July 2006 Chicago, IL, USA
This is my first Gay Games. I am very excited. I was planning to attend for only a couple days and fly back to Seattle. I had the privilege to meet Paul Mart, one of the 3 co-founders of the Gay Games while he was in Seattle in June of 2005. He really made an impression on me about Tom Waddell's vision. Paul also charmed me and explained the entire weeks events that I could expect. I extended my stay to 9 days and entered 1 more event. I also started training, losing weight, getting faster. I ran the Seattle Masters Track Event July 8th and did a personal best at the 5000m race. I will be running the 10K race on Monday morning and the 5000m track event on Friday. You will see me at your events. Let the Games begin!
Kelly Stevens - Co-Chair Team Seattle - Seattle Frontrunners
Kelly Stevens - Co-Chair Team Seattle - Seattle Frontrunners
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The bottom line with my trip to Australia is that more than 100 Chicagoans traveled to Sydney (which I, as Co-Chair of Team Chicago, am very happy about) and approximately 40 medals were won (I don’t know exactly how many women are on Team Destiny softball team). The weather was sunny and cloudless. And the sports, cultural events, and celebrations were incredible.
We arrived on Friday and I went right to a four-hour meeting of the Federation of Gay Games. After the meeting, the delegates, Jere, and I went to a reception at Government House, overlooking the harbor. The highlight was meeting the head of the southern hemisphere’s largest gay and lesbian counseling service and being introduced by him to the Premier, Bob Carr. We talked with the Premier about Chicago and Illinois politics (he had met both Daleys) and he brought Jere and me up to date on what he had done for the gays and lesbians of New South Wales – allowed the right of inheritance, wants to make the age of majority the same for men (18)and women (16). Interestingly, he knew about Governor Ryan’s work on the death penalty.
I ran with many other Frontrunners on Saturday morning, seeing people I’d met a past Gay Games, in other Frontrunner clubs I’d belonged to, and at Federation meetings. Running along the harbor to the Opera House was a thrill. The opening ceremony was that afternoon. All of Team Chicago walked to Aussie Stadium, behind the flag that Mayor Harold Washington gave Team Chicago nearly 20 years ago, indicating the city’s first acknowledgment of gay sport. We waited a long time for the ceremony to start and then marched in. I got to march in with the Federation and then again with Team Chicago.
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