CHICAGO ? Summer sports may be on the way out, but for several thousand LGBTs who happen to like softball, the fun is just beginning.
This week, the 35th annual Gay Softball World Series, which opened Aug. 30, is expecting to attract about 3,000 visitors to venues throughout Chicago and its suburbs. Games take place throughout the week at three separate complexes in Schaumburg, Elmhurst and St. Charles; the final championships will be played in Schaumburg on Saturday, Sept. 3.
GSWS draws 175 teams from 43 cities in North America in five divisions, with seven of the teams hailing from Chicago. This is the first World Series held in the Chicago area since 1983.
Ted Cappas, who heads up Series 2011, the event?s planning committee, has been working on bringing GSWS here for more than two years. He estimates that the World Series will bring ?just north of $5 million? into the local economy and added that a formal economic impact study was being planned for when the event is over.
?We really hope we have a lasting impact,? Cappas said.
Besides the games, there will be a talent competition at 7 p.m. Aug. 31 at the Hyatt Regency O?Hare, 9300 Bryn Mawr Ave. in Rosemont, as well as a Hall of Fame dinner at 6:30 p.m. Sept. 1 at Center on Halsted, 3656 N. Halsted St.
The week wraps up with an awards ceremony and street fair in Boystown Sept. 3 from 4-10 p.m. on Waveland Avenue between Halsted and Broadway Streets. The cover band Final Say and DJ Bill Bennett will be featured.
Lastly, on Sept. 4, members from the winning teams at GSWS will be recognized by the Chicago Cubs prior to the Cubs? 1:20 p.m. game against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
GSWS is a huge draw for softball players because ?it?s a chance to compete at the highest level,? Cappas said. ?But it?s about community too.? He plays for the Downtown Bar & Lounge and has been involved with softball for about 10 years.
?I?m a huge sports fan,? he added. ?I played a lot of different sports, including baseball, so it was an easy transition to softball.?
Todd Wickens, who will be playing at GSWS for the Spin Wildcats, was, like Cappas, athletic when growing up. But after years in the working world, he?d fallen out of his routines.
Then, about six years ago, his relationship broke up and most of his straight friends were having children. He thought softball would be a good way to meet people.
?It was amazing to me,? Wickens said. ?I?d go into a bar and not know anyone, and then, suddenly, I would go into a bar and know everyone.?
He estimates his Facebook friends doubled when he started adding fellow softball players, adding, ?That?s not necessarily indicating how popular I am, just how many connections I?ve made through softball.?
Wickens said what he liked best about the game was its accessibility for all levels of athletes.
?It?s great for those who play at a higher level,? he said. ?But there?s opportunity for those who are not used to sports, and [those] who are just beginning ? there?s something in it for everyone, especially someplace as diverse as Chicago.?
For more information, visit chicagoseries2011.com.
Source: http://gaychicagonews.com/blog/2011/08/31/chicago-hosts-gay-softball-world-series/
কোন মন্তব্য নেই:
একটি মন্তব্য পোস্ট করুন