Golden Gate Wrestling Club

Final Good-Bye:

https://www.facebook.com/ginocarmody/posts/10226706071778010

Index

GGWC is currently SHUTDOWN until further notice, probably mid 2022.. San Francisco Bay Area COVID restrictions have made it impossible to operate. GGWC may never open again... SORRY... after 40 years, it is hard to let it go.

Unless there are some radical returns to NORMALCY, GGWC San Francisco will probably not be able to train or support Gay Games XI Hong Kong in 2023.

GOLDEN GATE WRESTLING (GGWC) - San Francisco FreeStyle Grappling all levels GGWC is dedicated To promoting diversity, opportunity, and good sportsmanship through the Sport of Wrestling/Grappling for all ages (non-profit 501c3)

Hong Kong Gay Games moved to 2022....
To Dennis Philipse CEO of HK2022: It is important as you said, that the ATHLETIC PREPARATION required for a GayGames Team or individual is ~1-2 years, involving all kinds of hurdles: practice space, time off, coaches, fund raising, etc... To think we could forego all of that and just show up for a PRIDE Party out of 'Duty' just does not cut it. Besides being disrespectful to the ATHLETIC mission of Tom Waddell and GayGames, it would be a bigger health risk (forget COVID) for Athletes to NOT have trained properly. I was seeing lots of 'out of shape' injuries, like I have seen in the past GayGames with registrants who just cavalierly showed up to compete. I can name names and injuries, it is a problem, and I could not in good conscience prepare a Team for HK2022. But these safety issues are manageable and expected (but negligible) under normal circumstances. This decision shows that you are respecting the GayGames ATHLETIC mission.

From Roger Brigham (GGWC coach):

Fellow Gay Games supporters,

As an active and longtime Gay Games volunteer, supporter, advocate, coach and athlete; as a former communications officer for the FGG; and as a veteran of of 45 years of news and sports reporting, I'd like to offer a few comments, observations and suggestions to supplement this email.

-- First off, absolutely if you receive inquiries, especially from the press, seeking information about HK2022 operations, planning, goals, etc., you should definitely forward the inquiries to the HK2022 team whether you personally answer the question or not. This allows HK2022 to benefit from the opportunity to interact with parties showing any interest in Gay Games XI, it affords them the chance to provide the latest and most complete information, and it enables them to address any misunderstanding about the given issue that are floating around. And it would not hurt to cc: [email protected] so that the members of the FGG-Host steering committee can be kept in the loop.

-- Many inquiries may be about your organizations' plans, hopes, concerns, preparations and so forth for participating in the 2022 Gay Games. Those are questions for your group. Obviously as leaders in your organizations you are the best to talk about your own operations, so no one is advising you to send them to others for answering. If you do have questions your organizations would like answers to, then send those directly to the appropriate spokes folks for the FGG and HK2022.

For instance, the Sydney Star-Observer interviewed the Silverbacks wrestling club, a member of FGG member organization Wrestlers WithOut Borders, about their outlook for Gay Games XI: https://www.starobserver.com.au/news/on-the-sideline-with-sarah-sydneysilverbacks/204970 . Those were questions only Harbour City wrestling could answer.

I had the opportunity to speak with many representatives and athletes from the Gay Games family recently about their concerns and hopes heading into 2022. I have always endeavored to talk with athletes in advance of major LGBT+ sports events such as Gay Games, Outgames, EuroGames and Sin City Classic to help others get a feel for the lay of the land. These reports are separate and distinct from the articles I write that are based on interviews with the event organizers or sanctioning bodies because the logistics and viewpoints of potential participants are independent of the logistics and viewpoints of event organizers. The more all parties are aware of what is happening with each other, the more optimal and harmonious the grand event is likely to be. (For a case in point when neither side knows what is happening with the other, consider the implosion of the 2017 Miami World Outgames.)

The latest story can be found at https://www.ebar.com/news/news//308203. Most of those interviewed preferred to be on background rather than the record because of how much flux we are in. Others could not comment yet because they have meetings and processes still to go through. Although there was a lot of concern about COVID (which would have been an issue no matter who was hosting the event) and the increasing imprint of the Chinese government (and of course, every individual has a different standard and definition of what supporting a government means and how it plays into their thinking), there was also a great deal of hope and optimism expressed for HK2022 organizers and Gay Games XI.

-- Getting asked, especially by news media, about the Gay Games in the years between the Gay Games should be viewed for what it is: SUCCESS! The Gay Games are one of the biggest community events of any kind in the LGBT+ world yet virtually disappear from the public conciousness in non-event years, making marketing and brand building very difficult. The more aware people are of the years of between-event labour, dedication, sacrifice, debate, politics, negotiation and training that make up the quadrennial event, the more opportunity we have to raise awareness of the value of our sports-inclusive mission.

Sydney Silverbacks Aim For Gold At Hong Kong Gay Games 2022 With the pandemic again plunging Sydney and Melbourne into lockdown, opportunities to get out and play have been limited lately. But while the new restrictions might have spared me from

The New Wrestlers WithOut Borders URL:

Home | Wrestlers Without Borders Wrestlers Without Borders was started by club representatives attending Gay Games III in Vancouver in 1990. It helps develop policies and organize wrestling at the Gay Games through its voting membership in the Federation of Gay Games and our direct interactions with host organizations.

No World Championships for the USA because of COVID. This is probably the future fate of USA Wrestling.
SAD..

ABSURD DECISION that will harm wrestling. Academic High School and University programs will be dropped next.
They have already dropped Stanford and Fresno in California for 'Budget Issues'. Ha! Hardly.

The window of opportunity for a lot of elite athletes is very small, 5-7 years max? To have their opportunities destroyed based upon COVID is STUPID.

Are ALL the countries doing this?
NO, just the POLITICAL ALARMISTS in the USA.

My heart goes out to the Jordan Burroughs, Adeline Gray, and Kyle Snyder et al.. who will just fade into history now. Their career opportunities just gone.
Their lives of hard work dashed by bureaucrats who pervert science with politics.

I angrily remember what happened in 1980 when the USA/President Carter canceled USA participation in the the Moscow Olympics. Gene Mills from NJ competed in our NNJ leagues when I was coaching in the '70s. He was denied his life's opportunity that he worked so hard for. WHY, because of the Russians and Afghanistan War (do things ever change?).

For the rest of us recreational who desperately need a SOCIAL/ATHLETIC outlet, this is a devastating development.
We have successful methods with distancing, masks, UVC, etc to minimize Risk WITHOUT shutting down events. Even the WHO has finally reversed themselves on the efficacy of ShutDowns.

When you cut 2-4 years out of the 20 PRIME YEARS of YOUR life in a ShutDown with questionable scientific evidence, you are basically removing all the memories of the great life you will very much need as you get older. Trust Me. Take the RISK.

At 72, the ShutDown has no effect, I have lived a FULL life, and have enough memories for 3 people. But even I would rather 'Check Out' then live like a caged animal for STUPID POLITICAL reasons.

For you guys, there will be a big Hole of 'What Ifs' in your life.
How many of you found your life partners and family through Wrestling, Gay Games, & WWB Tournaments?
I know of HUNDREDS, and I have names and faces.
It is WHY I invested 40 years of my resources to create those opportunities.
Sadly I do not see a light at the end of the tunnel with the current crop of ShutDown N***s.

I am repeating what I said back in March, and I believe it even more strongly now when I see STUPID decisions like this.
Wake Up and stop swallowing the Bad Science.
LIVE with COVID like we live with every other disease.
ShutDowns just delay the inevitable, the VIRUS must be a part of our daily VIRAL environment, we must mitigate the consequences of Risk, and accept that there will be collateral deaths.
However the COVID Death Stats are miniscule and do not warrant these ShutDowns when compared to other diseases and infection levels.
Focus on the Infected/at Risk.
Everyone else needs to up their contagion prevention game.
If you are scared, or at Risk, then YOU stay home, and STOP your narcissistic demand that we ALL stay in Quarantine.

USA Wrestling will not send athletes to world championships in December USA Wrestling will not send a team to the world championships in December in Belgrade, citing health and safety issues from the coronavirus pandemic.

Here is the final analysis and status for GGWC as promised:

https://www.teamusa.org/USA-Wrestling/Features/2020/May/15/USA-Wrestling-Return-to-the-Mat-Guidelines-released?fbclid=IwAR1HcrnzmFtVoHMnhno2NG2IlzLBy6lr9GnsBur7xs9sa8Hs9VKBl4OhS4w

USA Wrestling releases Return to the Mat Guidelines to assist wrestling community in making local decisions

Akil Patterson has been an inspiration to a lot of us, and deserves our support.

Jason Collins endorses openly gay ex-wrestler Akil Patterson Jason Collins and Baltimore City Council candidate Akil Patterson have both dedicated their lives to public advocacy work and helping young LGBTQ athletes.

Check out a young Zaurbek Ivanov wrestling against all-time-great Mavlet Batirov, fresh off his first Olympic Gold medal, at the prestigious Ali Aliev tournament.

Batirov,Mavlet (RUS) - Ivanov, Zaur (RUS) 2005 Turnir pamyati Ali Alieva.Maharkala