a total particpant fee of USD $195 + USD $80 = USD $275
  

To encourage everyone to register before the 31 May 2014 deadline, the organizing committee is offering a special savings of USD $30 that will reduce your total participant fee to USD $165. Just enter 'GoAllOut' in the promotion code box during the registration process.

It would seem that the rowing fee has been quietly reduced from either US$95 or US$105, to US$70. We say quietly because there is no mention of the lower fee in the January 2014, the February 2014, or the March/Early April 2014 Gay Games 2014 e-newsletter or in any email to participants. In January 2014, it was announced that the rowing sports fee would be increased by US$10 from US$95 to US$105 (which we relayed in our news bite).

The Gay Games 2014 rowing page simply lists the new sports fee price.

That is great news for those rowers considering attending event who may have felt the regatta was priced out of their reach. The regular participant registration fee has not changed:

Regular registration for the 2014 Gay Games event is ongoing until 31 May 2014 at a price of US $195. Starting on 01 Jun 2014 - 30 Jun 2014, late registration pricing will take effect, with an additional US $30 fee, making the cost to register US $225.

Therefore, the current cost to register and participate in rowing at the 2014 Gay Games is US$195 + US$70 = US$265

Regular registration for the 2014 Gay Games event is ongoing until 31 May 2014 at a price of US $195. Starting on 01 Jun 2014, late registration pricing will take effect, with an additional US $30 fee, making the cost to register US $225.

However, the sports fees (some call them participant fees) will all be going up on 08 Jan 2014. For rowing, that means a price increase of US $10 from US $95 to US $105.

Effectively then, the cost to row at the 2014 Gay Games will rise from US $290 to US $300 on 08 Jan 2014.

The 2014 Gay Games organizing committee has initiated this increase for all of the sports, on a sliding scale.

• Open Water [swim] will not change
  
• Events costing between $50 and $100 today will pay an additional $10
  
• Events costing between $101 and $150 will pay an additional $15
  
• Sailing will increase to $300 (a $20 increase)
  
• Golf will increase to $360 (a $60 increase)
  

For more information on registration and the fees, you can click here.

The deadline for early registration has been extended from 31 Aug to 15 Sep 2013.

Registration for the Gay Games includes both a participant fee and a sports fee. Early registration means the participant fee is US $165. On 16 Sep, the participant fee will increase to US $195. The rowing sports fee will will remain unchanged at US $95, until 31 Dec 2013, when it will rise as well, although that higher fee has not been disclosed.

So the bottom line is that the cost to register (and row) will rise from US $260 to US $290 on 16 Sep. There is no word on whether the registration fee includes entry boat rental or not. If anyone has heard, please share by adding a comment. On the main registration page, we did find this mention:

Event registration fees vary upon the event. The fees cover venue and equipment rental, official staffing and event staffing.

One other item that is new for gay multi-sport events is the cancellation policy. For the first time in both the Gay Games and the Outgames history, the stated cancellation policy is:

*General Registration and Event Registration fees are non-refundable. Participants may transfer General Registration or Event Registration.

 

Previously, participants had a tiered cancellation deadline that offered full or partial refunds less an administrative fee, depending on the time before the start of the event.