Forget about the NFL playoffs and the ongoing NBA season. Think water, Speedos and meters.
At least that’s the hope of the Atlanta Rainbow Trout, the gay aquatics group that is again hosting the St. Nick’s Swim Meet on Dec. 15, an event expected to draw up to 150 swimmers from across the Southeast.
The Trout, which has partnered with a straight swimming organization to host the event in past years, took over the single-day meet this year and shifted it to the Georgia Tech Aquatic Center.
Organizers expect some records to be set among the 42 events scheduled for the day-long competition, since it’s one of the last events of the year sanctioned by United States Masters Swimming, the governing body for adult swimmers in the U.S.
“We are hosting the event in one of the fastest pools in the world. We’ll be setting national records and hopefully, a world record or two next weekend,” said Sean Fitzgerald, the Trout’s president. “It’s the last chance and a lot of people have been working up to it all year.”
Some 100 to 150 swimmers are expected, competing in events from the 400-meter individual medley to the mixed 200-meter freestyle relay. About two-thirds of the participants will be male and from one-third to half will be gay, Fitzgerald said.
“It is a gay team hosting many of the straight swimmers in the Southeast,” he said.
The event needs scores of volunteers to serve as backup timers. About two-dozen people will work two-hour shifts throughout the day to keep time in case the electronic touch pads malfunction.
The meet is open to the public.
Sharon Lester (Photo courtesy Lester family)
Atlanta’s gay tennis scene recently mourned the loss of a friend. Sharon Lester, who supervised the tennis facilities at Piedmont Park for the Atlanta Parks and Recreation Department, died from coronary artery disease on Nov. 24. She was 44.
Lester, known for her long hours at the tennis complex, also volunteered during the Peach International Tennis Championships earlier this year, an event hosted by the gay Atlanta Team Tennis Association.
“Her faith in every single player who was fortunate enough to have known her made Sharon a blessing to all of us and to the Atlanta gay sports community,” said Mike Horton, chair of the Atlanta Gay Sports Alliance and a frequent tennis player who benefited from Lester’s constant encouragement.
It could be the Dream, the Flight or the Sizzle. Even the Surge.
Atlanta’s yet-to-be-named WNBA team, which opens play next May in Philips Arena, has narrowed the choices for a name to four. Now fans will have a say in the name and the team colors. The finalists for the color scheme are navy blue and gold; green and gold; sky blue and red; hot pink, silver and black; and mint green, black and silver.
Fans can vote on the name and colors at wnba.com/atlanta until Dec. 12. Team owner Ron Terwilliger will make the final selections and unveil them in January. Fans who vote and register online will be eligible to win an Opening Night VIP package that includes tickets, running with the players out of the locker room, a ceremonial jump ball and a ball autographed by both teams.
