LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth |
Teach Rehoboth Beach to Host Gay Games Party |
| by Fay Jacobs |
We all know the high from watching our country's athletes march onto the scene during opening ceremonies for the Olympics. But imagine the even greater thrill of being a part of Team Rehoboth at the upcoming Gay Games VII in Chicago!
Team Rehoboth President Rich Williams has a plan to put Rehoboth on the map for its athletes as well as its reputation as a gay friendly home town. The organization, Team Rehoboth, will host the region's first Chicago Gay Games VII registration party at the CAMP Rehoboth Community Center Saturday, August 13, 4-7 p.m. Athletes who register at the event will save $25 on their Gay Games registration fees and will be eligible for raffle prizes. "The Gay Games have been inspiring LGBT athletes for nearly a quarter century, and with unprecedented sponsorship support including a $3.2 million television broadcast deal, Chicago Gay Games is poised to become the best Gay Games ever," said Williams. He has put out the call for athletes from all regions with ties to the Rehoboth Beach community to come to Baltimore Avenue and the new CAMP Rehoboth Community Center on August 13th to find out more about Chicago Gay Games next summer. In addition to the opportunity to get in on the ground floor for Team Rehoboth Beach, registrants will have the chance to meet and mingle and "begin establishing the contacts and friendships that will carry them through to Gay Games VII and beyond," Williams says. Athletes who are already affiliated with other teams for Chicago's Gay Games VII are welcome to attend this registration event as well to register and receive the $25 discount. Team Rehoboth Beach is in the Gay Games Partner Program. Launched in November of 2004, the partner program has already received enthusiastic support from sports and culture organizations nationwide and it is set up to welcome its first partners. All sports and culture organizations, large and small, that represent participants or potential participants in the Gay Games are eligible to join. Team Rehoboth Beach has already signed up and is the number one organizational donor to the Federation of Gay Games. The Federation, according to its web site, is built upon the principles of Participation, Inclusion and Personal Best. For more than 20 years the quadrennial Gay Games have helped to empower tens of thousands of LGBT athletes through fellowship and friendly competition. While Team Rehoboth may be a new name, the group was formerly called the Rehoboth Beach Tennis Club and is a non-profit corporation which is tax exempt under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. The newly expanded Team Rehoboth is dedicated to promoting LGBT sports in the Rehoboth Beach community. The group hosts charity sports events including the Rehoboth Beach Open Tennis Tournament and is now set to organize Rehoboth Beach's first-ever delegation to the Gay Games. In 2004 the group's fundraisers supported Sussex County AIDS Committee (25%), CAMP Rehoboth Community Center Capital Campaign (25%), The Federation of Gay Games (25%), and Chicago Gay Games 2006, host of Gay Games VII (25%). Now the group is poised to enter its first contingent in the Games. Since 1994, each Gay Games has drawn an average of more than 12,000 participants. The 1998 Gay Games in Amsterdam drew an estimated 250,000 spectators. The last time the Gay Games were in North America, 1994 in New York, the Games drew more than 500,000 spectators. Sign up to participate! The Gay Games offer thirty sports, from novice to elite levels. There are no tryouts and anybody can join the team. As members of Team Rehoboth, teammates will receive a Team Rehoboth Beach Lapel Pin, a Team Uniform, a Team T-Shirt, and periodic updates about the upcoming Games. All you have to do to sign up is show up at CAMP Rehoboth Community Center, Saturday, August 13, 4-7p.m. It will be a sign-up opportunity and a social event as well. Registration fee for the Games is $175 plus a per-event fee, but show up for the Team Rehoboth party and you save $25. Rich Williams says "It's time for Rehoboth Beach to take its place among the dozens of world class teams taking part in Gay Games VII! He invites Rehoboth athletes (and non-athletes!) to become a part of Rehoboth Beach history while promoting community sports activities. And Williams has a vision. "I think it would be great for Rehoboth Beach to get some strong publicity by having our athletes march into the televised opening ceremonies at Chicago's Soldier Field as "Team Rehoboth Beach." For more information on Team Rehoboth or the Gay Games, visit www.teamrehobothbeach.org or www.gaygames.org. |
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LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth, Vol. 15, No. 11 August 12, 2005 |