They’re the Marsupiloupettes! Ten friends who play volleyball, a physical therapist, and a communications assistant, who’ve decided to go for the gold at Gay Games VIII. They’re all players at the regional or national level in the French Volleyball Federation, and are current or former players for Constantia, one of the best women’s volleyball teams in Alsace. They now live in Lille, Quimper, Mulhouse, and of course in the home of their club, Strasbourg, and are a diverse lot, including lesbians and gay-friendly women. They’ll make the most of their complementarity to make this project an unforgettable human adventure!!
A well-organized plan of attack
To make the project possible, the Marsupiloupettes have been preparing more than a year. From the division of tasks (some members work on food, others on communication, others on sporting goods and the team uniform) to the financing of the trip, everything has been carefully planned. The personal contribution of the players (approximately 200 euros) has been limited thanks to the support of private partners (L’Acérola and La Stub restaurants, Casal Sport for sporting goods, the Constantia sports club, the Bistrot Motte, etc.) and institutions (applications for grants from the City of Strasbourg and the Bas-Rhin Département). The budget is balanced and the financing sound.
Goal: to win a medal
Volleyball at the Gay Games takes place in three levels (A, B, and C) to allow each player to play fair matches. The Marsupiloupettes will be competing in division B, where they will face off against players from other countries and try to win a gold medal at the Gay Games!
Defending values
The Marsupiloupettes share the values of the Gay Games, values of respect, sharing, and achieving ones personal best. By participating in the Games, they reaffirm their will to fight against all forms of discrimination. For these women, sport is a great way to show your convictions. They are also looking forward to this special moment for international exchanges, discoveries, and encounters offered by the Gay Games!
From the local level to the international level
The Marsupiloupettes either come from Alsace or live their now. Because of this, the impact of the Gay Games can be felt throughout Strasbourg.
The team is supported by the lesbian community of Strasbourg, which is always ready to help lesbians, and women in general, in their projects. The community can follow the team by Facebook, or simply by word of mouth. The lesbians of Strasbourg love to come to the meet-ups organized by the Marsupiloupettes, where they get the latest news from the players. Other events include fundraisers, concerts by musician friends, and other forms of support. Associations and companies support the team however they can: financing, communication, networking, etc. And some fans will be making the trip to Cologne to root for their team.
Encounters with local partners, for the most part non-LGBT, for a variety of activities, including sport, sporting goods, restaurants, bars, multicultural groups, associations, etc. are the opportunities to talk about the Gay Games, the fight against all forms of discrimination, and sport, and in particular, volleyball.
Using tools such as our website, blog, our Facebook and Twitter accounts, the Marsupiloupettes are developing a growing network of fans in the region and nationwide, in particular in lesbian, feminist, LGBT, and mainstream sports groups. Members of the network will be following the adventure of the Marupiloupettes throughout the Gay Games, bringing together people from widely ranging worlds.
Their website HERE.
Their blog HERE.
Search for "Marsupiloupettes" on Facebook for their own page and their fan group.
Follow them on Twitter @Marsupiloupette
At that time, we won all our matches 2-0! We're in 1/2 final of AA pool, against "BGS-Poulettes", the Belgian, tomorrow morning at 10:00 AM. Greaaaat!!!
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