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