Sports
YEAR IN REVIEW 2017: sports
Wetskins, Triangles and more enjoy banner year
Stonewall Climbing was one of the new LGBT sports leagues to debut in the region this year. (Photo courtesy Stonewall Climbing)
The LGBT sports community in the Washington metro area has continued to thrive through the leadership skills of each respective team. In 2017, about 25 LGBT-based teams that represent a diverse cross-section of the LGBT community competed in locally hosted leagues along with tournaments around the world.
The Capital Tennis Association launched a free Beginner’s Basics program for members to learn basic skills and techniques. In September they hosted Capital Classic XXV and in addition, offered four seasons of league play. They picked up their third straight win at the Atlantic Cup in October defeating teams from Boston, New York and Philadelphia. Their players are also competing globally in other tournaments on the Gay and Lesbian Tennis Alliance world tour.
The D.C. Gay Flag Football League completed seasons 14 and 15 in 2017 with close to 300 players on 20 teams. Their travel teams contested in tournaments in Chicago and Rehoboth Beach along with Gay Bowl in Boston.
The Federal Triangles Soccer Club hosted another successful season of the Summer of Freedom Soccer League along with competing in other District leagues and tournament play.
The Washington Wetskins water polo team hosted the Washington Wetskins Fall Invitational in October at the Takoma Aquatic Center and welcomed 12 teams from the Eastern Seaboard. They also traveled to multiple tournaments including the International Gay & Lesbian Aquatics World Championships in Miami.
The Chesapeake and Potomac Softball League hosted its biggest MAGIC tournament in July at Watkins Regional Park with 44 teams participating. At the ASANA Softball World Series in Austin, one of their women’s teams notched third place and one of their master’s men’s teams took third place in their division at the Gay Softball World Series in Portland. The CAPS just returned from the Bourbon Street Classic in New Orleans.
The D.C. Sentinels basketball team traveled to tournaments in Minneapolis and Philadelphia. Their weekly pick-up games continue along with the launch of the next season of the Washington D.C. Gay Basketball League.
The Stonewall Sports umbrella organization continues to host play through Stonewall Kickball, Stonewall Dodgeball, Stonewall Bocce, Stonewall Climbing, Stonewall Billiards and Stonewall Yoga. The fourth annual Stonewall Sports National Tournament was held in July at locations throughout D.C. including the National Mall.
The District of Columbia Aquatics Club traveled to Miami in May where they won 171 medals at the International Gay & Lesbian Aquatics World Championships. In October they hosted more than 100 swimmers at the Columbus Day Classic at Wilson Aquatic Center.
All three of the local rugby teams, Washington Scandals, Washington Renegades and the Baltimore Flamingos, are playing in USA Rugby’s Mid-Atlantic Senior Men’s Division IV conference. They are also playing in tournaments and will travel to the Bingham Cup in Amsterdam in 2018.
Along with their successes at out-of-town tournaments, many of the teams hosted their own tournaments in D.C. and ran their own leagues. Registrations for new seasons will begin for many of the clubs in January.
The LGBT sports community of D.C. continues to evolve and this year’s new additions included Stonewall Climbing and Rogue Darts.
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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