Jack Neilsen's 2009 LGBT sports highlight was watching the Spin Cougars win the B-Division championship at the 2009 North American Gay Amateur Athletic Alliance ( NAGAAA ) Softball World Series in Milwaukee.
"The excitement of the [ final ] game [ and ] to have one of our 'home teams' come up from the losers bracket to win the entire tournament was nothing short of awesome," said Neilsen, 34, who lives in Chicago's Ravenswood neighborhood.
Neilsen was just a fan for the Cougars' charge to the championship, but he certainly has been an integral part of Chicago's LGBT sports community on various fields of play since he came to town seven years—and why he was unanimously voted the 2009 LGBT Male Sports Athlete of the Year, from a poll this writer conducted of LGBT sports participants, organizers and officials.
Just consider Neilsen's resume within the Chicago Metropolitan Sports Association ( CMSA ) :
—Softball Board ( 2003-Present ) .
—Softball Commissioner ( 2009, 2010 ) .
—Softball Assistant Commissioner ( 2008 )
—Open Division Dodgeball Commissioner ( 2008, 2009 ) .
—Thursday Softball Board ( 2004-Present ) .
—Thursday Softball Commissioner ( 2007-Present ) .
—Thursday Fall Softball Commissioner ( 2007-Present ) .
"Personally, [ a fond memory of 2009 ] was having the opportunity to serve as Commissioner for the CMSA Open Division Sunday Softball League. Having the opportunity to work with as many great individuals as we have in our Sunday League is unbelievable," said Neilsen, who works as the charting manager for Clear Channel Airports. "The players, umpires, fans, and even the Chicago Park District made this a year to remember. I really enjoy running the league, but none of this would be possible without our great community. I want to publicly thank each and every participant, umpire, and fan [ who ] made it out, even to [ just ] one game, for making CMSA softball the largest LGBT softball league in the country."
Neilsen's efforts on behalf of CMSA softball landed the 2011 Gay Softball World Series, which has not been held in Chicago since 1983—and one of the top reasons Neilsen was repeatedly named for this honor.
"Having [ the Gay Softball World Series ] return to Chicago is going to be huge for our city, as well as our community," he said. "We have a lot to do and about [ 18 months ] to do so. We want to make this an amazing event to remember."
Neilsen participates in softball and dodgeball, and said track-and-field events are his favorite to watch. Regarding hockey, he admits he's still a Detroit Red Wings fan, despite living in Blackhawk country, and tagged Hockey Hall of Famer Gordie Howe as his all-time favorite pro athlete.
"One of my major goals for the 2010 LGBT sporting front is recognition for our sporting leagues, as a member of the largest LGBT sports organization in the country ( and possibly the world ) ," he said. "It still baffles me that there are so many in our community [ who ] are not aware of what we have to offer, or that we even exist."
Added Marcia Hill, president of CMSA: "Jack was honored for not only competing as a player and coach/manager, but also as the commissioner of four sports—Open Sunday softball, Thursday summer softball, Thursday fall softball and open dodgeball. Jack also stepped up to help ref outdoor kickball and women's dodgeball. He became our liaison with the Chicago Park District and led the bid committee which brought the 2011 Open Division Gay World Series to Chicago. He was also instrumental in having our new logo designed, he asked several people to put in designs which were reviewed by the main board and then the winner was selected."
Here's more about Jack Neilsen:
—Status: Single
—High school: Atlanta Jr. Sr. High School, Class of 1993
—College: University of Michigan-Flint, Class of 1997
—Little-known fact: Is one of 10 children
—Hobbies: Movies, playing Wii, hanging out with friends, going out to eat. "My hobbies are pretty much just the normal things, nothing over the top or too outrageous … at least that I would dare put in print."
—Superstitions: "I'm not a real superstitious person; however, one thing I do believe in is karma and, trust me, she will get you when you least expect it."
—The 2010 Gay Games: "I hope to be involved. Currently I am researching my options for putting together a softball team to travel to the 2010 Games."
