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Competitors contend with the heatChicago Sun-TimesJuly 17, 2006By Maureen O'DonnellGreg Higgins, who attended Sunday's competition to cheer on his ice-hockey-playing brother, Jeff, summed up the Gay Games like this: "When a 6-foot-5-inch, 200-pound guy on skates hits you, whether he's gay or straight, you fall over,'' he said. Cook County Commissioner Mike Quigley is testament to that. Quigley played ice hockey Sunday with the Blackwolves, a gay ice hockey team. "You can get hurt,'' he said, with the joyful recklessness usually exhibited by a player with no more teeth to lose. "That's the value of the games. It works against stereotypes.'' Quigley, 47, who is straight, said he has loved ice hockey since he played it on the ponds of Carol Stream, where he grew up. His district includes Boys Town. "Most workouts are boring. You hate to do them,'' he said as he prepared to play a team from Colorado. "This is a blast.'' PROTESTERS, ACTIVISTS DEBATE The ice-hockey competitors were the lucky ones. They played in the American Heartland Ice Arena, 7384 N. Lincoln, Lincolnwood. However, it was so hot outside, it affected the hardness of the ice, said Games organizer Deb Siegel. The Gay Games implemented a heat emergency plan that increased bottled water deliveries to all of the competitions, said Gay Games spokesman Eric McCool. Rowers on Crystal Lake competed in what seemed like mirage-inducing heat. It was no better in Evanston, where weightlifters sweated in a stifling Welsh-Ryan Arena. Rowers Gijs Mol, 41, of Amsterdam, and Frank Kelly, 42, of Tipperary, Ireland, said they wouldn't have missed it. "I helped in organizing the rowing regatta in the Gay Games in Amsterdam'' in 1998, said Mol, a computer programmer. "Chicago was on my list [of places to visit] because I am interested in architecture." "All of us are regular rowers back in Ireland,'' said Kelly, referring to Ireland's traditions of seafaring and fishing. However, he worried about his Celtic melanin, or lack of it. "I'm going to be a raspberry,'' said the educational lecturer. A handful of protesters demonstrated outside the rowing competition. "It's very hot today, but it's not as hot as when the Lord rained brimstone and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah,'' said Mike Berzins, who accompanied two other demonstrators who preached about the End of Days. Several protesters handed out Bible literature at the entrance to the competition, but Crystal Lake police restricted sign-carrying demonstrators -- for or against the Games -- to a fenced "First Amendment'' area so as not to block traffic, said Deputy Chief Dennis Harris. Several other anti-Games protesters were in the fenced-off section Sunday afternoon, with signs with quotes from Scripture. Nearby was a larger number of pro-Games activists, carrying rainbow flags and a sign that said: "Opposition to Equal Rights is Bigotry.'' The two groups engaged in debate, but there were no physical confrontations, Harris said. "There was nothing that went over the line.'' 'MIRACULOUS' EVENT Some Crystal Lake residents said they signed up as volunteers at the rowing event because they were upset at opposition among some village residents. "I'm here to support people being people,'' said volunteer Janelle Watson, 39. Crystal Lake real estate agent Holly Emrich and her friends handed out rainbow wristbands that she made. "We're the self-appointed Crystal Lake welcome committee,'' she said. A Gay Games event in Crystal Lake is "miraculous,'' said Louise Moondancer, 54, who said she and her partner, Rosalie, 63, changed their surnames at a commitment ceremony eight years ago. The Cottage Grove, Wis., resident raised her family in Crystal Lake before coming out and getting divorced. "When I came out, I thought I was the only lesbian in Crystal Lake.'' Weightlifter Chris Morgan, of London, won four gold medals Sunday. He is also a respected lifter with the World Drug-Free Powerlifting Federation. Sunday's competition was so fierce, he said, "For me, a Gay Games gold medal is worth as much as a world championship gold medal.''
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