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GLRF featured on the Federazione Italiana Canottaggio website news summary.
The story appeared on 29 Jan 2005 on the main page of the FIC website:
Riceviamo molti messaggi informativi su attività ed iniziative di carattere promozionale con richiesta di divulgazione nel mondo remiero.
Oggi segnaliamo la "Gay and Lesbian Rowing Federation" (siti Internet www.GLRF.info, www.craftsbury.com) che arricchisce il panorama delle opportunità rivolto a chi vuole praticare il canottaggio in tutte le sue espressioni associative.
Clicca per il communicato GLRF (in inglese)(archived news story, published in English):
[The Gay + Lesbian Rowing Federation is a web-based, global membership organization dedicated to creating a worldwide community among gay and lesbian rowers. We also actively promote rowing in the gay and lesbian community. Although there are a few separate gay and lesbian rowing clubs, our individual members are almost entirely composed of rowers belonging to private and community clubs.
Currently, we have 280 members from 13 countries. To date, we have not received any registrations from rowers in Italy but we are very eager to increase awareness in Italy and to add a global rower page for the Italian Rowing Community. Of course, we would have it translated in Italian!
Already, we are in discussions with Mme. Eliza Camp about hosting a gay and lesbian rowing clinic at her wonderful location in Tuscany, called Terralba Canottieri San Miniato.
Attached is our press release that announces our push into developing rowing camps worldwide for 2005. In just two weeks since that press release, we have come to an agreement with CRC Sculling Camps to promote their camps in England, Spain, and Australia.]
A rower in Sao Paulo who contacted GLRF for assistance in preparing for the 2006 Montreal World Outgames will meet with Montreal officials today, in Sao Paulo. GLRF provided both coordination and resources by encouraging the rower to make a post on the Brasil forum of the ALL OARS message board, as well as passing along the information to officials in Montreal.
By coincidence, Rendezvous Montreal 2006 officials, organizers of the first World Outgames, were planning a promotional tour to Brasil at the end of January. See related news release:
2005_01_24_Brasil_E.pdf
Now that’s service!
GLRF is excited to announce the establishment of the ROWING PARTNER program. Developed to enhance the visibility of both organizations, program participants will share a higher level of visibility within the GLRF website and throughout all event promotions. Similarly, GLRF will be prominently featured within their organization’s promotional materials and activities.
GLRF launched the 2005 global marketing campaign, HitTheWater!2005. It is designed to assist crews and rowers with the intense training regimens necessary to prepare for the 2006 regattas in Chicago and Montreal. By creating focal points for crews to train, rowers can develop stronger, more experienced boats and refine their skills in a variety of settings. The global campaign will seek to create camps and clinics in North America, Europe, and Australia, with a shared emphasis on sweep and scull rowing.
In a first but important step into the South American continent, GLRF received its first registration from a Brazilian rower. Rowing is a popular sport in both Brasil and Argentina, tracing its roots back to the 19th century and European settlers. At that time, it was considered the sport of the aristocracy and a prime way to get the attention of the ladies (hem, hem, we assume a few men were watching too). As a result, rowing was one of the most popular sports. Although rowing has long been surpassed by futebol in popularity, it is still pursued with a passion at the local and national level.
Follow up note: GLRF received its second rower registration on 11 Jan 2005 from a university student in Sao Paulo.
The 2004 Annual Meeting of the Federation of Gay Games was in a word, unremarkable. No major decisions were made. No significant departures or arrivals of new organizational directors were observed. The Gay and Lesbian Tennis Alliance was readmitted after a 10 year absence. The International Figure Skating Union was readmitted after a 2 year absence. The London-based city organization, Out For Sport was admitted. Three more positions were created on the Executive Committee, which acts as the core action group throughout the year. The newly created positions had an inadvertent effect on the organizational director delegates. As soon as you are elected to the Executive Committee, you lose your status as an organizational director and become an individual director. So as soon as the meeting ended, about six organizational director positions were vacant, and left to be filled by other members of each organization. In a volunteer organization, giving up two working representatives to an outside group is difficult.
The Chicago Gay Games organizers gave their progress report and kicked off their partner program. It looks like everything is on track. No word or update on the progress of organizing the Chicago Gay Games Regatta .. yet.
The big controversy leading up to the annual meeting was the “Town Hall” meeting organized to discuss the possibility of a reconciliation between the Federation of Gay Games and the Gay and Lesbian International Sports Association, and the ongoing division that the two simultaneous 2006 multi-sport events have created. The meeting invitations would permit non delegate participation. Some imagined a room full of 200 or more. Instead, it was just the same room full of delegates and about 15 additional visitors, debating the two sides of the issue and expressing their feelings about the division and the two organizations.
Finally, Maloney & Fox and Kyle Ozier gave an outstanding presentation on nonprofit structural organization and fundraising. The 2005 Annual Meeting will be held in Chicago.
The highlight of the week was a visit to the FISA Class A rowing stadium just outside of Cologne, Fuehlinger See, and a 12km row along the Rhine River in a 3-man touring boat with Hans and friend. Truly wonderful.
Hordes of women are set to invade the northwest Victorian town of Dimboola in December, as part of the second National Lesbian Rowing Camp. Organised by the Melbourne Argonauts Queer Rowing Association, the event is expected to attract women from across Australia. Argonauts vice president Michelle Gee said the December 3-5 camp would involve a full program of weekend rowing, social activities, and hopefully strengthen interstate ties between the gay and lesbian rowing communities.
About two dozen women took part last year — including friends of rowers who enjoyed the perfect weather and lazing on the banks of the Wimmera River. “It’s open to all women,” Michelle said. “The camp is not only going to be great fun, but for those thinking about going to the 2006 Gay Games, it is also a great opportunity to link up with other women rowers.”
Dimboola Rowing Club facilities have been booked, and camp participants are already signing on. Many bunked down in the Dimboola clubhouse last year, while some hired nearby cabins. Dimboola, which has a population of about 2000, is located on the tree-lined Wimmera River, 334km northwest of Melbourne, near the Little Desert National Park.
The Head of the Charles Regatta is an international rowing event that some consider to be the largest in the world. Certainly crews from all over the world converge to vie for the coveted “Head of the Charles” designation. GLRF captured some eyeballs at the event by hosting a booth in the grand Expo Tent, adjacent to the finish line. The booth, near the center of the tent, was within easy view of the winners platform where the US Olympic Mens and Womens eight rowing teams signed autographs and overheard announcements about the ongoing raffle at the Gay and Lesbian Rowing Federation booth. Visitors from South Africa, Holland, Australia, and the UK stopped by to say hello and check out the live GLRF website on display via 3 laptops.
GLRF had displays on the Chicago Gay Games and the Montreal World Outgames. Coaches and athletes had a chance to read and learn about the National Center for Lesbian Rights’ Homophobia in Sports project, and local rowers picked up information on the Boston Bay Blades. Both the GLRF Thermal shirts and the GLRF Summer50 Henley shirts were available for purchase as well as the new rainbow socks.
Sculler Greg Edelston doesn’t shoot low. He is intent on securing a seat in Great Britain’s lightweight senior squad next year. To do that, he heads into a tough fall season with the first of three trials this Saturday in Boston. Yes, for the rest of us who think there is only the one Beantown across the pond, the town of Boston is situated on the Boston River, in Lincolnshire in Great Britain.
This first trial, on 23 Oct 2004, consists of a 5 km Head Race down the Boston River. The trials include the usual drug tests and weigh-in procedures. The second trial, in December, will consist of an identical 5km piece as well as a 2k ergo test. For lightweights, that means a sub 6:35. Currently, Greg is holding at a 6:36. He assures us that he can shave one second. Depending on the outcomes of these trials, Greg will face a third trial in February.
Greg is entering as a 70 kg lightweight, representing Vesta Rowing Club.
Greg says he enjoys a challenge and apparently so. Following on the heels of his first trial, Greg will compete in the huge Armada Cup in Berne, Switzerland on 30 Oct 2004. This 9km race is best known for its namesake, with waves of 25 scullers abreast at the starting line.
Best of luck to you Greg, and we expect you to do your part to represent the very honored and successful Vesta Rowing Club!
The Melbourne Argonauts are branching out. Argo promoter Sandy Mitchell recently held exploratory talks with Greg Howell, CEO of Rowing Queensland (RQ), about starting a Gay and Lesbian Rowing Club in Brisbane.
The meeting went very well and Sandy came away with the sound impression that RQ would actively welcome a gay and lesbian club into their association. So much so that Mr. Howell even showed Sandy some rack space that was available directly under the RQ offices on the Brisbane River at the West End. Said CEO Howell, “anything that breaks down barriers to participation and helps develop the sport” is welcome.
A Brisbane gay and lesbian rowing club would be the fourth organized group in Australia. The Melbourne Argonauts are super organized and home to over 80 members. A loosely organized group in Sydney continues to row together on a regular basis. Adelaide lays claim to the oldest rowing group – a small group of women who have rowed together for … “a very long time.”
Sandy is looking for expressions of interests from rowers in the Brisbane area who would like take this initiative and run with it. If you have some kind of rowing pedigree, whether it be from School, University, Club, no matter how long ago, please send him an email. Alternatively, if you hear or know of someone who might find this of interest, please send them this article.
Update 10 Apr 2010: With the launch of the All Oars Groups, Queensland rowers can establish an immediate community by forming a group for Brisbane rowers, as one umbrella group, or for men and women separately. You decide!
