"The Road to Cologne": Cathy Schmitz

Here's an extract of a profile of a Gay Games VIII athlete. Read the full profile in Living in the Queer Times HERE:

Cologne will be the first time I participate in an event & I chose chess, speed chess to be specific. Speed chess is played in 5 minute games, if I only play one game, I will have played. I only learned to play chess recently when I was recruited by a friend whose child played chess at my church’s grade school to be the club leader. You didn’t have to know how to play chess, the kids knew how, what they needed was an adult willing to be there and be responsible. I have been working with the kids for two years now; they have taught me a lot. I tell them chess is like life, the inevitable is going to happen. How we prepare for, and react to twist and turns in the road is what makes us who we are. The kids, both boys and girls are grades two – eight, some are siblings and the older is not always the better player. Our annual tournament champion was a fifth grade boy this year with two third graders in second and third. I told them I was traveling to Germany for a tournament and hoped to make them proud and would tell them all about it next fall.