Fwd: On Your Mark ... Get Set ... Games

[latinsa...@aol.com]

All,

 

FYI - Register for Gay Games 9 before Dec.31st to get the early-bird special before rates increase Jan. 1st.

 

Aaron

-----Original Message-----
From: Gay Games 9 Cleveland + Akron <2014GayGamesC...@gmail.com>
To: latinsagitarian <latinsa...@aol.com>
Sent: Tue, Nov 20, 2012 8:20 am
Subject: On Your Mark ... Get Set ... Games

On Your Mark ... Get Set ... Games Gay Games 9 Cleveland+Akron is on its mark for 9-16 August 2014 – the largest diverse multi-sport event in the world. We’re getting ready for eight days of fun, competition, Participation, Inclusion, Personal Best™ and celebration of the LGBT community. As a Gay Games supporter, you already are aware of how great the Games are. With this monthly e-newsletter, we want to keep you engaged in what is happening and have the opportunity to share your Gay Games preparation news. Together, we will make the 35+ sports and cultural events, festival village and other parties the best you’ve ever enjoyed.   We also welcome you to Cleveland and Akron, Ohio, United States – America's heartland and home to Gay Games 9 in 2014.  We want you to be involved – share your Gay Games story, like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, volunteer, donate … most importantly, plan to participate in the Games. It’s less than two years before you’ll be marching in the opening ceremony. Prefer to read this email as a PDF? Click here.   REGISTER in 2012 and SAVE or GIVE the Gift of Registration Have you registered? You’ll pay the lowest rate offered if you register by 31 December 2012. Let us add your name (and possibly your country) to the hundreds of participants from 10 countries who already have registered for Gay Games 9 Cleveland+Akron. Click here to go to registration page for more information and registration links. Want to give the Gift of Gay Games? Pay the General Registration fee for someone and we'll send you or the recipient a participant gift certificate with a special code the recipient can use when she or he registers for the Games. Contact ag...@gg9cle.com for more information or to make arrangements today.  Participant Spotlight: Lithuania Marathoner First to Register Marathon runner ALIONA NETESOVA of Lithuania was the first athlete to register for Gay Games 9 Cleveland+Akron. The 24-year-old completed her first marathon earlier this year. One of the first Lithuanian participants in Gay Games history, Aliona says she is familiar with living in a country where LGBT athletes are discouraged from participating in amateur and professional sports in large part because of the negative attitude about lesbians and gays. “I want to encourage other athletes to join our sports community and not fear coming out,” Aliona says. Do you want to share your story? Email us at 2014GayGamesC...@gmail.com.Housing Reservations Now Open Gay Games 9 Cleveland + Akron opened the online lodging registration site this month -- it's the only online place where you can make your housing reservations before 16 August 2013. Visit our lodging page for more detailed information, charts with hotel proximity to confirmed venues, and the direct link to the lodging reservation site. Receive the special Gay Games 9 rate at more than 30 Cleveland+Akron hotels. Plus, you will receive additional discounts when you show your GG9 hotel key card at specially identified sites.   Spotlight on Sports In 2014, swimmers, divers and synchronized swimmers will be in the pool at Busbey Natatorium at Cleveland State University. The venue has hosted NCAA and U.S. Masters Swimming championships. Marathoners and half-marathoners will be running in Akron on one of the top 50 marathon courses in the United States. It's the same course of the Akron Marathon, which attracts more than 15,000 runners each year. Each month, we will share updates on sports-specific information. For all the latest details on your sport, visit our website (sports list is in right column in this e-newsletter.) Spotlight on Cleveland + Akron A MUST-STOP FOR PRESIDENT and MILLIONS OF OTHERS Foodies, tourists, locals and even U.S. President Barack Obama make the West Side Market a must-stop visit. The 100-year-old market on West 25th Street in Cleveland offers up more than 100 ethnically diverse vendors, selling fine meats, fresh vegetables, baked goods, dairy products, flowers and ready-to-eat foods, herbs, candy and nuts. More than 1 million visited in 2011 -- including the Travel Channel and Food Network. GRAB A BEER Before or after shopping at the West Side Market, tour the eclectic neighborhood and grab one of the city's original brews at Great Lakes Brewing Co. Pick up a Dortmunder Gold or one of the brewery's many other specially crafted ales. If you're in town this season, don't miss its famous Christmas Ale. For more on visiting Cleveland, visit www.positivelycleveland.com. VISIT THE LAP OF LUXURY See how the co-founder of Goodyear lived at Stan Hywet Hall in  Akron. The 65-room country estate is home to French and Italian reproduction furniture, 18th century British portraits and priceless antique heirlooms. Its grounds will be in full bloom in August offering another great reason to visit this Akron estate. WATCH A PRO GAME The Akron Aeros takes the field in downtown Akron at Canal Park. The Double AA affiliate of the Cleveland Indians offers the fun of a minor league baseball game in a close-up atmosphere -- a great time for everyone. Visit www.visitakron-summit.org for even more details on making your travels to Akron great. Get the Sweat Out and Fundraise Sweat X™ is a supporter of Gay Games 9. Its parent company, Renegade Brands, signed on as the first Platinum Sponsor of the Games. “We are proud of that. Our mission at Renegade embraces the philosophy and purpose of the Gay Games and so the sponsorship was an easy decision,” says Cathy Horton, founder and CEO of Renegade Brands.  Not only can Sweat X get the odor out of athletic wear and much more, it also can be a fundraiser for teams and participants seeking to raise money to attend the Games. By selling Sweat X (everybody needs laundry detergent) through the Gay Games 9 connection, teams and individuals can raise money to support their sporting efforts. For more information and details on the program, contact us at 2014GayGamesC...@gmail.com. If you want to buy the product, you can do so and support Gay Games 9 at the same time by ordering online. During checkout, select "Gay Games" from the dropdown box. Sweat X gives $2 from every bottle sold to support Gay Games 9 Cleveland + Akron. Why Gay Games If you’re new to the Games, you may not be familiar with its history. Conceived in 1980 by Dr. Tom Waddell, the Gay Games were created as a “vehicle of change.” Since that time, the Gay Games have built an international legacy of changing cultural, social and political attitudes toward LGBT people across the globe, while empowering tens of thousands with the benefits of its sports and cultural events. “The Gay Games are not separatist, they are not exclusive, they are not oriented to victory, and they are not for commercial gain,” Waddell said before his death in 1987. “They are, however, intended to bring a global community together in friendship, to experience participation, to elevate consciousness and self-esteem, and to achieve a form of cultural and intellectual synergy.” Since 1982, the Gay Games have been held every four years. Past host cities include: San Francisco, Vancouver, New York, Amsterdam, Sydney and Chicago. The Cologne Games in 2010 attracted more than 10,000 participants from approximately 70 countries – comparable to the Summer Olympics. The Federation of Gay Games is the ongoing volunteer-based organization that promotes the mission and selects the host city for the Games themselves. Gay Games offer a safe and welcoming environment where gay and lesbian athletes and artists (and their supporters) gather and compete in an atmosphere free of discrimination. About 10 percent of participants have been from the non-LGBT community, often friends and family members of LGBT participants. Subscribe/Unsubscribe You are receiving this e-newsletter because you are on an email list operated by the Federation of Gay Games or Gay Games 9 Cleveland + Akron. You will receive periodic general and interest-specific newsletters. SUBSCRIBE: Receive this from a friend? Click here to send us an email and be added to the list for all future correspondence. UNSUBSCRIBE: If you do not wish to continue receiving correspondence from the FGG or Gay Games 9, click here to send an email to unsubscribe.  ON YOUR MARK ... GET SET ... GAMES.  Volume I, Issue 1 November 2012 SPORTS & CULTURE Click on event below for more information. Badminton Band Basketball Beach Volleyball Bodybuilding (Physique) Bowling Cheer Choir Cycling Dancesport Darts Diving Figure Skating Flag Football Golf Ice Hockey Marathon/ Half Marathon Martial Arts Open Water Swim Pool (Billiards) Powerlifting Racquetball Road Races (5K & 10K) Rowing Sailing Soccer (Football) Softball Squash Swimming Synchronized Swimming Table Tennis Tennis Track and Field Triathlon Volleyball Water Polo Wrestling Gay Games 9 Schedule OTHER EVENTS January 13 - February 3 2013: Midsumma, Melbourne, Australia January 17-20 2013: Catch the Gay Games 9 crew at Sin City Shootout in Las Vegas January 19 2013: Mardi Gras Classic, North American Gay Volleyball Association, New Orleans February 20 2013: Fair Day, Team Sydney Village, Sydney, Australia SHARE YOUR EVENT Have a sporting, fundraising or other event to share with Gay Games supporters? Email us here. Please send by the 5th of month for inclusion in the next e-newsletter (published mid-month.)

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