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Volume I I § Issue 1
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Federation Offers Scholarship Program
For some participants of the Gay Games, the key question is not where and when the Games are, but how can I afford to go? To answer this question for Gay Games VII in Chicago (and future Games), the international Federation of Gay Games (FGG) established the Federation of Gay Games Scholarship Program.
The Federation's plan builds on successful scholarship programs at the past two Gay Games in Amsterdam and Sydney. Those host organizations identified regions of the world and demographics that were under represented at the Games, developed outreach networks to inform the LGBT communities in those regions, and dedicated funds and in-kind services to bring new participants to the Gay Games.
"Assisting participants with travel, housing, registration, and daily meal expenses is vital if the Gay Games is to serve an international community," explains Paul Oostenbrug, an FGG director and one of the authors of the Federation Scholarship Program plan. "The Federation recognizes the need of its constituents; and the Federation is drawing on its capabilities to bring together resources that can address the need."
The FGG has set a goal of offering at least 50 scholarships to Gay Games VII in 2006. That number may increase if fundraising efforts exceed the initial projections.
The long-term goals set forth for the Federation Scholarship Program include: to increase the number of scholarships available to participants of each Games; to identify both complimentary and alternate target areas from those of each Games' host organization; to continually grow a world-wide network of contacts and organizations that extend the Gay Games outreach-and provide support for applicants as they go through the application process; and to ensure continuity of giving from Gay Games to Gay Games.
Official announcements of application procedures and the timeline will come in early May. Look on the Federation of Gay Games or Chicago 2006 websites for more details.
To read more about the scholarship program, click HERE.
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Team Palm Springs gets pumped up for Chicago Gay Games
 Arde Johnson is the President of Team Palm Springs (www.teampalmsprings.org), formed in 1994 for athletes heading for the New York Gay Games. This team was very visible at the Amsterdam and Sydney Gay Games and will once more in Chicago.
 Arde is an avid recruiter who has talked to hundreds of local people, in order to dramatically grow Team Palm Springs from the 35 who were in Sydney in 2002. Paul Mart, Honorary Life Member of the FGG and a Palm Springs resident, promises that there will be at 25 physique competitors from Palm Springs alone! In fact, he and Arde have bet for a dinner at the best restaurant in Palm Springs about just how many local physique competitors there will be in Chicago.
Arde is a personal trainer and competed in physique at the Sydney Gay Games. He won a gold medal in the Ultra Masters division (age 60+). "This was a true life-changing experience," he said. "It prompted me to get totally involved with Team Palm Springs to bring many, many more people to Chicago as participants in 2006." To put his talent where his mouth is, Arde has offered to personally train any local Physique competitors who are registered for the Chicago Gay Games. Among those who has accepted Arde's offer is professional photographer and Gay Games Ambassador Tom Bianchi, another Palm Springs resident. Tom has captured previous Gay Games on film, but this will be his first time in front of the camera as a participant.
There will be another life-changing experience for Arde in Chicago in 2006. He not only will turn 65 that year, but he will be competing alongside his 23-year old son Luciano in the Pairs Physique competition. Arde suspects that this will be a Gay Games first for Physique. "I just hope that this will provide positive energy to other gay fathers and their children," says Arde.
To prepare for the Chicago Gay Games, Arde participated in five non-gay physique competitions in 2004 — one in Oakland, three in Oregon, and one in San Diego — and expects to do more of these in 2005.
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GLORY Setting Sail for Chicago Gay Games
The Gay and Lesbian Organisation of Racing and Yachting (GLORY), was founded during the Sydney Gay Games to provide a voice for LGBT sailors and to promote LGBT sailing events worldwide. In 2004, GLORY was an early member of the Chicago Gay Games Partner Program. At both Sydney GGVI and Chicago GGVII, sailing was the first sport to be fully subscribed with over 50 teams registered. The sailing for Chicago GGVII will be in J/22 one-design sailboats on Lake Michigan in Belmont Harbor from 15 to 22 July 2006.
Members of GLORY are located worldwide: London, Paris, Brussels, Amsterdam, Sydney, San Francisco, New York, Los Angeles, Newport and beyond. Future events organized by GLORY may include a cruise in Barcelona and a J/22 regatta in Holland to prepare for GGVII. For more information, visit www.glorysailing.org.
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Meet RSO: First L/G Orchestra in France
 Founded in April, 2002, with more than 70 musicians, the Paris-based Rainbow Symphony Orchestra (RSO) has been performing since November 2002. Works performed to date include pieces by Beethoven, Elgar, Vaughan Williams, Walton, Brahms, Bizet, Mozart, Ravel, Cherubini, Méhul, Franck, Smetana, Grieg, and others.
On 3 May, RSO will participate in the opening night of the Various Voices Choral festival. On 11 and 12 June, RSO will perform in Paris. The program will include works by Tchaikovsky, Prokofiev and Bellini.
RSO is a member of the Chicago Gay Games VII Partners Program. Several members of RSO are planning to participate in Gay Games VII in Chicago in 2006.
For more information, visit: http://rso.chez.tiscali.fr.
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Paris 2005 International Tournament 2005 coming in mid-May
FSGL, the French Gay and Lesbian Sports Federation based in Paris, is organizing the second annual Paris International Tournament from 13 to 16 May 2005. Events include 14 sports, including 2 demonstration sports. Over 2,000 athletes, artists and visitors from Europe and North America are expected to attend.
Sports include: Basketball, Bowling, Diving, Football, Sailing, Softball, Squash, Swimming, Synchronised Swimming, Volleyball, Water Polo, and Wresting. For more information, visit http://www.paris-tournament.org/intro.asp?lang=en.
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