By John Chen–
The 2018 Gay Games held August 4–12 in Paris, France, have come and gone in the blink of an eye, but they left lasting memories and friendships for the many Bay Area LGBT athletes who made the quadrennial pilgrimage to compete and represent San Francisco. Conceived by Dr. Tom Waddell, a former Olympic decathlete, the first Gay Games commenced in 1982 in our very own city, where 1,350 athletes from 12 nations competed in 17 sports.
The stated mission of the Federation of Gay Games “is to promote equality through the organization of the premiere international LGBT and gay-friendly sports and cultural event known as the Gay Games.” The Federation wants “the widest possible participation, regardless of age, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, health status or athletic ability. Everyone is welcome!”
The 10th Gay Games in Paris attracted over 10,000 athletes, nearly octuple the participants from the first competition in San Francisco. These competitors represented 91 countries in 36 sports. For all of the Bay Area LGBT athletes who traveled to France, the Gay Games held special meaning, whether it was their first time or their tenth.
Rick Thoman, a track and field iron man, is a one of a kind LGBT athlete who has competed in all 10 Gay Games, and won at least one medal in all of them! Thoman’s path to athletic glory was never easy; it was one of sheer physical and mental strength, dedication, perseverance and never-say-die spirit. The Games provided Thoman with great motivation and drive to continue to strive for excellence in spite of father time, strained muscles, surgeries and broken bones. More important than the gold, the silver and the bonze is how the Gay Games changed Thoman’s life as a gay man.
“The Gay Games helped me to reconcile being gay and being athletic,” Thoman told me for the San Francisco Bay Times. “The stereotype of gays being sissies and lisping fairies did not jive with the masculine image of athletes. That I was able to be recognized as both gay and an athlete was the self-esteem I needed to fully come out. Through the Gay Games, Dr. Waddell showed the world that gay people aren’t just drag queens but we are also runners, swimmers, wrestlers, basketball players … . We are athletic and we are competitive. We aren’t fragile—we are tough and strong and can endure the training it takes to be among the best.”
In our Bay Area and all over the world, there are many, many more Rick Thomans who have overcome tremendous physical, emotional and self-image challenges through LGBT sports and through the positive channels that the Gay Games can provide. To honor and pay tribute to Bay Area LGBT athletes whose hard work paid dividends, I’ve compiled a list of local teams and individual medal winners below. An official complete list was not available as of this writing, but for updates and more information about the 10th Gay Games, please go to: https://www.paris2018.com/
Congratulations to all of the winners and participants!
Basketball
Gold, San Francisco Rockdogs, A Division
Silver, San Francisco Jas, C Division
Cycling
Silver, Bill Tucker, Men’s 35–39 37km Race
Dance Sport
Silver, Ron Jekins/Photis Pishiaras, Ballroom Dance/Senior Men Standard B
Silver, San Francisco Vima Vice Squad, Team Show Dance
Silver, Cheer San Francisco, Formation Teams
Ice Hockey
Bronze, San Francisco Team Riptide
Martial Arts
Gold, Chris Yang, Men’s Open Hand Form, Intermediate
Gold, DeVante Allen, Men’s Open Hand Form, Black Belt
Gold, DeVante Allen, Men’s Musical Form, Black Belt
Gold, Long Wu, Weapons Form, Senior Black Belt
Silver, DeVante Allen, Men’s Weapon Form, Black Belt
Silver, Louise Rafkin, Women’s Musical Form, Black Belt
Silver, Louise Rafkin, Women’s Forms 52 and Up, Black Belt
Silver, Cinthia Varkivissor, Empty Hands Form, Women’s Black Belt 52 and Below
Bronze, Long Wu, Empty Hands Form, Senior Black Belt
Soccer
Gold, San Francisco Spikes Soccer Club, Men’s 11 v 11 Division 2B
Bronze, San Francisco Spikes Soccer Club, Women’s 7 v 7
Softball
Silver, San Francisco Inferno Blaze, Women’s Division
Silver, San Francisco Inferno Blaze, Open B Division
Bronze, San Francisco Eagles, Open A Division
Swimming
Gold, Bart McDermott, 50m Fly
Gold, Bart McDermott, 100m Fly
Gold, Bart McDermott, 200m Fly
Silver, Bart McDermott, 200m Free
Tennis
Gold, Alex Liou/Kilby Featherston, Men’s 18+ A Doubles
Gold, Ben Zseto/Jerry Ball, Men’s 40+ C Doubles
Gold, Alvin Chua/Gino Tagyolo, Men’s 40+ Open Doubles
Gold, Alvin Chua/Carrie Portis, Mixed 40+ A Doubles
Gold, Barbara Dunn/Michele McGeoy, Mixed 50+ Doubles
Gold, Curtis Dunn, Men’s 18+ Open Singles
Gold, David Chen, Men’s 40+ A Singles
Gold, Carries Portis, Women’s 40+ B Singles
Gold, Laurie Watters, Women’s 60+ Singles
Silver, Hiro Hongo/Marcus Lo, Men’s 18+ A Doubles
Silver, Santi Soumpholphady/Karen Gee, Mixed 40+ A Doubles
Silver, Barbara Dunn/Karen Gee, Women’s 40+ A Doubles
Bronze, Fred Allemann/Tyler Cole, Men’s 40+ B Doubles
Bronze, Charles King/Mary Beth Meyer, Mixed 40+ B Doubles
Bronze, Michele McGeoy/Dora Dome, Women’s 40+ A Doubles
Bronze, Mary Beth Meyer/Laurie Watters, Women’s 50+/60+ Doubles
Bronze, David Chen/Linda Scaparotti, Mixed 40+ A Doubles
Bronze, Santi Soumpholphakdy/Schulhoff Tam, Men’s 40+ Open Doubles
Bronze, David Sauzeat/Elenie Opfer, Mixed 40+ C Doubles
Bronze, Curtis Dunn/Kerry Mitchell, Men’s 18+ Open Doubles
Bronze, Alvin Chua, Men’s 40+ Open Singles
Bronze, Pete Torres, Men’s 40+ A Singles
Bronze, Mary Beth Miller, Women’s 60+ Singles
Bronze, Kilby Featherston, Men’s 18+ A Singles
Track & Field
Gold, Rick Thoman (San Francisco Track & Field Club), Javelin
Gold, Rick Thoman, 4 x 100m
Gold, Sean Au (San Francisco Track & Field Club), Pole Vault
Gold, Sean Au, 4 x 200m
Gold, Sean Au, 4 x 400m
Silver, Rick Thoman, Shotput
Silver, Sean Au, Retro Running 100m
Bronze, Rick Thoman, 100m
Bronze, Sean Au, 4 x 100m
Water Polo
Gold, San Francisco Tsunami, Recreation Division
Silver, San Francisco Tsunami, Competitive Division
(Editor’s Note: For more about the 10th Gay Games held this year in Paris, see the July 26 and August 23 issues.)
John Chen, a UCLA alumnus and an avid sports fan, has competed as well as coached tennis, volleyball, softball and football teams.
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