Sports
Gay rollerskating group meets monthly at Laurel Skating Rink
Reunion event inspired new series after original group ended a decade ago
Monday Night Skating meets on the last Monday of every month at 7:30 p.m. at the Laurel Skating Rink.
After moving to the Seabrook Roller Wheel, the group disbanded when the rink came under new anti-LGBT ownership. The feeling of losing something special lingered for 10-plus years among alumni of the group.
Last year, the alumni gathered together for a birthday party at Laurel Skating Center and the event prompted them to approach the rink manager and arrange an agreement to make it all happen again.
Monday Night Skating launched in March of 2016 and is led by Ward Morrison who originally began skating with the group in 1997.
“I set weird goals for myself and at one point I actually skated with them for 52 weeks in a row,” Morrison says. “I am a joyful person and skating brings that solid pure joy to a whole new level.”
The group meets on the last Monday of every month at 7:30 p.m. at the Laurel Skating Rink and has evolved well beyond the core alumni skaters. Themed nights have been created to reach out to all members of the LGBT community. Recent skates were tied to Black Pride, Trans Pride, the Latino community, a women’s night and a youth night.
“Our attendance has grown top to bottom and includes a really good mix of children, parents and all ages of the LGBTQ community,” Morrison says. “This is a place where people can be themselves and rediscover just having some no pressure fun.”
Morrison grew up as one of four boys in Falls Church, Va., playing baseball and soccer which continued in high school after his family moved to Texas. He stayed with intramural soccer at Virginia Tech along with several years of playing with the LGBT-based Federal Triangles Soccer Club.
His work at REI as well as in photography and massage therapy points to what he considers the triangle that defines his life; health & wellness, the creative process and the outdoors.
These days, Morrison thrives on kayaking, paddle boarding, mountain biking, hiking, backpacking and camping. In 2014, he won a silver medal at the Cleveland Gay Games as part of the D.C. sailing team. He says the most aerobically intense thing in his life is coming from the roller skating.
People who arrive at Monday Night Skating can expect a mix of ’70s and ’80s music along with playful new songs, disco and classic skate music. The night includes couples’ skates, conga line, limbo, raffles and games.
“I want Monday Night Skating to continue in perpetuity because it is a playful and fun activity where people can let loose,” Morrison says. “These kinds of playing fields, such as sports and parades, are the things that bring us together as a community. It makes us strong.”
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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