Sports
In sync
D.C. Strokes celebrate 20th anniversary with Regatta
The D.C. Strokes in action. (Photo by Kevin Majoros)
If you have had the pleasure of strolling along the banks of the Anacostia River, then you have probably been witness to the members of the DC Strokes Rowing Club. The beauty and mystique of the athletes rowing in sync can be mesmerizing.
I recently asked a Strokes member how he got started with the club and his response did not surprise me. He frequently rode his bike along the Anacostia and became transfixed with watching the rowers. With no previous rowing experience, he became a member and is now competing in regattas.
The Club began in 1991 with eight gay runners looking for a cross-training activity. It has grown into a multifaceted LGBT sports club offering all sorts of programs for all levels of rowers. The club is based at the Anacostia Community Boathouse and is entering its 20th season boasting over 150 members with more than 2,000 alumni.
On Sunday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., the Strokes will host the 18th annual Stonewall Regatta. In 1994 during preparations for the New York Gay Games, the Club discovered there were no other competitions for LGBT rowers. They quickly organized a regatta in New York’s Pelham State Park and named it in honor of the 25th anniversary of the Stonewall riots. The event was such a success that it was brought home to D.C. where it has since been held every June.
This year’s event will feature athletes from as far away as Chicago competing in 32 events. The Women’s Masters 4+ race alone has 24 entries and the Men’s Master 4+ has 22 entries. The Pennsylvania Ave SE Bridge as well as the Anacostia Boathouse launching platform offer ideal viewing of the races. Parking is available at the Washington Navy Yard.
The programs maintained by the D.C. Strokes include something for everyone. There is Winter Erg training, a Pre-Season camp, a Learn to Row program, a Novice program, a Club program and a Competitive program. With the Eastern seaboard colleges being chock-full of crew teams, the Strokes also established a program for rowers who are in D.C. for the summer. The College Rower program offers the athletes a chance to take advantage of their time off from studies. Many of the alumni from this program have returned to college and posted their best times.
The Club is a member organization of the United States Rowing Association (USRowing) which is 16,000 members strong and recognized as the governing body for the sport of rowing in the United States. This weekend’s Stonewall Regatta does not just promote rowing in the LGBT community, it also kicks off the circuit of adult sprint race competitions in the mid-Atlantic region.
Community outreach has been a longstanding tradition for the D.C. Strokes. Brian Heath, president, says 2011 brings three new ventures for the rowers. The Strokes, along with USRowing and the Anacostia Community Boathouse Association has formed a partnership with Athletes Without Limits. The program is called “America Rows” and will be a launching pad for athletes with intellectual disabilities and Paralympic dreams. Volunteers from the Strokes are training the athletes for several 2011 regattas. More information on the program can be found at www.athleteswithoutlimits.us.
This year saw the Club offer scholarships to economically challenged individuals who were granted access to their Learn to Row program. Awards were granted to two members of the LGBT community which enabled them the opportunity to row with the Strokes.
Also on the docket for the Strokes this summer is a partnership with the D.C. Department of Parks & Recreation. Coming on the heels of filling all 80 slots in their own Learn to Row program, the Strokes will be volunteering instruction for city youths in a week long Learn to Row program.
Watch the Strokes in action this weekend on the Anacostia. For anyone who doubts the competitiveness of this group, they won a gold and two bronze medals at the 2009 US Masters Nationals and are always looking to better themselves.
For more information, go here.
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.
PHOTOS: Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Parade
An undeclared war of distraction by the felon
Talarico beats Crockett in Texas primary
35 years after ‘Truth or Dare,’ Slam is still dancing
