Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (Aug. 4, 2000)
Fanatics give us three reasons ,why it’s more than just a game _ STARTS FRIDAY, AUGUST 11™ @ CINEMA 21 DOWNTOWN AT 927 SW OAK The NWls best selection o f gay erotica, including: • Every erotic photo book and art book in print • Every book of erotic fiction and nonfiction •Foreign and domestic mags, always at 10% off •Vintage physique photos and magazines 11-6 MON-SAT, 12-0 SUN. 226-8141 Th e Im perial Sovereign Cose C o urt P ro u d ly Presents... The Mr., Mis», and Ms. Say Portland Paseant . ... .. Gay Softball World Series by K aty D avidson rom an economical standpoint, it could be huge. Very huge. W hen the Gay Softball World Series swept through Atlanta in 1998, attendees pumped $10 million into the local economy. Most of the money went to queer-affiliated businesses. Now, a special committee of the Rose City Softball Association is preparing a proposal to bring the event to Portland in 2002. “We’re talking about thousands of people,” said Jae Larsen, head coach of Team Mad Dog and assistant commissioner of the Rose City Softball Association womens division. “It’s an incredible week. For an amateur athlete, it’s the best thing you can be in.” Both Team Mad Dog and the Portland Storm, the respective women’s and men’s league champions, will travel to Toronto later this month to participate in this year’s world series. Alongside the teams, the Rose City committee will give an hourlong presentation to the North American Gay Amateur Athletic Alliance, the organization in charge of award ing the annual series. W ith help from representatives of the Portland Oregon Visitors Association and the Portland Hilton, the committee recently held its first practice presentation— complete with an inspirational, come-to-Portland-for-culture video (set to a smooth-jazz soundtrack). The presentation also includes a list of Portland fac toids, weather charts, venue profiles, a run down of activities, a softball highlight video with a cameo from the West Hollywood Cheerleaders and messages from a few local nonprofit organizations and Mayor Vera Katz. A t press time, Portland’s only competition for the event was Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Several committee members said Fort Lauderdale’s weak point will be its high temperatures and humidity levels in August, while Portland’s late summer weather is generally pleasant. The committee will make its presentation Aug. 13 and hear the results the next day. Tournament of Choice S a turda y, August 26, 2000 Em bers A venue I IC NW Proadw ay, P o rtla nd Poors )p m Pageant 6pm SI6.0C Conation A ll net proceeds benefit the P ride of the Pose. PHI a n d A nn Shepherd a n d A u d rla H . Edw ards ___________________ Scholarship fu n d s __________________ The Im perial Sovereign Rose C ourt is a N on-P rofit 501(c)4 O rganization dedicated to raising m oney fo r charities in and around the greater Portland m etropolitan area. F o r m ore inform ation, you m ay e-mail us at isrc@aol.com oftball and naked slip-and-slide: a match made in lesbian heaven? S Later this month, upwards of 800 people will storm the softball diamonds and camping sites of Prairie Fields, Wash., as the Lesbian Community Project celebrates the 15th anniversary of its Tournament of Choice. The event was originally a one-day softball tournament organized to raise awareness of LCP’s programs. These days, the event runs the course of a long weekend. Tournament organizer Karen Hefner says it now is held in Prairie Fields, which is a 30-minute drive from downtown Portland, because “it’s the only place we could find that had six fields and camping facilities all together.” The weekend includes two days of softball games between 8 a.m. and dusk, a silent auction to benefit LCP, live music, a barbe cue plus vendors with queer-related merchandise. Even hairdressers show up, Hefner says: “They come out and give butch haircuts and things like that.” A nd yes, there really is a celebratory naked slip-and-slide event! The tournament is not a function of the Rose City Softball Association, although sever al of the association’s teams will compete, in cluding the Just Out Mud Skippers. Hefner says any women’s team may enter the tourna ment— in fact, some teams exist only for this event. Because of the vast range of experience among the teams, the organizers divide the tournament into four divisions. Hefner, who now has helped organize this extravaganza for eight years, says watching the event evolve has been interesting. The age range is now quite remarkable, she says, and more players show up with children. The organizers have acknowledged these changes by creating a quiet section of the camping area for families “away from the party girls,” Hefner says. Despite the evolution, the tournam ent’s original purpose still rings true. “It’s to build community,” she says. “It’s become a tradi tion— people come from all over Washington and Oregon.” ■ The 15th annual TOURNAMENT OF CHOICE will take place Aug. 11 ' l 3 in Prairie Fields, Wash. For more information, call the Lesbian Communi ty Project at (503) 233-3913. • Project Good Dog o Jae Larsen, veteran coach of Team Mad Dog, softball is more than just play ing a game. It’s about bringing together community. Earlier this year, the team started Project Good Dog, a plan in which the whole team does an hour of community service for every $25 in sponsorship money it receives. The Mad Dogs are trying to raise $10,000 to get to the world series in Toronto later this month. Though the team is still a few thousand dollars short of its goal, Larsen says, “No player will be left behind because of lack of funds.” In addition to the project, the Mad Dogs are planning a karaoke party and their own ver sion of The Dating Game to raise more money for the trip. T ■ To make a donation or for more information about P r o jec t G o o d D o g , call (503) 287-1413. Team M ad Dog will hold a karaoke party ¡fund-rais er 7 p.m. Aug. 6 at Chez What in Portland, 2203 N.E. Alberta St. The cost is $5. The team also will play The Dating Game and hold a dote auction 8 p.m. Aug. 10 at the Egyptian Club, 3701 S.E. Division St. Both events will help the team cover transportation costs to this summer’s Gay Softball World Series m Toronto. K aty D avidson is a Just O ut staff writer who can be reached at katy@justout.com.
