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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (Aug. 2, 2002)
40 2.2002 DIVERSIONS ............... T ............... More softball than you can shake a hat at in the Portland area this month far Softball scenesters descend on Portland area > ugust is just chock-a-block with queer softball. First of all, the Lesbian Community Project plays host to its 17th annual Softball Tournament of Choice Aug. 9 to 11 at Prairie Fields in Brush Prairie, Wash. The following weekend the Rose City Softball Association welcomes thousands of players and fans to the North American Gay Amateur Athletic Alliance’s World Series 2002. As for the Tournament of Choice, this year hardworking LCP volunteers had to tum away 10 teams to stick to its 32-team limit. This left some disgruntled Oregon and Washington players who have been participating for years out of the running. “After 17 years its grow ing, which is exciting,” says Kathy Saunders, one of the tournament coordinators, although she admits it’s unfortunate teams have to be turned away. Co-coordinator Kathy Gillette agrees. “The tournament has continued to grow throughout its existence. ..we arc looking at changing pos sibly the format next year so we can accommo date more teams.” That’s g(xxl news for softballers and for LCP, too, which regards the event as its biggest fund-raiser of the year. The coordinators couldn’t be more pleased at the success of the annual affair. Gillette, who is also an umpire for the Portland Metro Soft ball Association, acknowledges all the consis tent hard work that, over time, has made this small eight-team tournament into one of the most successful women’s softball events in the Northwest. “There have been a lot of women who have helped organize it over the years, and they’ve all played a part in it being as successful as it is now,” she says. Add to all those teams hundreds of rowdy fans and you’ve got quite a gathering of dykes, er, women. Well, OK, any women’s team can register, but let’s admit it: "1 think these arc probably all lesbian teams,” allows Saunders. At the end of the tourney, first-, second- and third-place trophies are awarded in each of four divisions based on skill level. There’s also a Most Valuable Player award* in each division as well as the Barbara Martin Memorial GtxxJ Sports Award, which goes to the individual who possesses, according to Saunders, the same qual ities as the woman who used to play with the Portland Furies before suc cumbing to cancer. “I never had the opportunity, unfortunately, to meet her,” says Saunders, who also used to play with the Furies. But her reputation followed her as “a real team player, a won derful person to he around,” and, notes Saunders, she “had a really gixxJ attitude. She was com petitive hut had goodwill towards everybody, too. So they’ve created this award in her memory.” The tournament also serves as somewhat of a festival, with vendor Ixxiths, fixxl and camp ing facilities. There’s also a raffle and silent auction to help generate funds. “ It creates a micnx:ommunity for the week end,” exclaims Gillette. “It’s a lot of what LCP’s about, which is creating community. It fits really well with what LCP tries to do...the rest of the year.” For more information about the Tourna ment of Choice or for directions to the field, contact LCP at 503-227-0605. A s for the World Series, which runs from Aug. 16, when everyone starts to arrive, to the Aug. 24 closing ceremonies (and subse quent street party blast), “It’s an exhausting job,” huffs director Roy Melani before laughing and adding, “Be careful what you wish for....” Having just finished the Portland-area finals, nine R C SA teams will be heading into the World Series: Portland Boxxes’ Storm and Portland Gay Yellow Pages in B division; JO Q ’s and Scandals in C division, Silverado Titans in D division; Mixed Fruit in the Women’s Competitive division; and Mad Dogs, Unleash Yourself and Team Betty (spon sored by, ahem, Just Out) in the Women’s Alternative division. “1 think the Mixed Fruit team is definite ly one to watch in the Women’s Competi tive team division,” proffers Melani. “I think that Team Betty and the Mad Dogs, as far as the Women’s Alternative division, could do something pretty special in Portland.” Melani also hints that his own team, the Storm, pretty much kicks butt.*“We really want to win! I’d say the two B teams— the Portland Storm and the Portland Gay Yellow Pages— both have a chance to place, if not win, the char B division.” The World Series is also as much about the fans as about the players, and sever al festive events are planned during the week, including I the Miss Gay World Series „ 1 Pageant, a casino river emise, a Title IX celebration, a talent show and a girls night out. Pick up the Aug. 16 issue of Just Out for complete details or visit www.portlandgaysofthall.com. “It’s a lot of work,” notes Melani, “hut it’s very rewarding...the 13 com m it tee chairmen are working their butts off on this thing to make sure that we have the best World Series ever in its 26 years.” ! artists who created kows for the Rows for Kids kampaign that swept over the Portland area throughout June. Well, one of our beloved queer kows brought in the most money of any single kow auctioned at the July 13 Wine, Dine and Bovine gala. “Boveena, the Afrikow Queen,” created by Portlander Marcus Lintner, sold for a whopping $100,000 to an anonymous bidder. The next highest was “Oregon Moosaic,” which earned a paltry $50,000. Once again, queers step up to the plate, hit a home run and save the day. Congratulations Marcus and Boveena. Another step in the journey T he folks of Georgena’s Journey: A Com munity Confronts Multiple Sclerosis offer another chance to have a fab time and help out one of our own Aug. 17. A community benefit dance to fund Georgena Moran’s life saving stem cell transplant starts 7 p.m. at Trin ity United Methodist Church, 3915 S.E. Steele St. Cost is a $10 donation at the door. The event includes a raffle for cool stuff like massages, restaurant certificates, Portland Fire memorabilia and Blazers tickets. Music is pro vided by DJ Lauren. Moran needs $ 150,000 for the surgery, and a group of active volunteers have been raising money for months. Meet Moran and friends at www.georgenasjoumey.org. Speaking of sports he Federation of Gay Games has announced that registration numbers have reached the 12,000 mark for Gay Games VI, scheduled for Oct. 25 to Nov. 9 in Sydney, Australia. Officials were afraid that after Sept. 11, there would be dwindling interest among ath letes. Although tickets sales reportedly are slow, team regis trations have exceeded expecta tions. “Registration for Gay Games VI is a huge success,” says federation co-president Kathleen Webster, who notes that although not quite equaling Amsterdam’s 14,000 participants in 1998, “given recent world events and Sydney’s relative distance to glob al population centers, we think these numbers are encouraging." Montreal won the right to play host to Gay Games VII in 2006, and a ceremonial contract signing is scheduled to take place early during the Sydney Games. It’s too late to sign up as a participant in the Gay Games, but it’s not to late to go. For more information, visit www.sydney2002.org.au. Montre al’s preliminary plans can be found at www.montreal2006.org. I Kowabunga! lert readers will remember the story in the April 19 issue of Just Out about queer Naked Roman boys T he Guild Theatre is screening Federico Fellini’s Satyricon at 11 p.m. Aug. 9 as part of its dandy Summer Camp Film Series, which includes a new cheesy film every Friday night through Aug. 16. Satyricon is about two half-naked pretty boys, Encolpio and Ascilto, who both want to buy androgynous slave boy Gitone. They argue and go their separate ways, which finds Encol pio on an (xlyssey that includes a drunken orgy and being kidnapped by a bisexual sea captain. Eventually he reunites with Ascilto (who’s been hanging out with Gitone in the mean time), and the three embark upon a plot to capture a “sacred” hermaphrodite. Fellini said about his opus, “I am examining ancient Rome as if this were a documentary about the customs and hahits of the Martians." Heck, I guess we’ve been called worse. JH Compiled by L isa B radshaw
