Sports
Heat of the moment
Local gay athletic groups staying busy as summer sizzles
Andres Gomez-Pena, Seth Kalish and Claudia Gebert of D.C. Frontrunners at the 2010 Gay Games in Germany. (Photo by Kevin Majoros)
July brings all kinds of action for the local LGBT sports clubs. It’s never too late to join in the fun. Following are some highlights for the month.
The D.C. Frontrunners are looking to beat the heat. Their Saturday morning run/walks have been moved to 9 a.m. for July and August. Walkers can meet at 23rd and P streets N.W. for a 3-4 mile walk. Runners meet at the same time and location for a 3-, 4- or 6-mile run. The group also meets at 7 p.m. on Tuesdays at the same location for run/walks. More times and information can be found at dcfrontrunners.org.
Rainbow Climbing D.C. will be at Sportrock in Alexandria on July 10 from 2-5 p.m. Members will be hosting a class on bouldering and top climbing starting at 2:30 p.m. Cost of the class ranges from $10 to $18 and includes all the gear you will need to climb that day. Check out the climbers on their Facebook page under Rainbow Climbing D.C.
The Capital Area Rainbowlers Association is hosting a social bowling night on July 18 from 8-10 p.m. at AMF Alexandria Lanes in Annandale. Come with a team or by yourself. The cost is only 99 cents a game which includes those fancy bowling shoes. The bowlers can be found at carabowling.org.
The D.C. Sentinels basketball team is hosting its annual Red party on July 23 from 10 p.m. to 2:30 a.m. It will be held at Almaz which is located at 1212 U Street N.W. Admission is $8 in advance and $10 at the door. The night will feature a best body contest, Red shooters, raffles and giveaways. This is a fundraiser for the Sentinels as members prepare for upcoming tournaments, establishing a local basketball league and volunteer activities with local charities. They are located at teamdcbasketball.org.
Congratulations to the District of Columbia Aquatics Club for raising $21,000 for local charities at its annual Swim for Life event last month. The swimmers are currently in Honolulu competing for their ninth large team trophy at the International Gay & Lesbian World Championships. More details on the swimmers are at swimdcac.org.
Ultimate Out Frisbee continues through the summer. Practices are every Wednesday from 6:30-8 p.m. on the National Mall fields in front of the Air & Space Museum. Cleats are recommended for this sport. Contact Ben at [email protected] or check them out on Facebook under the name Ultimate Out Frisbee.
If you enjoyed the Night Out at the Nationals event, Team D.C. has two more events in July. Night Out at the Kastles will be held on July 21 at 7 p.m. as the Washington Kastles of World Team Tennis take on the Philadelphia Freedoms in the season finale. The 2011 roster for the Kastles includes Renae Stubbs, Leander Paes, Bobby Reynolds, Venus Williams and Serena Williams. Add to that the hilarious Murphy Jensen in the coaching position and you are sure to have an enjoyable evening. Tickets are $12 and can be purchased at teamdc.org.
Night Out at the Mystics will be held on July 26 at 7 p.m. as the Washington Mystics take on the San Antonio Silver Stars. Tickets are $15 and ticketholders will have access to the Acela Lounge for a special gathering throughout the game. Tickets are available at teamdc.org.
For those traveling to Vancouver this summer, the North American OutGames will be contested from July 25-31. Go to vancouver2011outgames.com to learn more.
The Adventuring Outdoors Group continues its series of Arlington Evening Bike Rides on Tuesday. The ride will be 19 miles maintaining a relaxed pace and using bike trails and bicycle-friendly residential streets around the Arlington area. Arrive by 6:25 p.m. at the Clarendon Metro station elevator entrance. Free on-street parking is available. Bring a helmet, water and a $2 trip fee. You can contact the ride leader at [email protected].
More than a dozen LGBTQ athletes won medals at the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics that ended on Sunday.
Cayla Barnes, Hilary Knight, and Alex Carpenter are LGBTQ members of the U.S. women’s hockey team that won a gold medal after they defeated Canada in overtime. Knight the day before the Feb. 19 match proposed to her girlfriend, Brittany Bowe, an Olympic speed skater.
French ice dancer Guillaume Cizeron, who is gay, and his partner Laurence Fournier Beaudry won gold. American alpine skier Breezy Johnson, who is bisexual, won gold in the women’s downhill. Amber Glenn, who identifies as bisexual and pansexual, was part of the American figure skating team that won gold in the team event.
Swiss freestyle skier Mathilde Gremaud, who is in a relationship with Vali Höll, an Austrian mountain biker, won gold in women’s freeski slopestyle.
Bruce Mouat, who is the captain of the British curling team that won a silver medal, is gay. Six members of the Canadian women’s hockey team — Emily Clark, Erin Ambrose, Emerance Maschmeyer, Brianne Jenner, Laura Stacey, and Marie-Philip Poulin — that won silver are LGBTQ.
Swedish freestyle skier Sandra Naeslund, who is a lesbian, won a bronze medal in ski cross.
Belgian speed skater Tineke den Dulk, who is bisexual, was part of her country’s mixed 2000-meter relay that won bronze. Canadian ice dancer Paul Poirier, who is gay, and his partner, Piper Gilles, won bronze.
Laura Zimmermann, who is queer, is a member of the Swiss women’s hockey team that won bronze when they defeated Sweden.
Outsports.com notes all of the LGBTQ Olympians who competed at the games and who medaled.
Sports
US wins Olympic gold medal in women’s hockey
Team captain Hilary Knight proposed to girlfriend on Wednesday
The U.S. women’s hockey team on Thursday won a gold medal at the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics.
Team USA defeated Canada 2-1 in overtime. The game took place a day after Team USA captain Hilary Knight proposed to her girlfriend, Brittany Bowe, an Olympic speed skater.
Cayla Barnes and Alex Carpenter — Knight’s teammates — are also LGBTQ. They are among the more than 40 openly LGBTQ athletes who are competing in the games.
The Olympics will end on Sunday.
Sports
Attitude! French ice dancers nail ‘Vogue’ routine
Cizeron and Fournier Beaudry strike a pose in memorable Olympics performance
Madonna’s presence is being felt at the Olympic Games in Italy.
Guillaume Cizeron and his rhythm ice dancing partner Laurence Fournier Beaudry of France performed a flawless skate to Madonna’s “Vogue” and “Rescue Me” on Monday.
The duo scored an impressive 90.18 for their effort, the best score of the night.
“We’ve been working hard the whole season to get over 90, so it was nice to see the score on the screen,” Fournier Beaudry told Olympics.com. “But first of all, just coming out off the ice, we were very happy about what we delivered and the pleasure we had out there. With the energy of the crowd, it was really amazing.”
Watch the routine on YouTube here.
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