Out to Swim in the middle of the Channel!

It's on now! Follow on Facebook HERE.

Out To Swim members will swim from Dover to Calais to raise money for Central London Samaritans 

24 June 2012 | By Joe Morgan in Gay Star News:
 

A gay and lesbian relay team will be swimming the 21 miles of the English Channel for charity this week.
Six members of British club Out To Swim will plunge into the 14 degree waters off the coast of England, swimming one by one for an hour at a time, before reaching Calais in France.

They will be doing this task in the aim of raising money for the Central London Samaritans, a charity that provides confidential emotional support for anyone experiencing feelings of distress or despair, which can lead to suicide.

All experienced swimmers, the six gay men and women have trained for months to be able to withstand the ice cold temperatures and marathon distance.

Keep reading HERE.

Sean Smith on making mainstream sport a little more LGBT

Win Chesson, Scott Jordan, David Spires and Sean Smith
after a relay at IGLA Championships in Iceland. 
(Photo Courtesy of Onesimo Demira).

From an interesting post by Our Group's Sean Smith, just back from IGLA 2012 in Reykjavik:

If gay athletes, including those at the elite level, don’t exist then how can you explain the popularity of LGBT sports organizations? They exist all over the world in different forms. I’ve been a critic in the past of the segmented LGBT category of sports competitions until I had the experience of competing in some. I have had the opportunity to compete at the OutGames in 2006, the International Gay and Lesbian Aquatic (IGLA) world championships in 2009 and most recently the IGLA world championships in Reykjavík, Iceland in May.

Obviously the Iceland competition I recently took part in is not the most competitive meet I’ve been to, but why was it so fulfilling? I asked some athletes that are in Omaha right now for US Olympic Trials and were also at IGLA in Iceland three weeks ago why they felt it was important enough to go to that meet. Their answer was simple. “It’s fun, it gives me a sense of community, and I love competing with my teammates!”

For me the unique ingredient to swimming at an IGLA meet is being able to feel whole and authentic. There is no segmented athlete self that is policing each action to cover or pass as safe or straight. All of my effort can go in to swimming and to enjoying the social aspects of the meet. I’ll admit, the social aspects which are obviously a much bigger piece of the experience these days.

Read in full HERE.

Gareth Johnson interviews new president of IGLA

Gareth Johnson has a great interview in Gay Star News with David Hermann, the newly elected president of FGG member organization International Lesbian and Gay Aquatics:

Why does IGLA exist?

The purpose of our organization is to create a venue for gay, lesbian and transgender athletes to compete in swimming, diving, water polo and synchro. We compete using the rules and standard established by the international maters swimming organization FINA [Fédération Internationale de Natation]. This means that all of the results of our meets, and the records that are set, are recognized internationally.

Why is it necessary to have dedicated sporting events for gay and lesbian sportspeople?

IGLA remains relevant in the 21st century, as do other gay and lesbian sports organizations because the purpose of our organizations goes beyond executing highly competitive masters sporting events.

Unlike United States Masters, British Swimming or even FINA itself, IGLA provides gay and lesbian athletes with the opportunity to socialize and interact with each other in an environment that turns our minority into the majority. This is a powerful experience for many gay athletes, especially swimmers, who feel pressure to keep their sexuality under wraps at traditional masters swim meets.

To me, IGLA is a beacon, a social outreach phenomenon that brings LGBT athletes together from around the world.

What does IGLA mean to you?

Today I swim in West Hollywood California, a jewel of gay communities, with rainbow flags flying next to the American Flag along Santa Monica Boulevard. However I spent my teens and young adult years in Kansas. In 2000, under the emotional pressure of coming to terms with my sexuality, with my fear and loathing, I considered suicide. I wake up every morning thankful that in that dark place I chose to persevere.

When I first heard of this thing called a 'gay swim team' I didn’t believe it was true. I remember my first practice in Kansas City with The Wave. It was like joining a family around the dinner table, a family I never knew I had. It has been one of the most transformative experiences of my life, and I wish I had known in 2000 that it would be this wonderful.

It is easy in West Hollywood, New York, London or Paris to forget that there are so many in our community that don’t dare to dream that there could be something amazing like a gay swim team. IGLA has the voice to reach out to those gay, lesbian and transgender men and women. To let them know that not only are they not alone, but that we’re all over the world!

Read in full HERE.

15 August 2012 / Seattle Orcas supporting Swim for Life donor registry drive

Seattle Orca swim club had one entry two years ago and two entries last year in the Puget Sound Swim for Life. How many will sign up this year? More about the event:

It's a little-known fact that thousands of leukemia and other patients every year don't find a life-saving bone marrow donor match in time, even with a national registry of 9.5 million possible donors. The tissue-typing requirements are precise and costly and the donor registry simply isn't long enough.

Swim for Life is your opportunity to change that reality, and have fun doing it.

In just the past two years alone, the swim has raised enough to test and add 1,100 new donors to the national Be The Match registry.

Swim for Life is an annual 2.5 mile, team-based swim across Lake Washington from Medina Beach Park to Madison Park. A team is four or fewer swimmers and a kayaker, so you always have a safety boat near you.

This combination builds team spirit and a collective feeling of accomplishment; many swimmers who meet each other in this event continue to swim together over the year and return as a team the next year.

More info HERE.

Reykjavík will be awash with boys and girls in swimwear as the 2012 IGLA championship hits town

From GayStarNews:

Reykjavík in Iceland is gearing up for the 2012 International Gay and Lesbian Aquatics (IGLA) championship from 29 May to 2 June.

And despite being the world's most nothermost national capital, this gay-friendly city, complete with a lesbian prime minister, is guaranteeing a warm welcome.

Hundreds of competitors will travel from across the world to compete in swimming, water polo, diving, and synchronized swimming.

Formed by the LGBT aquatics clubs around the world, the concept of IGLA began to take shape in line with the development of the Gay Games in 1982.

Today IGLA is the world’s foremost international organization solely devoted to developing and promoting gay and lesbian swimming, water polo, diving, and synchronized swimming - promoting participation in aquatic sports among lesbians and gay men and maintaining high competitive standards for all major gay and lesbian aquatic events.

Shane Ewen, from Team New York Aquatics, is expecting this year’s IGLA event to make quite a splash in the small city of Reykjavik: ‘The fact that it is taking place in such a small country means it will be an event with a big impact.

'I've been talking with the organizers and the amount of support they have from the local community, including interest from the local media, is amazing.’

The Toronto Triggerfish water polo club will have one of the biggest presences in Reykjavik, with a delegation of three water polo teams.

For Triggerfish vice-president, James Mullen, this will be his third IGLA tournament: ‘Our best standing for water polo so far was a bronze in Denmark in 2009 - this year we’re hoping to place higher than that.’

However IGLA is not just for elite competitors - as New York’s Ewen explains: ‘IGLA has always been about participation - there is a full range of ability represented. In the past we have seen swimmers breaking Masters Swimming records. Just because we have a lot of fun, doesn't mean we don't take our sport seriously.’

Keep reading HERE.

Video portrait of Gay Games Ambassador Bruce Hayes

A video profile of Gay Games Ambassador Bruce Hayes, featuring friend of the Gay Games Jack Mackenroth.

Out to Swim tell their story for BT Storytellers program celebrating London 2012

The following story from London's Out to Swim was written as content for the BT Storytellers programme celebrating the London 2012 Olympics.


Our Greatest Team
In the first week of August 2010, a team of 116 gays and lesbians arrived in Cologne, Germany for the 8th Gay Games.


The Gay Games is the world's largest sporting and cultural event organised specifically for LGBT athletes. Established in San Francisco in 1982, the Gay Games were the brainchild of Tom Waddell, whose goals were to promote the spirit of inclusion and participation, as well as the pursuit of personal growth in a sporting event.

Here we were, 28 years later, marching into a massive stadium like proper athletes, 80s pop legend Taylor Dayne on stage belting out the theme song for the games, a crowd of people from around the world buzzing with excitement and anticipation of the competition ahead of us, the challenges that we face and the sweet dream of gold medals to prove that all of that training and hard work was worthwhile.

We were the team from Out To Swim, the UK's largest masters aquatics club for the LGBT community - a team of swimmers, water polo players, and synchronised swimmers in Cologne to show the world what we could do.

As one of the largest teams at the games, our presence at all of the aquatics events was undeniable - not only were we a force to be reckoned with in the pool, but you could always rely on plenty of vocal support from your team-mates, shouting encouragements (and the occasional bawdy chant) from the sidelines.

What made this team great was not just the medals (although there were plenty of those), it was the sense that we came away from Cologne as a stronger and more united team than when we arrived. By working as a team we pushed ourselves harder, performed better and celebrated more than ever before.

The 9th Gay Games will be held in Cleveland in the US in 2014. Once again we are going in force. Once again we will be great.

London Orcas brave the cold streets of Soho to promote coming pool party

M

 Details and tickets HERE.

A message from Gareth Johnson from the Out to Swim London swim club:

Well that was an interesting experience!

As part of our PR drive for the Out To Swim Pool Party 2012, our social rep Ming organised a Soho Speedo Splash!

It was the Sunday evening of the May Bank Holiday weekend, and at 19:00 a hardy group of eight OTS-ers assembled at Rupert Street. In the squad were Ming, Ian E, Gareth W, Andrejus L, Tommy T, Stephen L, Tristan G (our official photographer) and myself. It wasn't really until we were all there that it kind of hit me that it was only Ming and myself who had agreed to strip down to speedos, everyone else was keeping their OTS t-shirts (and jeans) safely on...

Despite the cold (like, seriously cold), we had a lot of fun and had a great reception from everyone as we wandered around Soho chatting to people and handing out flyers. We started with Rupert Street, moved on to The Yard, The Village, Admiral Duncan, Circa, The Edge, Candy Bar, Profile and Ku (Chinatown).

One of the best receptions we got was in Candy Bar which was having a busy night but all the women were really friendly and interested in what we were doing and the event we were promoting.

With our flyers all handed out we headed to Kopi Tiam (a nearby Malaysian restaurant) to warm up, eat some food, and share stories about our adventures that evening.

12 May 2012 / Seattle Orcas are slippery when wet!

Join the Seattle Orcas, a member of FGG member organizations Team Seattle and IGLA, at their fundraiser for IGLA 2013 which they will be hosting next year.

Info HERE.

Out to Swim synchro team asks why men are barred from 2012 Olympics

From The Independent:

At a central London sports centre, six hairy legs emerge from a swimming pool in time to a beat before coquettishly disappearing again. This is Britain's only men's synchronised swimming team – the Out to Swim Angels – and they want to know why men are barred from the sport at the Olympics.

The group of men in sequinned trunks has set out to disprove claims that this year's Olympic Games has broken down the last bastion of sporting sexism. London 2012 organisers claimed this would be the first Games which made all sports available to men and women, but the Angels disagree. Men are still barred from competing in synchronised swimming, despite the fact that members of the team have won international events at the highest level.

Last year the Angels took home a gold medal at the Eurogames in Rotterdam, but they want the next generation to have a chance at Olympic glory. Richard Snow, 34, an interior designer and founder member of the team, said: "Originally there weren't many sports women could compete in, so having synchro for women only was about letting them have more sports [of their own]. But times have moved on and the rules should be reversed. I feel sad that men can't compete. Bit by bit we hope we can break down the barrier for men. Hopefully that will mean teams start including boys from a young age."

Keep reading HERE.

Coming events: International Gay and Lesbian Aquatics

12th Annual Tsunami de Mayo Tournament
San Francisco, CA, USA
Date: May 4-5, 2012
Website: www.tsunamipolo.org
Registration Close Date: April 15, 2012
Information:
Join us for the 12th Annual Tsunami Water Polo tournament at Campolindo High School in Moraga, California on May 4-5th.Email ktcosgrove11@gmail.com or inherentvirtue@yahoo.com for more info.

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TIP Paris International Tournament
Paris, France
Date: May 25 – 28, 2012
Website: http://www.paris-tournament.com/
Registration Close Date: April 20, 2012
Information:




Paris Aquatique organizes the swimming and synchronized swimming competitions for the famous “Paris International Tournament“ (Tournoi International de Paris –TIP- in French) that will be held Friday 25th May through Monday 28th May 2012.

The 2 competitions occur on Saturday and Sunday, the swim event is organized in a 25 meters pool, with electronic timing and separate warm up pool. You can run 5 events and take part to as many relays as you can for only 30€. Synchro registration is of similar price.

On Sunday evening, the famous TIP Party will close magnificently the events with a night of fun and music in one of best Paris’s nightclubs.

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2012 IGLA Championships
Reykjavic, Iceland
Date: May 30 – June 2, 2012
Website: www.igla2012.org
Registration Close Date: TBA
Information:
We look forward to welcoming you to the 2012 IGLA championships in Reykjavík Iceland. We proudly invite you to the coolest capital in world for fantastic championships from 30th of May to 2nd of June.Experience unique nature and enjoy local hospitality as well as a top standard competition on the roof of the world. Prepare yourself for a new experience in our fantastic geothermal pools and some serious fun and activities lined up for the championship.

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Holedrive IV
New York City, NY, USA
Date: August 17-19, 2012
Website: http://www.tnya.org/polo/
Registration Close Date: TBA
Information:
TNYA will be hosting their fourth annual water polo tournament in August rather than May this year due to IGLA happening in May. More details to follow…

29 May 2012 / IGLA Annual Meeting in Reykjavik

IGLA ANNUAL MEETING
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
4:30pm in PDT
Aquatics Center Meeting Room, Sundlaugavegi 30, 105 Reykjavík, Iceland

Paris Aquatique featured in Sensitif

Photos from the Aquafolies, a fun pool event in which FSGL and IGLA member club Paris Aquatique takes on teams from other FSGL clubs in synchro swimming and other activities, are featured in the latest issue of gay magazine Sensitif, along with a report on the performance of Paris Aquatique swimmings in the French national masters championships, from which the club brought back 15 medals.

Find the stories HERE.

30 May 2012 / IGLA 2012 will be the largest international LGBT in Iceland, ever

IGLA Championships
Iceland’s largest gathering of international LGBT, ever.

The first weekend in June sees the biggest international LGBT event ever organized in Iceland! The IGLA Championship is hosted by queer sports club Styrmir in co-operation with the Icelandic Swimming Association, the City of Reykjavík, the Icelandic Ministry of Culture and Sports, and queer travel experts Pink Iceland.

The 2012 championships of FGG member organization International Gay and Lesbian Aquatics will be held from 30 May 30 to 2 June. Up to 800 participants are scheduled to arrive from all over the world to compete in swimming, water polo, synchronized swimming and diving. Organizers expect the event to be the largest international aquatics competition ever held in the country.

Host club Stymir at Gay Games VIII in Cologne

The Championship is sponsored by both the City of Reykjavík and the Ministry of Culture and Sports. The mayor of Reykjavík is scheduled to make an appearance, and if his past behaviour is anything to go by it is likely he’ll show up in drag to show his support.

Business Traveller Magazine voted Reykjavik on of its top five ‘Cities To Swim In’ in 2009 due to the unique culture and attitude to the sport. Iceland is a volcanic island and geothermal water is both plentiful and cheap. Pretty much every town in the country has its own geothermally heated outdoor pool open to the public all year round.

Swimming in Iceland is more than a sport, its a way of life.

For further information on the activities, lodging, flights and registration visit www.igla2012.org.

20 April 2012 / DC Aquatics Club bachelor auction

DC Aquatics Club Bachelor Auction
Friday, April 20, 2012
8:00pm in EDT

DCAC is putting some of its bachelor's up on the auctioning block to raise money to send swimmers to the International Gay & Lesbian Aquatics Championship in Reykjavik, Iceland.

Please come out with your friends for some fun with men in speedos!

Jr's Bar Grill
1519 17th St. NW, Washington, DC 20036

Sydney Wett Ones coach named New South Wales Coach of the Year

Congratulations to Danny Crowe, coach of the Sydney Wett Ones swim club, a member of FGG member organizations Team Sydney and IGLA, who has been named 2011 Coach of the Year by New South Wales Masters Swimming!

Out to Swim and the Gay Games

Out to Swim celebrates its 20th anniversary. Here's a very personal story of what it means to discover and particpate in the Gay Games and LGBT sport.

Hera Björk to perform at IGLA 2012 closing party

A message from the hosts of the 2012 IGLA annual championships in Reykjavik:

Our one and only international POP DIVA Hera Björk is confirmed to perform at IGLA Reykjavík closing party on June 2nd! The Eurovision sensation did a Gay USA tour last year and has many fans all over the world. She is very excited to join the party and promises some nasty dance numbers! Check out her website: www.herabjork.com

Reactions to the exclusion of men from international synchronized swimming

The issue of the ban on men in international synchronized swimming competitions has generated some reactions:

Shamey Cramer, who is a delegate from the FGG at the IOC Women and Sport conference currently underway in Los Angeles, writes:

It was noted at the Women and Sport conference tonight that Synchro Swimming will be the ONLY sport that does not have gender equity at the London 2012 Summer Olympic Games. Very sad statement, indeed -- even women Olympians and administrators are confounded by FINA's old-world stubbornness.

We published the following on Le Nouvel Observateur' article:

The paradox is that LGBT sport is often accused of creating "ghettos". But with a few regrettable exceptions (in particular in the USA, in men's softball and men's flag football), the fundamental principle of LGBT sport is openness, in the spirit of the Olympic charter's commitment to "sport for all".

With Synchronized Swimming, we see a strong example of this principle. A man who wants to practice this sport internationally can only do so in LGBT competitions such as the Gay Games or IGLA international championships.

Events like the Gay Games are a laboratory for innovation and openness in sport, one that goes beyond the issue of men's participation in synchronized swimming. They included women's wrestling years before the sport joined the Olympics, and include same-sex pairs in sports like dancesport, figure skating and bodybuilding, where mainstream sport continues to reject them.

A message to the Olympic movement, including FINA: to respect the universality of your Charter, stop sex discrimination, react to the exclusion of women from sport in the name of "tradition", maintain the protection of women's participation from religious pressure.


Le paradoxe c'est que le sport LGBT est souvent accusé de créer des "ghettos". Or, avec quelques regrettables exceptions (notamment aux Etats Unis lors des championnats de softball gay et de football américain), le principe de base du sport LGBT est l'ouverture, selon le principe olympique du "sport pour tous".

Avec la natation synchronisée nous voyons une manifestation forte de ce principe : un homme qui veut pratiquer ce sport au niveau international ne peut le faire que dans des compétitions LGBT, comme les Gay Games ou les championnats de la fédération affinitaire IGLA.

Des évènements comme les Gay Games sont un laboratoire pour l'innovation et l'ouverture dans le sport qui dépasse la participation masculine à la natation synchronisée. On y a trouvé la lutte féminine de nombreuses années avant qu'elle n'entre aux JO, on y trouve des couples du même sexe dans des sports comme la danse sportive, le patinage artistique, et le culturisme, des sports où cette formule reste interdite dans des compétitions "normales".

Un message du sport LGBT au grand mouvement olympique, dont fait partie FINA : pour respecter le message d'universalité de votre charte, arrêter la discrimination du genre, réagir à l'exclusion des femmes au nom de la tradition, maintenir la protection de la participation féminine de pressions religieuses.

En français / Tribune sur l'exclusion des hommes de la natation syncrhonisée

Après le reportage dans Métro, le Nouvel observateur publie une tribune d'un nageur de Paris Aquatique sur l'interdiction édictée par FINA à la participation de nageurs masculins aux compétitions internationales de natation synchronisée :

Est-il normal, en 2012, que l’accès aux compétitions d’un sport ou d’un autre soit encore limité à un seul sexe ?

Nombreux sont les exemples au sein du milieu sportif, où les femmes doivent se battre pour trouver leur place au niveau international. Mais elles ne sont pas les seules !

Chorégraphie de l'équipe masculine de natation synchronisée , 2 octobre 2011 , Paris Aquatique

Nous sommes des hommes nageurs de natation synchronisée et interdits de participation aux compétitions organisées par la FINA (Fédération Internationale de Natation Amateur).

Les efforts et les progrès de la section créée en 1998 au sein de mon club, "Paris Aquatique", ont su convaincre la FFN (Fédération Française de Natation) de notre entière légitimité dans ce sport. Depuis la modification du règlement national en 2005, les ballets entièrement masculins sont acceptés en compétitions et intégrés au classement. Les podiums sont séparés dès qu’il y a au moins 4 équipes du même sexe par catégorie.

Continuer à lire ICI.