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Would you like to add a news article? Great!  We would love it if you did. All submissions require approval before publication so here are some editorial guidelines:

 

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  • how your club is doing something for gay rowing or being supportive of the gay community,
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2014 Gay Games Regatta proves to be medalicious!

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View of the regatta course on the Cuyahoga river.  Click here to see all the images from the event, and to upload your own!
12 August 2014 - Cleveland; It was a rather mild day for rowing on Sunday 10 August 2014 in Cleveland for the 2014 Gay Games Rowing Regatta.  With partly cloudy skies, a slight breeze out of the southeast, and temperatures only peaking near 80 degrees Fahrenheit ( 27 Celsius) and the humidity at a relative low of 58%, rowers could focus on their races instead of heat exhaustion.

The 2014 Gay Games rowing event, originally planned as a 3200m. head race, was shortened to a side-by-side (Henley style) 1272m. sprint river race.  The race start was up river and headed down river, through two major turns to finish in front of the Cleveland Rowing Foundation boathouse.   Sixteen clubs or squads submitted 68 entries for 16 planned events.  Two events did not have entries so the net events were narrowed to 14.  For the results, click here.

Although there were 172 participants, the low number of entries created an event schedule that was slated to run from 08:20h - 12:20h, including three, 30 minute  breaks.  Unfortunately, the hosts of the regatta, the Cleveland Rowing Foundation, were unable to secure a full river closure (they get that right once a year for the Head of Cuyahoga in September).  So the race schedule was suspended twice as commercial barge traffic motored through the course.



The regatta's first event was a Board race, with two eights representing the boards of the two organizations that supported the organization and execution of the regatta, the Western Reserve Rowing Association and the Cleveland Rowing Foundation.  As Kirk Lange, head coach of WRRA and the executive director of the Cleveland Rowing Foundation explained, "the boards wanted to demonstrate their support for the regatta and did so in a manner truly befitting the rowing community."  Western Reserve won the race in a time of 4:50.5

The local commitment to the regatta was evident from the number of local entries (over half of the event):
  • Western Reserve Rowing Association (25 entries)
  • Greater Columbus Rowing Association (11 entries)
Since the race was not sanctioned by USRowing, the entire event was run by 100 volunteers,  including officiating.  The City of Cleveland's focus on the safety of the participants was phenomenal.  Unbeknownst to rowers, police on horseback patrolled the entire length of the race course.

It was medals galore for participants as some races were sorted into two sections, handicapped by age and time, and both sections receiving medals for first, second, and third place.  Even events with only one entry raced and medaled (the Gay Games guidance to the regatta committee was very clear: "if they enter, they race and they medal.").

The ten most popular events were:
  • men's open 1x (10 entries)
  • women's 4+ (9 entries)
  • mixed 8+ (9 entries)
  • men's 4+ (7 entries)
  • men's 2x (5 entries)
  • mixed 2x (5 entries)
  • mixed 4+ (5 entries)
  • women's open 1x (4 entries)
  • women's 8+ (4 entries)
  • men's 8+ (4 entries)
Although gay and lesbian rowers were definitely in the minority for the event, there were family members in many of the races, and of course, there was no doubt about the entries for the San Francisco Bay Blades, the DC Strokes Rowing Club, the Chicago Rowing Union, and two squads of women rowers from Northampton, MA who competed under the name of Pioneer Valley Pride.


3 Comments

correction to last paragraphe above.  "minority" is clearly to be ea as  "mayority"
Cuyahoga is indigenous American for Twisted. Yes so is this river. We all unfotunately were not given a oportunity to train and scout the course before the event. In stead a launch cruise was offerd by CRF. I would like to express here m special thanks to the famous trainer Patrick. Please allow me te remain quilty not mentioning his surname here. He and the other cruise captains gave instructions to the visiting team coxswains and also single (shell or skiff) rowers. By putting the landmarks and steering advises well in mind I made my curves the next day as a local pilot. Besides, outside Amsterdam where I row on the Amstel river, we have same sort of situation. With the new knowledge and old experience I came out in a shell as third in handicap score over the finish. I know from the raw score (2nd) that gold should be at the oars hand next time.

The regatta race course was supposedly longer at the time of enrollment. The late change and shortening ofthe track made me doubt as a head racer (H. of he Amstel) and not a sprinter. Neverteless and with the encouragement of Mindy Roth I just
went for it. Mindy, as coach and host and principly as intern of the Cleveland Foundation and commissioned to the CFR for the GG9 CLE R R occasion, I want to express here my special thanks.

Only very few rowers from overseas came out to GG9 CLE RR. Many missed out on a great occasion I must say. The location and organisation did meet with all the standards for a international event.
Rowing is not taken for granted allway a part of Gay Games in general. (nor at Out Games for that matter) So I would like to call upon the LGBT rowers out there to show up .........and have fun! Yes we can ("and God knows we even don't need to try").
To the organizing brave ones amongst us I do advocate for having rowing rock hard inclusive all the next times of the GLBT sport event to come.
The fact we hear more over voices to put an end to the split between OUT en GAY games is to the many of us very promissing .On the other hand, with Copenhagen '09 and Antwerp '13, the OUTgames delivered for rowers pretty well so far. So when we unite gay-and-out in one again as by nature it should be, then for all the rowers I hope the inclusiveness of our sport will continue in at least the rithme of every 4 years where ever we shall meet.

glrfcentral
28 Aug 2014 - 22h54.
@Paul020: thanks for your wonderful comments!  Because of all the local entries from the Western Reserve Rowing Association and the Greater Cleveland Rowing Association, my math calculations led me to believe gay and lesbian rowers were in the minority.  If I was wrong, all the better!

As for wonderful, talented and energetic Patrick, he is a GLRF member and you can see his profile and send him a message: baron9829