Pictured Gay Games founder Dr. Tom Waddell practices shot put in the 1970s.
By Ross Forman
Get ready, Chicago, the biggest LGBT party our city has ever seen kicks off Sat., July 15, at Soldier Field. We're talking energy, excitement and an environment that the Windy City has never seen. Just imagine the frenzied setting of Northalsted Market Days or the annual Gay Pride Parade magnified by 10 and lasting for eight days.
Gay Games VII, the quadrennial sports and cultural extravaganza, makes its return to American soil this summer for the first time since 1994. Chicago has never hosted the Games, which were launched in 1982, at Kezar Stadium in San Francisco. Those first Games, dubbed Challenge and founded by 1968 Olympic decathlete Dr. Tom Waddell, featured 17 sports with 1,300 competitors from 12 countries.
The Games were back in San Francisco in 1986 with more than twice as many competitors, and the growth continued in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada in 1990. The Games moved to New York City in 1994; Amsterdam, The Netherlands, in 1998; and Sydney, Australia in 2002. Now it's Chicago's turn, and that small, uplifting event for the LGBT community which San Francisco created about 25 years ago … well, it's anything but that nowadays. Just consider some of the Gay Games VII statistics:
— More than 12,000 competitors will be involved.
— Nearly 70 countries will be represented.
— More than 30 sports events will take place, plus cheer, choral, color guard and band.
— There is an estimated $75 million boast to the Chicago's economy.
— More than 4,000 volunteers are involved.
— More than 350 non-profit organizations and businesses have signed up to be a part of the Games as donors, sponsors and volunteers.
— Five 'Sports Villages' around the city and suburbs have been established to maximize convenience and foster camaraderie among the participants.
— Up to 40,000 are expected to watch the Opening Ceremony at Soldier Field, including worldwide mainstream media.
—Up to 30,000 are expected to watch the Closing Ceremony—many, no doubt, with teary eyes—at Wrigley Field.
'At the very first Opening Ceremony, on a blustery Saturday in San Francisco, I knew right then that the Gay Games was going to be a part of history, and I knew I had to be a part of the Gay Games going forward,' said Jim Hahn, 45, of Guerneville, Calif., one of about 50 worldwide who has attended—and participated in—all six Gay Games. And he's set for No. 7 this summer in Chicago—his bowling ball, shoes and shirt in tow.
'I absolutely envisioned the success of the Gay Games. Tom Waddell had a pretty good idea of what he wanted in the Gay Games. It primarily was a sporting event for people to come and do their best and to walk away knowing that they had done that. That was the primary focus of the Games. Over the years, the Games have gotten bigger, grander and there's been a lot more entertainment value pumped into it.'
The Games are so big, in fact, that Hahn is on one of the eight bowling teams from San Francisco alone. His bowling partner for doubles is Doug Litwin, a Chicago native and a member of the Gay Games' board of directors.
'Personally, I always look forward to the opening and closing ceremonies,' Hahn said. 'There's an immense sense of pride and history in each. There are a lot of people who have worked very, very, very hard for the Games—not just this year, but many years in the past as well. It takes an army of volunteers, a lot of hard work, a lot of planning and a lot of behind-the-scenes work. I'm very appreciative to those people.'
Hahn is one of literally thousands who have circled Chicago on their travel calendar for the summer. The Games' tag line this year is 'Where The World Meets,' and how true that is. They're coming from Africa and Asia, Sweden and Switzerland, India and Indiana. Truly, the Gay Games is the LGBT event of the summer, a tradition of participation, inclusion and personal best—and that isn't just some catchy slogan.
Take, for instance, Ian Spencer, a 38-year-old Canadian who will compete in the mixed-pairs physique competition. 'I had a great time [ at the Games ] in Australia, an incredible experience. To share the sporting arena with so many gifted men and women [ was ] a very liberating experience,' he said.
Then there's John Kelly, a hospital manager in London, England. He's 48 and will be competing in the triathlon and the marathon. 'The marathon is what I like to do. I do the triathlon because the gear is sexy and I don't look too bad for a 48-year-old,' he said.
Lee Lourdeaux, coming to Chicago from Vancouver, B.C., is a clinical social worker by day and a swimmer by night, so to speak. The 55 year-old from the English Bay Swim Club is one of about 130 club members invading Illinois this summer.
Andrew McPherson, 32, calls South Wales in the United Kingdom home and sports clearly are his passion. He speaks three languages ( English, Hindi and Urdu ) and will be participating in more events than that. McPherson is slated to compete in road running as well as the 5K and 10K races, and will align himself with the Cardiff Lions Rugby Team. 'I wanted to prove to myself and to the community I live in that just because I am gay does not mean that I cannot compete,' he said. 'I have been made to feel in the past that I am a second-class person for my sexuality.' But, he added, 'Through running, I have been able to gain confidence and be proud to be gay.'
The same goes for Mary Gerrity, 64, a former Chicago Transit Authority bus driver who will be playing softball this summer under the Games glare, her first Games, though she has played three times in the annual NAGAA Gay Softball World Series, including the 2005 edition in San Diego. 'I'm very excited for the Games, though I'm very curious to see what the competition is going to be like, especially what cities and what countries are participating,' she said. 'I consider myself very fortunate to be in excellent health, with no problems, especially since I know a lot younger people with debilitating injuries, illnesses and sicknesses. I know I'm very, very lucky.'
Debbie Rijos, 35, of Chicago, will be participating in the physique competition in her first Games. 'The Gay Games are a big deal for me personally because I have not competed in almost 15 years. I know this will be very challenging, but I'm very excited nonetheless. I know it will take a lot of dedication and focus, but I'm ready for it,' she said.
One Chicago sporting legend who will be smiling this summer like a kid on Christmas morning is 61-year-old Peg Grey, set for her sixth Games. She will play volleyball and run the five-kilometer race, and has overcome bone marrow cancer. 'Even though the Gay Games is a sports and cultural event, it really is a pride festival. People get together from different countries, of different ages, races and languages, and we celebrate who we are as a people. The Gay Games isn't just for the best ( athletes ) ; it's about participation. The caring, sharing and the celebration is what I'm looking forward to.'
The Gay Games truly is about the athletes of all shapes and sizes, of all skill and ability levels. There will be good badminton players, such as Chicagoan Amy Ma, who won the Illinois High School Association Doubles State Championship in 1998. There will be very good flag football players, such as Chicagoan Will Ward, who, in 2005, led his top-tiered Chicago team to the championship in the annual Gay Super Bowl in San Diego.
There also will be Olympians, such as American swimmer Bruce Hayes, and professionals, such as Esera Tuaolo, who played for the Atlanta Falcons in the Super Bowl. It doesn't get much better than that for an NFL player. Well, Tuaolo, who came out as gay after retiring, will be playing flag football at the Games and beach volleyball. He also will be singing at the Opening Ceremony.
'I think the Games will be incredible,' Tuaolo said. 'It's an incredible thing that we can all come together and compete, be it gay or straight, and all of the events are regulated so if you break a world's record, it counts. The best thing about the Games is, everyone can compete—from mom to your world-class sprinters. This is what the Olympics should be. The Gay Games concept is awesome.
'I'll probably be a crybaby because all of the emotion will bubble over. I know it will be overwhelming for me, to be there with all of the athletes. This is something I never thought in my wildest dreams I could compete in. I know the Gay Games will compare right there with being in the Super Bowl because I now feel free. I'm so much healthier now, so much happier. This is going to be great.'
Tuaolo's stint at the Games extends beyond the athletic fields, too. He is among the elite Gay Games Ambassadors, an international group of prominent individuals supporting the goals and principles of the Games. A program of the international Federation of Gay Games, the ambassadors commit themselves to the Gay Games movement, supporting the current host city, future host cities, and the FGG as the international governing body of the Gay Games. Other ambassadors include Sir Elton John, Melissa Etheridge, Billy Bean, Greg Louganis, David Kopay and others.
There also are Gay Games Champions, prominent individuals—gay or straight—who have agreed to lend their support to the cause, starting with Chicago Mayor Richard Daley. Other champions include gymnast Matthew Cusick, figure skating champion Rudy Galindo, tennis icon Billie Jean King, former Major League Baseball umpire Dave Pallone and literally hundreds more, encompassing individuals, corporations and clubs.
'The Opening Ceremony is going to be out of control. I just hope I don't faint,' said Tuaolo, who will be joined in Chicago by his partner of nine years, Mitchell Wherley, though Wherley will not be competing in any event. 'The overwhelming emotion for me will be that I'll be standing there, as a gay athlete, something I've always wanted to do my whole life. People will look at me from the stands and know that I am a gay athlete, and I'm proud of that. I won't have to be in the closet, like I was when I was playing in the NFL.'
The sports in this year's Games range from basketball and darts to ice hockey and squash. There will be golf, bowling, billiards and softball as well. And let's not forget racquetball, sailing and water polo.
'I'm really excited for the Games,' said Jason Weaver, 27, who lives in Chicago's Lincoln Park neighborhood and will play soccer this summer. 'I don't have a good sense of how competitive the soccer will be, but, I have played in a few gay tournaments ( in the past ) and I've always been impressed with the play. More than that, the sense of camaraderie and friendship among the competitors and spectators is what I truly value. You can develop worldwide friendships at the Gay Games that can last a lifetime.'
And that truly is what the Gay Games is all about. See www.gaygameschicago.org .
