Sports
Vets and rookies: D.C. Aquatics Club
Long-time members say newer swimmers inspire
Michael Saxvik ready to compete. (Washington Blade photo by Kevin Majoros)
Now that many of the LGBT sports teams in Washington have established solid clubs with strong bases of athletes, an interesting dynamic has emerged between the rookies and veterans on the teams.
This year the Blade will spotlight a rookie and a veteran from the different local teams in a series that will delve into why it is important to have a mix of both types of athletes and how they define each other.
Michael Saxvik joined the District of Columbia Aquatics Club in 2012 after moving to D.C. from St. Louis. A former high school swimmer from Minnesota, he missed the team aspect and being part of a group.
“I wanted to meet people with similar interests, build a new network and have a more structured approach to my workouts,” Saxvik says.
He says he wasn’t expecting to find so many veterans on the team and that what is great about them is the wealth of experience they bring to the table.
“It is nice to have the context of the experienced swimmers and to hear about the origins of the team,” Saxvik says. “I like having that connection to the history.”
Saxvik often finds that he is in the same lane with some of the veterans at practices and admires their work ethic.
“When they kick my butt in practice, it is a great wake up call,” he says.
This year, Saxvik, who is 33 and works in technology and consulting for higher education, joined the board of D.C. Aquatics as membership chair. He felt that it was the right time to step into a leadership role as the veterans have already given so much of their time.
“Being a part of D.C. Aquatics is one of the best things that have happened to me,” Saxvik says. “The veterans prove that there is hope for me to compete in the future.”
Dawson Nash grew up in Baltimore and attended St Paul’s School where athletics are a key skill set for students. He gave lacrosse and wrestling a try but found that he was unsuccessful at being an athlete even though it was something he wanted to achieve.
After moving to D.C., he joined D.C. Aquatics in 1998 because he wanted to compete and has never looked back.
“I love the camaraderie on the team and the challenging workouts,” Nash says. “Being in shape and competing is good for your mind and spirit; it makes you a well-rounded person.”
Nash likes seeing younger people gravitating to the sport and making swimming part of their lives.
“Having the newbies there is a constant reminder that you can’t rest on your laurels,” Nash says. “You can still improve at any age and the rookies motivate you to continue to better yourself.”
Nash, who is 61 and works as a manager of software developers, attended a high school reunion and after sharing stories of traveling the world to compete in swimming, a classmate turned and said, “Wow, you really are an athlete now.”
Nash has no plans to wrap up his swimming career anytime soon and finds contentment in the spirit of the team and meeting other swimmers from all over the world.
In an interesting twist as to what actually defines a veteran, Nash points to a 91-year-old swimmer from California who recently starred in a Speedo ad, swims a mile a day and competes in a dozen swim meets a year.
“In 30 years, I want to be that guy,” Nash says. “Joining this team is one of the best things I have ever done.”
Dawson Nash at the Maryland Swim for Life open water race (Washington Blade photo by Kevin Majoros)
Iran and Egypt on Friday faced off during the World Cup’s “Pride Match” in Seattle.
Iran is among the handful of countries in which consensual same-sex sexual relations remain punishable by death. Discrimination and persecution based on sexual orientation and gender identity is commonplace in Egypt.
Friday’s match coincided with Pride weekend in Seattle. The Egyptian Football Association and the Football Federation Islamic Republic of Iran both objected to playing in the “Pride Match.”
Egypt and Iran tied 1-1.
FIFA, for its part, allowed Pride flags inside the stadium during the match.
“The FIFA World Cup 2026 is an inclusive event that welcomes people from all backgrounds,” a FIFA spokesperson told the Washington Blade in a statement. “Fans of all sexual orientations and gender identities are welcome at matches and events. General statements of human rights, including rainbow flags and other flags representing sexual orientation and gender identity, are permitted under the FIFA World Cup 2026™ Stadium Code of Conduct and may be displayed inside stadiums provided they are used in a manner consistent with the code.”
Human Rights Watch welcomed FIFA’s decision to allow Pride flags inside the stadium. Outright International, a global LGBTQ and intersex rights group, distributed Pride flags in Seattle on Friday, which was Pride Match Day.
“Visibility matters,” said Outright International Executive Director Maria Sjödin. “Pride is now being celebrated in more than 100 countries, including this weekend in Seattle. For many LGBTIQ people, seeing a Pride flag in public is a reminder that they are not alone, and that their rights and dignity are recognized.”
FIFA President Gianni Infantino earlier this year told Die Weltwoche, a Swiss magazine, that “there will be no ‘Pride Match’ at the (FIFA) World Cup.”
“There will be a FIFA World Cup match in Seattle, and on the same day, events organized by external organizations will be taking place in the city,” said Infantino. “But that has nothing to do with the match itself.”
Peter Tatchell, a long-time LGBTQ activist from the U.K. who is director of the Peter Tatchell Foundation, was among those who traveled to Seattle for Friday’s match. Tatchell accused FIFA of not vetting World Cup teams — specifically Iran, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Ghana, Senegal, Qatar, Tunisia, Morocco, Iraq, Uzbekistan, and Algeria — over whether they would allow gay players.
“FIFA is protecting LGBT+ visibility in the stands while failing to protect LGBT+ players on the pitch,” said Tatchell.
The Baltimore Orioles will take on the Washington Nationals on Friday, June 26 at 7 p.m. for Pride Night at Oriole Park.
The first 15,000 fans will receive an exclusive Pride Night Orioles jersey. The Washington Blade is a media sponsor of this event.
To purchase tickets, visit Orioles.com/Tickets.
Sports
Minor league team in York, Pa., forfeits Pride Night game after some players refuse to wear special jersey
City is roughly 20 miles north of Md. border
An independent minor league baseball team says it is forfeiting a game because some of its players refused to wear a special Pride Night jersey.
The Atlantic League Pro Baseball’s York Revolution were planning to hold their 11th annual Pride Night event Thursday for a game against the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs.
But the Revolution announced the day of the game that it wouldn’t be played. York is about 20 miles north of the Maryland line. The Blue Crabs play in Waldorf.
The rest of this article can be found on the Baltimore Banner’s website.
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