By land and by sea, in two countries and throughout Chicago, the local LGBT sports community had quite a busy weekend, Oct. 8-10. Here goes:
On the run
Rob Scaffidi completed his third marathon with a new personal record ( PR ) , despite grueling heat during the annual Bank of America Chicago Marathon. Scaffidi finished in 3:55.53, which was two minutes faster than his time in the same event in 2009. He also has finished the 2007 Florence ( Italy ) Marathon.
"I went into this marathon feeling the strongest since I took up running," said Scaffidi, a Chicago resident. "Three weeks ago, during the CARA 20 miler, I averaged a 7:48 [ per mile ] pace, a PR and a boost to my confidence. I was certain I would finish this marathon between 3:30 and 3:40, shaving at least 15 minutes off last year's time.
"Unfortunately, I only beat my time by two minutes. Was it the heat or was I weak from fighting a cold, or [ a ] combination of both? Who knows. I was very proud of myself for finishing and the disappointment has passed."
Thousands of runners ran on behalf of various charities, such as the Team 2 End AIDS, which benefits the AIDS Foundation of Chicago.
"10-10-10 was the date of TRIUMPH," said Dan Lakin, a T2 program representative who did not compete in the race but has run several marathons in the past.
Lakin reported that 220 T2 runners finished the 2010 Bank of America Chicago Marathon.
"Thousands of people living with HIV/AIDS will live better lives from the money T2 marathoners raised for the programs of the AIDS Foundation of Chicago," Lakin said. "I couldn't be more proud of T2."
On ice
Eleven members of the Chicago Gay Hockey Association ( CGHA ) went to Toronto for the annual Friendship Tournament, to compete in the mid-level recreational division. The team finished in fourth in its six-team division.
"Overall, we had a lot of fun and the team played very well," said CGHA President Andrew Sobotka.
Scott Mix and Tony Tiet each had three goals, and along with Sobotka, the three were selected to play in an all-star game.
The CGHA team also featured players from Denver, Los Angeles and Montreal. Nick Lang of Chicago was the team's goalie.
The CGHA's local season starts this week in Northbrook, and Sobotka confirmed that team members are planning to go to Vancouver in April, 2011, for the next major LGBT hockey tournament.
The CGHA will host its inaugural LGBT tournament next August over Market Days weekend, Sobotka said. They are expecting up to 14 teams from across North America to participate, including teams from Toronto, Vancouver, New York City, Denver, Los Angeles and Madison, among other cities.
On the water
The Chicago Rowing Union ( CRU ) entered four boats in the annual Head of the Rock Regatta, hosted by the Rockford YMCA Rowing Club. This is a large regatta attended by many masters and collegiate clubs from the Midwest.
CRU's performance, "was definitely our most successful with two silver medals," said CRU co-founder Bill Moudry.
CRU had a second-place finish in the Master's 4A and B+ division.
"This was not a default victory simply because no other teams entered the race, or because of scratches or age handicap," said CRU coach AC Chacon. "This was a real and well-deserved win."
The team finished only 3.99 seconds behind a team from Nebraska.
"The fact we were so close behind them, even after coming to a complete stop shows you can win races," Chacon said. "The guys worked really hard for this victory."
Chacon said CRU's Boat B, competing in the same division, also looked, "great."
"The run and pace looked good," Chacon said of Boat B. " [ The boat ] was moving very efficiently."
Chacon said he was "impressed and excited about next year," based on the Novice 4+ boat's showing in Rockford. "I see a lot of potential [ from this group. ]
CRU's second second-place finish came in the Mixed 4+ Division—and the team was only one second behind the winner.
"I am not sure how many people noticed, but the sound of two medals clanging together is a sound I want to hear more often from CRU, and not just from winning races by 'default' but from hard work and TRAINING! It really does pay off," Chacon said.
Craig Wu is the captain of the CRU competitive squad.
Matt Honaberger and Ernie Kimlin were CRU's coxswains in Rockford, though the team also has a third, Cameron Richardson.
On the field, part one
Both Chicago teams advanced to the quarterfinals of the 10th annual Gay Bowl, the showcase of the National Gay Flag Football League, held in Phoenix.
"Both Chicago teams did very well," said Brian Kupersmit. "We made the most of our strengths, played well together."
Kupersmit is the co-captain of the Chicago Blaze, which had key, back-to-back, come-from-behind tournament wins over teams from the Silicon Valley and Washington D.C.
The Blaze defeated the Silicon Valley team on the last play of the game. They defeated D.C. after coming back from a 20-point deficit with 12 minutes remaining.
"Those were huge wins," Kupersmit said. "The competition in the tournament was excellent."
Los Angeles repeated as champions, beating New York City in the championship game.
"There were great showings from many teams, including San Diego, Boston and others," Kupersmit said. "The depth of talent in the NGFFL continues to grow. The gap [ in talent level ] is continuing to narrow, and that bodes well for the future of the NGFFL and the Gay Bowl."
Wide receiver Winston Howard and quarterback Will Ward starred on offense for the Blaze, while Martin Cherrier anchored the team's defense.
The Chicago Freeze finished fifth overall, ultimately being eliminated by Los Angeles.
"We did very well. In fact, both Chicago teams did very well," said Stephen Osada of the Freeze, which finished with a 5-1 Gay Bowl record. "We would have liked to have gone a little further, but we're very happy with our showing. We played very well as a team; we built momentum from the first game on.
"Our defense made some good, key stops when it had to, and the offense stepped up as needed."
Steve Brehm and Tyler Foerster each saw two-way action for the Freeze, while wide receiver Ira Crawley and quarterback Gil Minor were exceptional. The Freeze defense was anchored by Brian Wilburn and James Platt.
Flag football in Chicago continues for another month or so. Playoffs for the Chicago Metropolitan Sports Association's fall season will be Nov. 13 and Nov. 20.
Shane Kinkennon of Denver was elected the new commissioner of the NGFFL.
On the field, part two
Despite yet another loss for the Chicago Dragons in Chicago Area Rugby Football Union ( CARFU ) action on Oct. 9, there was a bright spot.
Even in a 55-17 loss to the Illiana Misfits in Hammond.
The Dragons, though, scored three tries, the first time they have done so in CARFU action. Bob Schumacher, Josh Goldsmith and Anthony Scheller each had a try for the Dragons.
The Dragons ( 0-8 ) wrap up the current CARFU season on Saturday, Oct. 16, with a 1 p.m. match against the Manhattan Shamrocks at Lerner Park.
The Bingham Cup will be held in Manchester, England in 2012, it was recently announced. The Dragons will send one or two teams to this prestigious tournament.
