Compete October 2015

FOOTBALL! FOOTBALL! FOOTBALL!

SPORTS. DIVERSITY.

NGFFL

COMMISSIONER JARED GARDUNO SPEAKS UP

DAVID KOPAY ROY SIMMONS ESERA TUAOLO WADE DAVIS THE FOURFATHERS OF FOOTBALL

OCTOBER 2015 • VOL. 9 NO. 10 $3.95 • COMPETENETWORK.COM

THE WOMEN OF TACKLE FOOTBALL

Photo courtesy of IFASP

PUBLISHERS Eric Carlyle • eric@competenetwork.com Patrick Gamble • patrick@competenetwork.com COMPETE MAGAZINE Editor-in-Chief Connie Wardman • connie@competenetwork.com Assistant Editor Gabriel Cordoba • gabriel@competenetwork.com CompeteNetwork.com Editor Ty Nolan • ty@competenetwork.com Style Editor Alfonzo Chavez • alfonzo@competenetwork.com Art Director Jay Gelnett • jay@competenetwork.com Graphic Design Assistant Matt Boyd • mattb@competenetwork.com Contributors Harry Andrew, Ian Colgate, Jay D’Angelo, Joseph Gaxiola, Jeff Hocker, Jon Johanson, Jeff Kagan, Miriam Latto, Charles Naurath, Dr. Rob Elliott Owens and Brian Patrick Photo Editor Jacquelyn Phillips • jacquelyn@competenetwork.com Photographers Thomas Fleisher, Leland Gebhardt Sales & Partnerships Tony Apodaca • tony@competenetwork.com Jonathan Bierner • jonathan@competenetwork.com Copyright © 2015 MEDIA OUT LOUD, LLC All Rights Reserved.

Corporate Office 4703 South Lakeshore Drive, Suite 3 Tempe, Arizona 85282 • 480-222-4223 Compete is a trademark of Media Out Loud, LLC MISSION STATEMENT Compete unites the world through sports.

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COMPETE MAGAZINE

OCTOBER 2015 Volume 9, Issue 10

16 FOOTBALL RULES!

FROM THE COMMISSIONER THE FOURFATHERS OF GAY FOOTBALL THE INDEPENDENT WOMEN’S FOOTBALL LEAGUE

KICK–OFF

10 COMMUNITY HERO Seth Greenleaf

12 LEFT FIELD

Speed Read, Grandstanding, Thumbs UP/DOWN

ATHLETES

24 MVP – MARY HONEYCUTT 27 ATHLETE – TYLER FOERSTER

SPORTS 31 32 34 36

DESERT AIDS WALK 2015 COMPETE CHARITY GOLF CLASSIC INTERNATIONAL POWERLIFTING FEDERATION GREAT AUTOS OF YESTERYEAR

LIFESTYLE

38 FITNESS

Static Stretching is Out

40 NUTRITION

Top 10 Foods to Protect Your Skin

OVERTIME

42 GYM BAG 44 EVENTS 46 SPORTS YEARBOOK

COMPETE ONLINE

Check out more Compete stories online at: competenetwork.com

COVER ATHLETE Jared Garduno, Flag Footbal COVER PHOTO Jerry O’Connor, Photographer

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FROM THE SKYBOX

BY ERIC CARLYLE, CO-FOUNDER

“Fall”ing Into the Compete Sports Diversity Awards

F

@CompeteEric

all is my favorite season, and not just because it marks the beginning of so many great seasonal sports like hockey, basketball and football. I love it because it also means the Compete Sports Diversity Awards are almost here.

It is hard to believe that our diversity awards sprang from such humble beginnings. In 2010 Olympic gold medal diver Greg Louganis hosted a small event for Compete honoring our 2010 Athlete of the Year, swimmer Michael Holtz. Beginning with that intimate presentation, the Compete Sports Diversity Awards have grown into an annual event that honors the best in sports diversity. Counting that very first event hosted by Louganis, 2015 now marks the sixth year of the Compete Sports Diversity Awards.

Past award winners have included rugby star Ben Cohen, basketball icon Jason Collins, soccer star Robbie Rogers, NFL player Esera Tuaolo, pro golfer Sue Wieger, the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Phoenix Mercury, the University of California at Los Angeles, Arizona State University and many more.

On November 10, this year’s Compete Sports Diversity Awards will be back in Los Angeles to honor sports diversity awardees in such categories as the Legacy Award, the Inspiring Athlete Award, the Corporate Diversity Award, the Mark Bingham Athlete of the Year Award and more. It hardly seems possible that it is just over a month away.

I hope you will join us on November 10 in Los Angeles for an evening of good food, lots of fun and the opportunity to honor so many deserving athletes and organizations. You can find out more by visiting www.sportsdiversityawards.com.

Oh, and don’t forget, fall is also about football.

Sport On,

Eric Carlyle Chief Executive Officer eric@competenetwork.com

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FROM THE CATBIRD SEAT

BY CONNIE WARDMAN, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

We’re All Making History

F

@CompeteConnie

or Compete, October means it’s time for the annual Gay Bowl. But October is also LGBT History Month.

While I really enjoy looking back at history, I also appreciate John W. Gardner’s profound quote­— “History never looks like history when you are living through it.” How exciting, even inspiring to realize that you and I are making history every day—and the “new” history of sports diversity is what you’re reading about in this issue.

The National Gay Flag Football League’s (NGFFL) membership is now over 3,000 men and women from 21 different city leagues from across the U.S. and Canada. But it started out with some gay guys who loved football deciding to get together for some pickup games. Once Jim Buzinski and Cyd Zeigler put their heads together, the NGFFL was born. And from their organizational expertise came the annual Gay Bowl, the gay equivalent of the Super Bowl.

The Desert AIDS Walk in Palm Springs is one of the many wonderful events put on by the Desert AIDS Project (D.A.P.). Born out of the desperate AIDS crisis in the 1980s, the organization has become a Federally Qualified Health Center lookalike and is now a model of holistic health care not only for those with HIV and AIDS but also for anyone needing their services. Their annual Desert AIDS Walk has staff members as well as clients and volunteers creating teams to compete for the most money raised. But the event also includes a community fair where lots of organizations come to promote healthy activities in which D.A.P. clients can be involved.

While Gay Games 9 is now a fond memory of competition, camaraderie and fun for some athletes, for a small group of powerlifters it was the impetus to create an international organization for their chosen sport. It was to include both gay and straight athletes who wanted to continue the feelings of community, personal achievement and success that they had experienced in Cleveland during those magical August days of 2014.

Each one of these stories is about athletes – athletes who are gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and straight – all coming together to make history through the power of sports. At Compete, we love telling these stories. Why? Because our mission is to unite the world through sports. And in the bargain, we’re all making history!

Keep Smiling,

Connie Wardman, Editor-in-Chief connie@competenetwork.com

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KICKOFF

COMMUNITY HERO

Seth Greenleaf Artistic Director/Partner, Vice President of Theatrical Development: GFour Productions President/Owner: Greenleaf Productions

IF YOU GOOGLE SETH GREENLEAF OR LOOK AT his Linkedin profile you discover that he’s a Tony Awardwinning Broadway producer. So what is it that makes him a community hero? Well, he’s also a football fanatic, a straight athlete who used to quarterback the New York Warriors of the National Gay Flag Football League (NGFFL).

Experiences with his gay teammates became the catalyst for him to produce a documentary film, “F(l)ag Football The Movie: A documentary about coming out … and scoring.” It follows the journey of three NGFFL teams—the New York Warriors, the LA Motion and the Phoenix Hellraisers—in their quest to win the 2010 Gay Bowl in Phoenix. It is a universal message of the power of sports to bring people together.

The artistic world is generally more open and accepting of the gay community and Greenleaf is certainly no exception. But he admits that prior to joining the team, his perception of LGBT athletes was that they were “wimpy, girly and not athletic.” It didn’t take more than a tackle or two, however, to change his mind. He quickly learned that the gay players were every bit as tough, talented and competitive as any straight player … maybe even more so. In a prior interview with Compete Magazine, Greenleaf said he discovered “a lot of them can kick my ass! That they’re men, just like me. Athletes, masculine and not at all weak.”

What really led Greenleaf to making the movie was the unique bonding experience that he says happens when playing a team sport. In the process of learning to trust one another on the field, he says you also share what he refers to as “intense emotional moments that you will treasure all your life.” As his teammates learned to trust him, they began to open up and become vulnerable enough to share their personal stories with him.

Greenleaf was deeply moved by their stories, many of them painful coming out experiences of losing family members and friends. They also shared with him how being able to play the sport they loved with other gay athletes turned out to be a true game-changer in their per-

sonal lives as well. The team became a second family, one that offered support against the homophobia they faced on a regular basis.

This was a side of gay culture, what he called “the plight of the gay athlete,” that Greenleaf said he was determined to share with others. And that’s exactly what the film has done, sometimes with humor as in the flag in the title, “F(l)ag,” sometimes with the pathos of lost family acceptance and sometimes with the super-charged intensity of a team determined to win the gay equivalent of the Super Bowl.

As the film toured a number of film festivals last year, winning prizes along the way, the feedback shows that Greenleaf has accomplished what he set out to do—to help eliminate homophobia in sports by showing that gay athletes are just the same as straight athletes. He says the two most common reactions are “one, from the gay community who say they never knew how exciting sports could be or that they could represent the gay community; and two, from the straight community who continue to be blown away by the athleticism and intensity of the players in the film. It’s been a real eye-opener for them.”

The story is just as powerful now as it was when it was filmed, maybe more so. With some elite out athletes like Jason Collins, Robbie Rogers and Brittney Griner now in the public eye, it’s even more important for people to understand that the pro players aren’t an anomaly, that there are recreational gay athletes who are every bit as athletic and competitive. Now in the distribution process, the movie should be available for general viewing in the coming year.

DO YOU KNOW A COMMUNITY HERO? Community Heroes is a regular feature in Compete Magazine. Nominate deserving individuals by emailing us at heroes@competenetwork.com and include a brief biography of or a link to your nominee.

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November 10, 2015 - Los Angeles, California

Honoring the Best in Sports Diversity Presented by

Pictured: Tom Whitman, Jason Collins, Kurt Walker

The evening will celebrate individuals and organizations that help fullll the publication’s mission of uniting the world through sports. Registration Opens: 6:00 p.m.

VIP Pre-Event Reception: 6:00 p.m.

Main Event: 7:00 p.m.

Luxe Sunset Boulevard Hotel 11461 Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90049 For More Information 480.222.4223 sportsdiversityawards.com

Tickets

General Admission $150 General Admission Table $1,500 VIP Admission $200 (includes VIP Reception) Gold VIP Table $2,000 (includes VIP Reception) Platinum VIP Table $2,000 (includes VIP Reception)

KICKOFF

LEFT FIELD

SPEED READ CONGRATULATIONS TO SUE WIEGER, LPGA AWARD WINNER AND AUTHOR Congratulations go to Sue Wieger, owner of Sue Wieger Golf Academy and Compete board member, for being awarded the 2015 LPGA Teacher of the Year Award— Central Section. With a Master’s degree in Educational Psychology, she is a Class “A” member of the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA). She also has credentials in PSYCH K, Life Coaching, Yoga for Golfers, and Titleist Performance Institute Golf & Fitness Certifications. And her new book, “Golf: The Last Six Inches—Change Your Brain, Change Your Game” was recently released on Amazon and was the number one seller in its category.

Her approach to learning/improving your golf game is really experiential. While she helps her students improve through various physical and mental golf fitness strategies, she also teaches them how to take their game to the next level by understanding who they are at the deepest level, guiding them to change their minds in order to change their game.

CONCUSSIONS—FOOTBALL’S BIG HEADACHE Compete first wrote about the concussion controversy in 2012. It was just before the Frontline program, “League of Denial: The NFL’s Concussion Crisis” was ready to air and before a group of retired NFL players pursued a class action law suit against the league for past injuries. At that time the NFL had a phalanx of attorneys trying to discredit Dr. Bennet Omalu, a Nigerian forensic pathologist whose autopsy of retired Pittsburgh Steelers center Mike Webster unknowingly lit the fire under a bomb just waiting to explode. His findings showed chronic traumatic encephalopathy disease, better known as CTE in Webster’s brain.

Believed to be the result of repetitive head trauma, symptoms of CTE include memory loss, depression and dementia that can lead some to suicide. Of the 165 brains tested, 131 of them were from people who played football before their deaths, either professionally, semi-professionally, or in college or high school, suggesting a link between football and long-term brain disease.

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Frontline has continued to keep an eye on this issue and just last month revealed that researchers with the Department of Veterans Affairs and Boston University, the largest brain bank focused on traumatic head injury, have now discovered CTE in 96 percent of the deceased NFL players’ brains they’ve examined – 87 out of 91. CTE isn’t exclusive to football, however. Anyone playing contact sports like boxing or hockey where concussions can be part of playing the game, can run the same risk.

Frontline has continued to monitor total concussions within the NFL each season starting in 2012, and to their credit, the number is going down, from 171 in 2012, to 152 in 2013, to 123 in 2014 and finally to 12 so far in 2015. One of the NFL’s reasons for this investment in research and revised safety rules is certainly being done with an eye to limiting its financial responsibility going forward. This past April the league won final approval for a potential settlement with approximately 5,000 former players to the tune of $1 billion. The underlying problem for many, however, is the fact that for years the league tried to hide the link between football and long-term brain disease.

Both the NFL and equipment manufacturers have paid attention to these findings, though, working on providing concussion education for players, coaches, trainers and parents and concussion protocols for sideline diagnoses from trained medical and training staff on the sideline.

This has started from the national Pop Warner football organization on up. It has also helped launch safer equipment, including some of the new wearable technology devices giving immediate biometric feedback.

Another positive note is that researchers have identified a precursor to the fibrous tangles of a protein called tau that occurs in the brains of mice shortly after a blow to the head. It also occurs in the brains of those with CTE and Alzheimer’s disease. The precursor is a form of tau that is misshapen. Researchers have found that they can be eliminated by a protein, called an antibody that binds to the misshaped tau and marks it for destruction. They are now working on an experimental treatment that helps restore normal brain structure and function in mice who have sustained concussions. One day in the not-too-distant future, someone with a concussion may be able to take a pill and make it go away. Until then, continue to play like your brain mattered.

COMPETE READER SURVEY GRANDSTANDING

Favorite Pub Sport?

LETTERS TO COMPETE MAGAZINE

Poker Air 9% Hockey 11%

WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS (August 2015) Your August cover rocks! I really enjoyed reading your feature story on transgender athlete Chris Mosier but the photos made the piece even better. More pictures of Chris in the future please!

Darts 48%

Jason Recker (via email) San Francisco

Pool 32%

TOO MUCH OF A GOOD THING (September 2015) I am not sure why such a pioneering magazine like Compete devoted eight full pages to underwear. Sure, I like to see hot bodies in underwear but that isn’t why I buy Compete. I buy Compete for the real life sports stories you used to publish.

Ken Davenport (via email) Westport, CT

TALK TO US! Submissions to Compete should include the writer’s name, address and contact phone number and should be sent by email to letters@competenetwork.com. Letters may be edited by Compete and become the property of Media Out Loud, LLC.

Pictured above, Henry Beam, Beam Law, PLC

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SPORTS

KICKOFF

Which NFL team was the first to win three consecutive league championships?

QUIZ

?

A. The Packers did this twice. The first time was from 1929-1931 under the guidance of Curly Lambeau. The Packers record in those three seasons was a combined 34-5-2. From 1965-1967, they did it again under the helm of Vince Lombardi. That combined record was 31-9-2.

They would wait until 1996 before winning another championship.

Source: Fun Trivia

THUMBS UP THUMBS DOWN JAKE OLSON, BLIND LONG-SNAPPER

… for achieving his dream to become an official member of the USC Trojans football team.

Cleared to play by the NCAA, coach Steve Sarkisian said Jake doesn’t want to be treated any differently than the other players.

CHRIS MOSIER, TRANSGENDER TRIATHLETE … for being honored with the Jeff Jewell Spirit Award for multisport athletes by USA Triathlon.

Chris is also Compete’s 2013 Mark Bingham Athlete of the Year winner.

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USA RUGBY … for signing a memorandum of understanding with International Gay Rugby to eliminate homophobia and improve acceptance of LGBT members in the sport.

MAHDI TOUTOUNCHI, IRANIAN SPORTS JOURNALIST ... for causing his wife, 30-year-old NiloufarArdalan, midfielder for the Iranian women’s soccer team, to miss the Asian Cup tournament by confiscating her passport after a domestic spat as reported by local media.

Under Iranian law, husbands can stop their wives from traveling outside of the country.

We LOVE football!

And in our football issue we take a look at the National Gay Flag Football League (NGFFL) as well as the pro NFL “fourfathers” who helped make the organization possible. We also look at another organization, the Independent Women’s Football League (IWFL) that offers women the opportunity to play tackle football. So break out the pizza and wings, get your game face on and join us in cheering them on.

from the

Commissioner

BY CONNIE WARDMAN JERRY O’CONNOR, PHOTOGRAPHER

I RECENTLY SPOKE WITH JARED GARDUNO, now serving his second term as commissioner of the National Gay Flag Football League (NGFFL). Our far-ranging conversation included this year’s Gay Bowl XV in San Diego, lessons learned from his previous term as commissioner and new goals for the coming year.

Compete: Tell me about your takeaways from your first term as NGFFL commissioner, Jared.

Jared Garduno: With a membership of just over 3,000, we currently have 21 NGFFL cities across the U.S. and Canada and many of these cities have multiple teams. As we continue to grow, we’ve realized there are several things we want to target. One important realization is that our annual Gay Bowl tournament will only grow as fast as our team of referees grows.

So our focus on expanding the league includes a dedication to the continued growth of our referee team. In fact, at our 2015 NGFFL Hall of Fame (HOF) ceremony held prior to the start of Gay Bowl XV, Lance Burage will be the first referee inducted into the HOF. Following his first tournament officiating in 2008, the next year he was appointed head of officials and currently officiates in the Boston Gay Flag Football League.

C: What else does your expansion plan call for?

JG: We’ve learned that the league’s expansion into new cities is most successful when dedicated players move to a new area without an NGFFL team. Because they love football and the fun and camaraderie that are such a big part of the game experience, when they move to a city without a gay football team, they wind up starting one.

Two good examples of this are the Denver and Phoenix city leagues. Shane Kinkennon originally played for the Washington, D.C. team. When he moved to Denver and discovered there wasn’t any gay flag football, he started a new city league. It is now one of the most successful local leagues in the nation with over 20 teams that participate in the DGLFFL. Shawn Rea’s first experience with the league was in Los Angeles playing for their tournament team as well as some pickup games. But since there wasn’t an official league developed in LA at the time, he and a group of friends living there would occasionally travel to play in San Diego where that local league was growing. When Rae moved to Phoenix, his desire to play football kept him travelling between Phoenix and San Diego for games and tournaments. However, after months of hard recruiting work he was able to lay the foundation for what is now the Phoe-

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nix league. I’m happy to say that both men have also held the position of league commissioner and they were both inducted into the NGFFL Hall of Fame in 2012.

C: With all this growth, how has it impacted the league’s ability to find a host city with adequate fields, food, lodging and transportation?

C: Do the members who want to start a new city league get any help from the NGFFL? It seems like a big investment in both time and money for just one or two people.

JG: Finding a city with fields large enough to hold the Gay Bowl is our biggest on-going problem. We’ve had to start going back to some of the larger cities we’ve used before. Our preference has always been to have one field or complex big enough for everyone to use rather than spreading teams out to multiple venues. So we’ve now been to Phoenix twice, this year’s Gay Bowl marks the second time for San Diego and next year will mark the second time we’ve used the D.C. area. We need to be creative as we get bigger so other cities that haven’t hosted can still have the opportunity to showcase their planning abilities.

I think everyone wants to go to Hawaii (a “wink” definitely intended).

JG: Yes, we have what we call our new city league kit.

It contains game supplies, like flags and cones as well as administrative supplies and forms to help them get off the ground. We want each new city league to be successful in its own right.

C: Gay Bowl XV is being held this year from October 9-11 in San Diego. Tell me how the tournament changes from one year to the next.

JG: One of the things we’ve learned over the years is to have two co-chairs for each tournament to share the responsibilities. Russ Edra and Steve Farrow are co-chairs for San Diego and Gay Bowl 2016 being held in Washington, D.C. will have Chris Cormier and Brandon Waggoner as co-chairs.

We now have over 200 teams representing the 21 leagues across the U.S. and Canada, and the logistics of holding a three-day event for a tournament that size requires multiple people to be involved. So we have some parts, what we call the “behind the curtain” events (additional events, timelines, etc.), that are the same every year.

But there’s that need to be creative. So each city gets a chance to put its own face on the tournament.

A good example is Gay Bowl X held in Phoenix in 2010. It was the first time the tournament leveraged social media. It was also the first time there was an opening ceremony as well as the induction of the inaugural class of honorees into the NGFFL Hall of Fame – co-founders of the NGFFL, Jim Buzinski and Cyd Zeigler.

Host cities have continued to build on the enhancements made by other tournament hosts. And in the age of social media, host committees have also chosen to add Facebook pages to their list of duties. But by the 2016 Gay Bowl, there will be just a singular Gay Bowl website and Facebook page, eliminating some of the additional duties for the host committee.

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C: What’s new on the drawing board for NGFFL? JG: The next item in development is a new platinum league for older players. We have an important Gay Bowl taskforce led by HOF member Thurman Williams that works on tournament improvements. They’re still working on the details but the starting age limit will be around 40. It should be ready for the 2016 Gay Bowl. Another change for this year’s Gay Bowl is a random draw. There’s an A and B men’s division and a women’s division and in past years they’ve known for a full year what team they’d be playing. But this year teams won’t know who they’ll be playing until the opening ceremony, the day before the tournament begins.

Another new change this year is combining a couple of events with the San Diego softball team. Their Autumn Classic tournament is celebrating its 37th anniversary this year. I have always wanted more interaction with other sports organizations—together we can do so much more than can be done alone. By the end of 2015 we’ll have set our vision for moving forward over the next five years with an updated version of NGFFL’s vision and mission statements. This is a vital, growing organization and it’s really an honor to be a part of it!

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The

”Fourfathers” Gay Football of

BY GABRIEL CORDOBA

FOR PEOPLE BORN IN THE 1980’S AND BEYOND, it can be hard to comprehend just how damaging it was to a person to be identified as gay. They could literally lose it all – jobs, friends, even family. And that was especially true for professional athletes. People simply refused to believe that macho athletes could be gay, an erroneous belief that until Michael Sam came along, kept all gay professional football players in the closet until after they retired.

As we celebrate the 15th annual Gay Bowl and the National Gay Flag Football League (NGFFL), we need to stop and pay homage to those courageous pioneers of pro football who finally came out as gay. They truly paved the way for today’s LGBT football players to have the freedom to openly organize and compete without fear of attack.

These “fourfathers” of gay football are David Kopay, Roy Simmons, Esera Tuaolo and Wade Davis.

Dave Kopay, who played nine years in the NFL as a running back for five different teams (San Francisco, Detroit, Green Bay, Washing ton and New Orleans), was one of those macho, aggressive pro players that people loved. But in 1975 the Washington Star wrote an article about the struggle of being gay in the NFL, quoting an unnamed NFL player as the source. Mail flooded into the Star, much of it hate mail, completely disregarding even the possibility of a gay NFL player.

Kopay knew as soon as he read the story that the source was his Redskins teammate Jerry Smith, with whom he had had a sexual encounter. Now, just three years removed from his NFL career, he contacted Washington Star reporter Lynn Rosellini to prove these people wrong.

In his article with Rosellini, Kopay shared in detail his time as a closeted homosexual in the NFL. Kopay took that first step for gay NFL athletes in 1975 with the Star article and in 1977 his book, “The David Kopay Story: An Extraordinary Self-Revelation,” was released. A New York Times best seller that is still in print today, he expected the book to change peoples’ minds

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about gays in sports, creating discussion on a national level that would pave the way for other gay athletes to come out.

In 1998 he answered questions as a part of an “Outside the Lines” program on gays and homophobia in sports.

Kopay still spoke with optimism about the possibility of an active athlete feeling comfortable enough to come out.

But now he tempered his expected timeline, saying “I used to think it was going to happen fairly soon, back when I wrote my book, but now I don’t think it’s going to happen for another generation. But I do think it will happen eventually.”

Seventeen years after Kopay announced his coming out, Roy Simmons took the next step for gay NFL athletes. In 1992, nine years after retiring from the NFL, he announced he was gay. Simmons, who passed away in 2014 at the age of 57, played four seasons in the NFL from 1979 to 1983, his first three with the New York Giants and ending his NFL career in Washington. Being a closeted gay was for Simmons an inner fight as he revealed in a 2006 interview with the Washington Post. He describes his time in the NFL like having two jobs, “football and running.

Mostly running.”

seasons with the Titans, Seahawks and the Redskins and The story of Simmons’ deep struggle to endure as he played with two NFL Europe teams before retiring due to tried to run from himself is the story of not only gay athinjury. Always liked by his teammates, they had no idea letes but also for all too many in the LGBT community. about his sexual orientation. In an interview with OutTheir fight is a very real one for acceptance and tolerance sports.com in 2012, Davis says the acceptance from his from society in general and for love from their loved ones. team was why he never said anything. He had grown close But the most important thing is self-love and acceptance, to teammates and did not want them to have to choose and as Simmons and others playing in the NFL found out, it can be a hard place to love yourself. “In the NFL, there is nothing worse than being gay,” Simmons told the New York Daily News in 2006.

It wasn’t until 2002 that the next step was taken to end homophobia in the NFL. Esera Tualolo, a 6 foot-3, 300-pound defensive linemen came out on HBO’s “Real Sports.” With a nine-year career in the NFL playing for the Packers, Jaguars, Falcons, Panthers and five seasons for the Vikings, he looked like a Samoan Viking, the very personification of a rugged macho player. But he lived in fear of being outed for his entire football career.

His book, “Alone in the Trenches: My Life as a Gay Man in the NFL” was released in 2006, shocking many to learn that some of his former teammates admitted that had they known he was gay, they’d have tried to injure him so Photo courtesy of Esera Tuaolo Wade Davis, Photo by Terry Torro they wouldn’t also be viewed as gay simply by association.

In 2013 Tualolo, along with Wade Davis wrote a letter to his younger self as part of an interview for MMBQ. si.com. The now wiser. happier Tualolo not only gave words of advice to himself but also flooded it with empathy. The exercise revealed that one of the biggest things Tualolo as well as other gay athletes need is someone to listen to them and to know that they are not the only ones in the fight. He wanted any NFL player considering coming out while still active to know that he and the LGBT community would be behind him. And when Michael Sam was drafted, Tuaolo wrote him a personal note of support.

A devout Christian who can quote the Bible chapter and verse back to those who use it to defend their gay prejudice, Tuaolo has devoted his life to being a motivational speaker on inclusion, especially for LGBT youth. He also has a continuing dialog with the NFL to combat homophobia in the league, making it safer for gay players. And with a booming voice, he has sung the National Anthem at a number of NFL games as well as at Compete’s Sports Diversity Awards where he was honored with Compete’s 2014 Legacy Award for his advocacy work.

Last but far from least is Wade Davis who made his coming out announcement in 2012. Davis spent four pre-

between their reputation and their friendship with him.

“You just want to be one of the guys, and you don’t want to lose that sense of family,” Davis says. “Your biggest fear is that you’ll lose that camaraderie and family. I think about how close I was with Jevon [Kearse] and Samari [Rolle]. It’s not like they’d like me less, it’s that they have to protect their own brand.” Sadly, a comment similar to Tuaolo’s teammates a decade earlier.

Davis, an NGFFL Hall of Famer who plays on the New York Warriors team, has also devoted himself to advocacy work, first with at-promise LGBT youth and now as the executive director with the You Can Play Project. One project is their High Five Initiative geared to create meaningful connections between LGBT youth and leaders within the professional sports community. On a positive note, the first organization to participate was the NFL. 37 years have passed between the coming out announcements of Dave Kopay and Wade Davis. Thanks to these four courageous NFL players, the NGFFL’s Gay Bowl is getting bigger and better every year. And in the true spirit of diversity and inclusion, straight players are now joining their ranks, because when it comes to playing football, it really is all about the game.

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The Independent

Football Women s ’ League Football’s Best Kept Secret

BY GABRIEL CORDOBA

AS WE TRANSITION OUT OF SUMMER AND INTO fall, for those sports fanatics out there this means football season has begun. While the National Gay Flag Football League (NGFFL) has a women’s division that is growing in popularity and outstanding athletic abilities, there is another group of women playing football.

As regular season games are starting for the NCAA and the NFL, and fantasy football teams are set in hopes of their own kind of championship, there is one football championship journey that starts in April and concludes in July with the best team claiming the right to be called Champion of the Independent Women’s Football League (IWFL).

A member-organization of team owners founded to support the new sport of women’s tackle football, according to the league’s official website, “The IWFL enables its member teams to function independently, focusing on their local markets while combining resources and strategies for the successful marketing and promotion of women’s football.” Oh, and did I mention it is full contact, full pad, tackle football for women?

The group enables women who want play full tackle football to do so in a positive, safe and fun environment while also offering a fun experience for their families and friends who come out to watch them. The group also allows both women and men the opportunity to coach, manage and even own a sports team as part of this unique opportunity for women athletes.

With 36 teams or affiliate league teams throughout the U.S., the exception is the Montreal Blitz that hails from Quebec, Canada. And five more teams are set to be added in 2016, ranging from Bakersfield, California to Maine. The league is broken up into nine divisions, some with as few

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as two teams and some with as many as seven. The teams play between six to eight regular season games, with a chance to play three more in the playoffs.

Tabitha McBride, the general manager of the Phoenixbased IWFL team, the Phoenix PhantomZ, has been with the team since its inaugural year in 2012. McBride and the PhantomZ have made the playoffs three out of their four years in the league, only missing it this 2015 season. “We want to win and win the championship and go all the way,” McBride said, adding that teammates “… pick each other up; it’s a real team effort.”

That team effort is the key in arguably the ultimate team sport of football. Six women are on the field at a time, offense and defense, all with the same goal in mind—to be the named champion at the end of the season. Rules for the IWFL include “a combination of existing football rules deemed most applicable for the women’s game. Where the IWFL does not have a specific rule NCAA rules are used,” meaning they use six-man rules for their play during the games.

To participate in the IWFL, a person must first tryout and pay a player fee that helps cover travel expenses for the two-plus away games a year. While there is technically a tryout and cuts have happened, McBride says as long as you are dependable and want to play football, they will find a spot for you.

“What we require is that you come out to every practice, you give a lot of heart and your fees are paid on time,” McBride says. “So there’s a lot of consideration before a game can actually start. Everyone will get to play; it’s just about the starting lineup.”

And break whatever stereotype you have in your head regarding the competitive intensity between the IWFL

Basic six-man football variations to IWFL rules 1. Field is 40x80 yards versus 50x100 2. Fifteen yards for a first down 3. All players are eligible receivers 4. There must be a ‘clean exchange’ of the football. The quarterback must hand off, pitch or throw the ball before it can cross the line of scrimmage 5. Fields with goal posts are optional.

When goal posts are used, a field goal is worth four points and a kicked PAT is two points 5. A run/pass PAT is one point 6. If at any point after halftime a team leads by 45 points or more, the game is over”

Cindy Edward, Photo courtesy of Phoenix PhantomZ teams. This is still football – they are absolutely athletes and it is absolutely full-contact football. “I can say that the desire these women have to play exudes that competitive edge. Women in this league are very competitive. They play with heart,” according to Christy Medinger, a 13-year veteran with the Sacramento Sirens.

Medinger says that “The majority of women that play are not only here to play but also to lay the footwork for young ladies to follow. You can tell which women and teams are doing off-field work. They’re in the gym before or after work getting some strength training, cardio or footwork. They’re breaking down film on themselves and their opponents. They’re also taking time to go out to schools to teach “Football 101” or to help local groups for community services.”

We can’t talk tackle football, however, and ignore the elephant in the room – injuries. According to Medinger and McBride, concussions and ACL injuries are some of the more common injuries among their athletes. “Well it’s inevitable; we usually have one or two players at a time who are out with concussions. We have ACL injuries,” McBride said. “In each game we have our M.D.s and trainers on-staff to determine whether or not the girls can

continue to play for that game or if they have to sit out for the remainder of the game or even the season.”

And because this league is not a big business organization like the NFL, each woman must at the very least have sports insurance for the duration of the season.

“Every girl that plays has to get sports insurance if they don’t have health coverage through their employer. They have to retain injury insurance, even if it’s just for the season,” McBride said.

But don’t let the risk of injury stop you from trying out, getting involved in or simply going to a game and supporting your local IWFL team. Both men and women are welcome to help, whether that is coaching, front office work or just general volunteering. “Without pay, these ladies, the coaches, the staff and our volunteers made a commitment and they bust their butts yearly to produce a solid team and make each season better than the last,” Medinger says. “The goal is to win. But what it takes to win depends on what you are willing to do to make it happen.”

To find out when an IWFL team near you is holding tryouts, check their Facebook page or the team’s website at iwflsports.com.

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| COMPETE | 23

TEAM COMPETE MVP MARY HONEYCUTT

If you’d like to be included in our MVP section, e-mail MVP@competenetwork.com

GREATEST PERSONAL ACHIEVEMENT: Being a veteran of the U.S. Air Force

SPORTS PLAYED: Rodeo, Softball, Basketball.

WHY SHE LOVES SPORTS: I enjoy the competitive spirit plus the feeling of physical and mental achievement.

BEST PHYSICAL FEATURE: My eyes and smile.

INTERESTS: Rodeo, Fundraising for charity, spending time with friends.

FAVORITE TEAM: Seattle Seahawks

FAVORITE ATHLETE: Sherry Cervi

RELATIONSHIP STATUS: Single

SPORT: Rodeo

CURRENT RESIDENCE: Fort Worth, Texas

HOMETOWN: Seattle, Washington

AGE: 38

Photos courtesy of Mary Honeycutt

Banana Sushi

If you are looking for a fun and creative way to serve up some hors d'oeuvres at you next get together, check out this BANANA SUSHI recipe from MyOatmeal.com!

Ingredients: - 1 whole banana - 1 cup of Pumpkin Armaretto Granola from MyOatmeal.com - ½ cup of your favorite peanut butter (we like almond butter) Instructions: 1. Freeze a peeled banana for 1 hour to make it firm and easy to work with.

2. Cover the banana with nut butter and roll it in granola with pressure to insure the granola sticks well.

3. Cut the banana in to small segments with a sharp blade, and allow to thaw for 15-20 minutes before serving with chopsticks!!

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ATHLETE

TYLER FOERSTER A Man of Many Talents

BY IAN COLGATE TYLER FOERSTER IS A MAN of many talents, just one of which happens to be football. While football is Foerster’s current passion, he’s played multiple sports, including basketball, dodgeball, kickball, softball, soccer and more.

Foerster has been involved in the National Gay Flag Football League (NGFFL) for six years, and not just as a player. He has coached for four years and has also been on three tournament committees as he makes his way up the NGFFL ladder. He hopes to join his local league board and eventually land a seat on the national board. “I plan to be involved with this league for a long time so the sky’s the limit,” he says.

Originally a member of the Chicago Freeze, he has played for the San Diego Bolts most recently, this year’s

Gay Bowl reigning champion. In addition to the Bolts, he is the captain of the San Diego Seals, a team that competes in smaller tournaments throughout the year.

But Foerster knows how special the Bolts are, first realizing that when he saw them compete in Denver Gay Bowl XII. “The athleticism complied on this squad is truly amazing but even more important is the camaraderie between team members,” he said.

Claiming that the San Diego American Flag Football League (SDAFFL) is more like his family, Foerster admits that he really roots for the players on the other teams representing San Diego just as much as his own Bolts.

That dedication to San Diego was long ago confirmed when the former Chicago-resident commuted to

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| COMPETE | 27

ATHLETE

San Diego every week from the Windy City to play an entire 12-week season in the SDAFFL. And it was that commitment that landed Foerster a coveted spot on the Bolts. “Last year’s tournament championship was the highlight of my NGFFL career. It solidified that all the travelling and hard work was worth every second,” Foerster said.

Badly injured in February during Fort Lauderdale’s Sunshine Cup, he could have spent his off-time concentrating on his recovery. But instead of being just a sideline player, Foerster volunteered to coach a team, all while wearing a cast and using crutches. He has been rehabbing hard and claims that he will be ready for this year’s Gay Bowl which is being played in his very own San Diego.

Foerster is more than just an NGFFL player, coach and tournament organizer. His love of sports goes beyond his commitment to flag football. He has developed a scoreboard system called the U.S. Gay Sports Network (USGSN).

The USGSN began with a simple concept: keeping the scores of all LGBT-affiliated sports leagues in North America. Since its start in 2010, the network now consists of ten cities and as many as six sports.

This Gay Bowl in San Diego will be the 21st tournament USGSN will cover, and this year the USGSN is featuring live scoring throughout the tournament. USGSN is also introducing team pages for every team that has completed in the Gay Bowl since 2010. Always looking for more

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cities and leagues to join, each year the network continues to grow.

In addition to his work at USGSN, Foerster has a very busy life outside of flag football. He enjoys traveling, seeing new places and meeting new people. He also has a passion for photography, film, web design and computer graphics.

Most importantly, he enjoys spending quality time with his family, his partner of four years and close friends.

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SPORTS

4

HEROES ZERO “Talking The Walk” On Social Media Before The 28th Desert AIDS Walk In Palm Springs

BY BARRY DAYTON

ONCE AGAIN, ORGANIZATIONS LIKE AIDS Assistance Program, the Mizell Senior Center, Planned Parenthood, the LGBT Community Center of the Desert and so many others are going to be joining the 28th Desert AIDS Walk, raising money not only for Desert AIDS Project but also for their own organizations. Desert Regional Medical Center joins again as presenting sponsor, to help D.A.P. reach its fundraising goal of $325,000.

Anyone wanting to Walk, join a team or make a donation can learn more at www.desertaidswalk.org. Then come to Ruth Hardy Park from 7:30–9:30 a.m. on Saturday, October 17. Breakfast will be served by Koffi as more than 40 organizations and vendors open the Walgreens Health and Wellness Village. DJ Corey and Pride Nation Radio will entertain the crowd and presentations will be made from the stage until the Walk steps off at 9:30 a.m. As walkers return to the park, lunch will be served with sandwiches from Subway along with Ben & Jerry’s ice cream.

In the final days leading up to the 28th Desert AIDS Walk, supporters of D.A.P. who are already engaged

with social media—Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, etc.—have been eagerly accepting the invitation to become “Heroes4Zero” to show their support of what D.A.P. has been offering the health care community since 1984.

“This is a new and fun way to let others on social media know about your passion for the Walk with our Heroes4Zero sharing opportunity,” said Darrell L. Tucci, chief development officer at Desert AIDS Project. “It’s all summarized on the home page: sign up, tell friends, win prizes.” Barbara Beaty was the first to prove that being a Hero4Zero social media ambassador can also win you a few jolts of caffeine … as the first winner of several $25 gift certificates donated by Ristretto for Coffee Lovers.

Just go to www.heroes4zero.com to find out how you can become a social media ambassador … and maybe win a great prize. Tucci added “Heroes4Zero is a great way to let everyone know that we won’t rest until we reach that AIDS-free generation with zero new HIV infections.”

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| COMPETE | 31

SPORTS

COMPETE GOLF CLASSIC

GOLFERS TEED OFF AT COMPETE’S 2015 CHARITY GOLF CLASSIC

BY CONNIE WARDMAN THE WEATHER WAS PERFECT FOR COMPETE’S CHARITY GOLF CLASSIC last month at the beautiful Starfire Golf Course in Phoenix. Golfers enjoyed the wonderfully sunny day while raising money “fore” Aunt Rita’s Foundation that raises and distributes funds to Central Arizona programs that prevent HIV/AIDS or assists those living with HIV/AIDS. As you can see from the photos, a great time was had by all. A big thanks to all the golfers and our sponsors for such a great time!

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INTERNATIONAL POWERLIFTING GROUP An Outgrowth of Gay Games 9

BY KEVIN KRAUSS IT WAS A HOT AUGUST DAY ON THE OUTSKIRTS of Cleveland, Ohio. In a hardcore powerlifting gym, men and women from all around the world gathered in the spirit of sports, community and togetherness. That’s where our saga begins.

It was the Gay Games 9 Cleveland powerlifting meet and people were exhausted. Nerves were on edge, the tension was so thick you could cut it with a knife but everybody was having a blast. This was a first-time competition for a number of the athletes who ranged in age from 21-to70. But with the help of veterans of the sport and the support from friends and family, all the lifters made it through.

Not only did they all make it through, each and every participant wound up creating a personal success story.

Be it the physical triumph over cancer and now powerlifting, proving to their grandchildren that you can still be active and set world records at 70 or proving to oneself that they’re stronger today than a year ago, everybody had a success story. This is where and how the International Federation of Alternative Strength and Power (IFASP) was born.

The group recognized that powerlifting had not only brought together this international group of straight, gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender lifters, it had also created a common sense of community, personal achievement and success. One of the common themes the founders had noticed was the socially fractured environment of the mainstream strength community. It was rife with intimidation by big numbers, big lifters and big egos and this group knew they wanted to make something special happen.

IFASP is a not–for-profit federation that is committed to the advancement of strength sports in the gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and ally communities. Looking to create a more inclusive and cooperative environment for the strength sports, the organization is focusing on a spirit of inclusion, caring and personal best. IFASP’s mission is to create a cooperative atmosphere that brings inspiration to all members of all communities and nurtures their ability to achieve their personal best.

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GG9 Group Medals, Photo courtesy of IFASP

Without the prejudices found in the mainstream strength community, this group is determined to celebrate and enhance the fellowship of all forms of strength and power among its members on a global scale, striving to include all those who embody the goals and spirit of powerlifting, arm wrestling, and the strongman/strongwoman.

By hosting events throughout the year, we plan to reunite old friends, to create new ones and to fan the fires of competition on both a personal and rival level.

Coming in January 2016, IFASP will be hosting one of its biggest events in Las Vegas—the Sin City Shootout Strength Expo at the Tropicana Resort and Hotel. We will be offering a full powerlifting meet (squat, bench, deadlift and strict curl), an arm wrestling tournament, a vendor fair featuring companies in the fitness industry, exhibition lifting and strength training seminars for people who are interested in starting to powerlift.

We are looking forward to having a great time at this, our largest event! And we invite you to join us as either a participant or a spectator. Registration can be found on the Sin City Shootout or IFASP websites.

SPECIAL INTEREST

GREAT AUTOS OF YESTERYEAR

BY JAY D’ANGELO GREAT AUTOS OF YESTERYEAR IS THE LARGEST gay and lesbian car club on the West Coast with almost 1,000 members, owning over 2,600 cars. This diverse organization was formed in 1983 by veteran car collectors Ted Davidson and Herb Rothman who, though active in other clubs, felt the gay community should have a club all its own—a club that could serve as both a social gathering place and means of bringing together gay and lesbian individuals who share a unique enthusiasm for the automobile and its preservation. You can see some of our members’ cars in the slide show on the front page of our website, Greatautos.org.

WE DO IT EVERY MONTH! Unlike most “conventional” classic car clubs who might have one event a year, Great Autos offers at least one fun event each month, such as road rallies, car collection tours, and car shows in and around Southern California.

Also, Great Autos members look forward to exciting annual events—including our drive-in movie event, Palm Springs Casual Concours charity car show, and the four-day extravaganza West Coast Meet, this year in beautiful Cambria. One of our most enjoyable annual events is Heaps O’ Fun day in the park celebrating works-in-progress, daily drivers and “less than perfect” cars. In addition to all that, local area cruise nights are held frequently throughout California (as well as several cities in the Pacific Northwest, Nevada, and the Southwest U.S.) so members can “kick tires” and catch up during the month.

GREAT AUTOS IS OUT THERE! Great Autos actively supports the LGBT community in a number of ways with involvement in Pride festivals and

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parades. When you’ve seen dignitaries riding in stunning, chrome-laden convertibles, chances are those vintage vehicles have been provided by Great Autos members. We have also raised many thousands of dollars for worthy causes at our spectacular annual Concours charity car show.

WE ARE FAMILY! The Great Autos LGBT (and straight, too!) family member ranges in age from 18 to over 80, with most makes, models and years of cars represented in our ranks. While we are mostly in Southern California, Great Autos members hail from across the USA, as well as Canada and Europe. Don’t own a classic or special interest vehicle? No problem—you only need to possess the appreciation and the desire to share your enthusiasm to be part of the Great Autos of Yesteryear family!

BENEFITS OF MEMBERSHIP 3 Exciting monthly club events!

3 Our award-winning, monthly newsletter The Solenoid available online 3 Membership Roster, with a comprehensive listing of our members and their cars (by year, make and model) and available online 3 Access to the “members only” features of greatautos.org website 3 Be part of the largest network of gay and gay-friendly vintage car enthusiasts in the USA! A free trial membership is available on our website and don’t miss our Facebook page!

We invite you to join us! We are fun and friendly, and our cars are fabulous!

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FITNESS

STATIC STRETCHING A Thing of the Past

BY JON JOHANSON FROM A YOUNG AGE WE ARE TAUGHT IN BOTH physical education classes and organized sports that it is important to stretch before playing any games or working out. Static stretches are performed with the team counting in unison, the idea being that stretching immediately before a game will help prevent injury.

This mentality is often carried over to an older age where we continue to stand still holding an appendage of our body, counting to 15 and then changing sides. While this is not harmful to stretch immediately before a workout, according to Sonya Collins, author of “The Truth About Stretching” on WebMD. com, “It’s not proven to help prevent injury, curb muscle soreness after exercise, or improve your performance.”

Rather than stretching in unison, we should be taught to stretch like we are taught to brush our teeth – once in the morning when we wake up and once before we go to sleep. “The American College of Sports Medicine recommends stretching each of the major muscle groups at least two times a week for 60 seconds per exercise,” Collins says.

The four hours before the work out, the time when you are waking up, eating a healthy breakfast and drinking plenty of water, are just as important as the 30 minutes before you get ready to jump into a work out. To get the most out of your body you do what you can to eat right, drink right and get proper sleep. So why not continuously keep your body limber? Rather than trying to wake up the muscles right before you need them to perform at their best by statically stretching, try making time to stretch throughout the day.

This does not mean jumping right into working out. A warm-up of some kind is recommended. Amanda Warner, editor for DailyBurn wrote an article for the Huffington Post entitled, “Foam Rolling vs. Stretching: Which is Better?” In it she said that “No matter how eager you are to start (or finish) your workout, it’s important to resist the urge to jump straight in without warming up your muscles.”

But also recognize that holding a muscle too long can have an adverse effect. Rather than warming the muscle up, it tires it. So instead of static stretching before a workout, use an interactive warm-up that simulates the workout that is going to be performed but done at a lessened resistance. This will yield better results by allowing the body to acclimate to the physical tasks ahead.

You can also do a warm-up run. But if a light run to start a workout is something that doesn’t interest you or something that does not fit your timetable, both Warner and DailyBurn fitness/nutrition coach Sarah Snyder recommend the use of a foam roller to get your muscles ready. Here are their five pieces of advice on how to foam roll:

1. Relax

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“As you’re foam rolling, concentrate on keeping your shoulders pulled away from your ears,” Warner recom-

| COMPETE | October 2015

mends. “Reminding yourself to inhale and exhale while you roll will also help ensure your muscles stay loose, too.”

2. Engage Your Core

“As with any other exercise, you’ll want to keep your core tight and engaged while foam rolling, Snyder says. This will help ensure your hips aren’t sagging and throwing your alignment out of whack.”

3. Pay Attention to Pain

“We’re not going to lie,” says Warner. “Foam rolling doesn’t always feel great. After all, it’s not easy to work out kinks in your muscles. But if you ever start to feel serious pain, it’s time to stop, as you can make an already-aggravated area worse.”

4. Roll Slowly

“You only want to move about one inch-per-second while you’re using this recovery tool,” according to Snyder. “Aim to spend about one-to-two minutes targeting each muscle group, rolling fully up and down the length of the muscle about four times.”

5. In a Time Crunch, Choose Foam Roll Over Static Stretch

“After a workout, in an ideal situation if you did foam rolling and stretching, that would be great,” says Snyder. “But if you’re short on time, scrap the stretching and dedicate yourself to your foam roller instead.”

What We Learned

Stretch your body at least twice a day, not just before working out. It is important to stretch all muscles in your body throughout the week. Stretching the different parts of your body daily helps keep you lose throughout the week and more flexible as you get older.

Static stretching before working out not only can tire your muscles; it also does not necessarily reduce the risk of injury.

While you should still warm-up before working out, it is not imperative to count to ten holding a different part of your body.

If you are having trouble finding an easy way to stretch and warm-up, the use of foam rollers could be your answer. Rolling out different muscles of the body allows them to work into the work out that is ahead. Rather than statically stretching each muscle, a foam roller creates movement and allows your body to work out the kinks.

NUTRITION

TOP 10 FOODS TO PROTECT YOUR SKIN

BY MIRIAM LATTO EATING TO PROTECT YOUR SKIN MAY SOUND strange at first, but stop and think about the fact that your skin is not only your body’s largest organ, it’s also the fastest growing organ. If proper food can protect your heart or liver, for example, then think about what different foods can do to protect your skin.

Based on information from the American Academy of Dermatology, Prevention.com and WebMD, here are 10 foods that are tops in helping your skin repair the daily damage done by air pollution and UV rays as well as other damage caused by the effects of smoking, sun exposure or toxic substances in the workplace.

Blackberries, Blueberries, Strawberries and Plums Antioxidants are what protect your skin cells from free radicals in the environment, like sun exposure. While we’re warned about overexposure to sun, as an athlete you may wind up with more than your fair share. And blackberries, blueberries, strawberries and plums all have high levels of antioxidant content that protect your skin cells from free radicals in the environment.

Chocolate Well, who doesn’t love chocolate! The good news is that cocoa hydrates your skin, not only firming it but also adding a healthy glow. For the best results, though, choose chocolate that’s at least 70 percent cacao. Eating a couple of squares a day can improve your skin’s appearance.

Kale If you’ve never eaten kale, give it a try because it contains lutein and zeaxanthin. These are nutrients that also eliminate free radicals in the environment, such as skin-damaging UV light. Kale also contains vitamins A and C which are known to firm your skin.

Oatmeal For a good all-round food to start your day, oatmeal is hard to beat. There are studies showing that oatmeal takes longer for your body to process which, in turn, can help keep your blood sugar level. It also helps in healing your skin, something especially important for those with diabetes. Because it’s less processed that other forms of oatmeal, the steel-cut variety retains more vitamins.

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Olive Oil Another food that helps eliminate those damaging environmental free radicals is olive oil thanks to its antioxidant polyphenols. For an anti-aging solution, about 75 percent of the fat in olive oil is monounsaturated fatty acids, and studies have shown that they play a role in boosting your skin’s health while also making it look younger.

Oysters Not everyone loves oysters, but they contain dietary zinc which plays an important role in the growth and function of skin cells. And some recent studies have shown that people who suffer from acne have low zinc levels, a fact that may make oysters worth a try for some.

Rosemary With incidents of skin cancer on the rise, studies have shown that consuming rosemary can reduce your risk of developing melanoma, the most dangerous form of skin cancer. The herb is full of antioxidants that eliminate those pesky free radicals before they can damage your skin.

Soy Are you a fan of soy? If not, you may want to try it since soy has been linked to improving your skin by reducing those fine lines and boosting your skin’s elasticity. The isoflavone in soy helps stop collagen from breaking down, thereby reducing the sagging in your skin.

Tomatoes Recent studies have shown that tomatoes play a role in preventing sunburns. The antioxidant lycopene improves your skin’s natural SPF level. In an interesting note, lycopene levels are higher in cooked, processed tomatoes than there are in raw tomatoes.

Walnuts Believe it or not, walnuts are full of copper, a mineral that improves collagen production in your skin. Eating about an ounce of walnuts (approximately 14 walnut halves) a day can improve your skin’s texture.

GYM BAG

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The TITIN gels, which can be used hot or cold for use as thermotherapy or a mobile ice bath, are located on major muscle groups and held tightly to the body by the compression shirt. Made from material that is both wicking and anti-microbial, the gear comes in both a shirt system and a shorts system that can be used during a workout or for post-workout recovery. For hypergravity training, the weight placement ensures that no joints will be affected yet you’ll boost the efficiency of your workouts, improving speed, balance, endurance and vertical leap. In a test by industry experts, athletes who warmed up or pre-loaded with a TITIN Force™ shirt system saw measurable increases called the TITIN Effect—a 25 percent higher lactate threshold, 13 percent increase in vertical leap and an 11 percent increase in endurance.

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The well-known French-based tennis brand Babolat has joined forces with Swiss-based PIQ software company to create a wearable wristband specific to tennis.

Compatible with both iOS and Android softwear, the technology enables users to analyze their own performance statistics to track improvement, create challenges, compare and compete with friends via social media and it is compatible with any racket. It calculates metrics such as velocity, height, air time, G-force, amplitude and trajectory without needing to have your smartphone on you while you play. All the complex data is stored on your smartphone while the stroke speed is shown on the wearable’s interface. Additional features allow you to compare your statistics with friends, teammates, even professional players like Serena Williams and Rafael Nadal.

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| COMPETE | October 2015

For diehard baseball/ softball players, Easton is now offering a way to quantify your swing with the Easton Power Sensor powered by Blast Motion. This new sensor helps players improve their swing using more scientific evaluations. Fitting on the top of the knob of any baseball or softball bat, the sensor captures a variety of swing metrics. They can then be matched to a video of the swing that you can take on your smartphone within the Easton Power Sensor App. The sensor tracks five key metrics – timeto-contact, efficiency index, power index, swing speed and blast factor.

The blast factor is a combination of all the different metrics integrated into one consolidated number between zero and 100. You can compare the blast factor to your previous sessions as well as to the metrics of friends and teammates. It can be shared on social media, even emailed to coaches. The sensor is available at Easton’s online store for $149.95

easton.com/baseball/products/ accessories/power-sensor CORSAIR FLASH VOYAGER GO FLASH DRIVE

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THE BABOLAT POP

EASTON POWER SENSOR

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TITIN FORCE™ WEIGHTED COMPRESSION GEAR

Today’s smartphones aren’t known for good storage. Corsair’s Flash Voyager Go is a flash drive that enables Android users to move files easily between your phone and your computer.

It’s small and comes with its own lanyard as well as a micro-USB connector that allows you to plug it directly into an Android phone, allowing you to store phone files like computer files to free space needed for a large movie download, for example. You can then move your files onto any other USB or micro-USB device without needing to go through a cloud locker. If you’re using an older Android device, you can pick up a USB OTG adapter for less than $4.

The Flash Voyager Go costs about $15 for a 16GB stick to $50 for a 64GB model. It’s available on Amazon in a larger variety of sizes and prices can be found on the corsair website.

corsair.com/en/usb-drives/flash-voyager

OVERTIME

EVENTS

BASKETBALL Dallas Showcase Classic 2015 Dallas, Oct. 24-25

BOWLING Rivercity Invitational Open Tournament Jacksonville, Fla., Oct. 9 Capital Halloween Invitational Tournament Washington, D.C., Oct. 9 Motown Invitational Classic Canton, Mich., Oct. 9 Jackpot Oklahoma Lambda Tournament Tulsa, Oct. 10 Northeast Invitational Tournament Boston Boston, Oct. 10 Palm Springs Desert Invitational Classic Palm Springs, Oct. 16

FLAG FOOTBALL Gay Bowl XV San Diego, Oct. 9-11

SOFTBALL Show-Me Showdown Kansas City, Mo., Oct. 9 Autumn Classic San Diego, Oct. 9 Ocean State Cup Classic Providence R.I., Oct. 10 Big D Great Pumpkin Classic Dallas, Oct. 24

RODEO World Gay Rodeo Finals Las Vegas, Oct. 8-11

TENNIS Texas Open 2015 Dallas, Oct. 2 2015 Crepe Myrtle Tennis Classic Raleigh, Oct. 2 Fleur de Lis 2015 New Orleans, Oct. 18 Aloha Tennis Open 2015 Honolulu, Oct. 25

VOLLEYBALL Autumn Classic Minneapolis, Oct. 10 Fall Ball Portland, Oct. 10 Circle City Fest Indianapolis, Oct. 10 Fall Classic XXV Dallas, Oct. 10 West Coast Masters Palm Springs, Oct. 17 Brotherly Love Classic Philadelphia, Oct. 24 Music City Challenge Nashville, Oct. 24 Vegas Baby!

Las Vegas, Oct. 31

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| COMPETE | October 2015

FOR MORE EVENTS VISIT COMPETENETWORK.COM/EVENTS

2015 COMPETE SPORTS DIVERSITY AWARDS Mark your calendar for November 10th PLEASE ACCEPT OUR PERSONAL invitation to join us on November 10 for our 2015 Compete Sports Diversity Awards. Be part of the excitement as we honor those athletes, organizations and companies that represent the very best in the sports diversity movement.

VIP tickets are available for $250 and include a VIP reception before the event. General admission tickets are priced at just $135 and include a plated dinner and special surprises.

• VIP RECEPTION RUNS FROM 6:00-7:00 P.M. • MAIN EVENT STARTS PROMPTLY AT 7:15 P.M. Back in Los Angeles again, this year the awards are being held at the Luxe Sunset Boulevard Hotel. A few of the award categories are our Inspiring Athlete Award, the Legacy Award, the Corporate Diversity Award and Compete’s oldest, most cherished award, the Mark Bingham Athlete of the Year Award.

Although homophobia and transphobia still exist in the sports world, a tremendous amount of positive change has occurred over this last year to make it a more diverse and inclusive landscape. So join us for a wonderful evening filled with good fun and food, and take advantage of an opportunity to say “thank you” in person to those honorees who are making the playing field more level for us all.

For more information or to register for the Diversity Awards, go to www.sportsdiversityawards.com.

OVERTIME

SPORTS YEARBOOK THIS MONTH IN SPORTS HISTORY: OCTOBER

1

2

Brazilian soccer great Pelé retires with 1,281 goals in 1,363 games - 1977

International Olympic Committee awards 2016 Olympics to Rio de Janeiro - 2009

6 Michael Phelps suspended for 6 mos. fm USA Swimming for drunk driving charge - 2014

11 1st 100 yard dash under 10 secs (John Owens 9-4/5 seconds, Washington D.C.) - 1890

12 Mike Lerch of Princeton ties NCAA record with 370 receiving yards - 1991

13 NY Jet Nick Lowrey breaks Jan Stenerud NFL field goal record at 374 - 1996

7 Lynette Woodward chosen as 1st woman on Harlem Globetrotters - 1985

BPAA U.S. Women’s Bowling Open won by Liz Johnson - 1996

Dick McInnes stays aloft almost 12 hours in a kite - 1965

8 Dolphin’s Dan Marino breaks Tarkenton’s NFL career completions record - 1995

9

10

Gil Anderson races auto 165.1 km record in Sheepshead Bay, New York - 1915

Lee Evans of U.S. sets 400 meter record at 43.86 - 1968

17

New York Islanders beat Tampa Bay, 7-1, to end 11 game winless streak - 1998

In New Zealand, France defeats Wales 9-8 in 2011 Rugby World Cup - 2011

Mike Tyson TKOs Tyrell Biggs in 7 for heavyweight boxing title - 1987

Baseball sets all players salaries at $1,000$2,000 for the season - 1885

21

22

23

24

Philadelphia Eagle Randall Cunningham sets NFL quarterback scramble record of 3,683 - 1992

Berlin Olympic Committee vote to introduce basketball in 1936 - 1933

Annika Sorenstam wins LPGA Samsung World Championship of Women’s Golf - 1996

25

26

27

28

World Series: NY Yankees beat NY Mets 4 games to 1 - 2000

Water skis patented by Fred Waller - 1925

NBA hires Dee Kantner & Violet Palmer as 1st women to ref major all-male sports league - 1997

| COMPETE | October 2015

Yankees clinch 5th straight pennant; 29th in club’s history - 1964

16

20

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5

15

19

Source: www.brainyhistory.com

4

14

18

Pimlico Race Course opens in Baltimore - 1870

3

Cassius Clay wins 1st battle as professional boxer - 1960

29 Thomas Hearns wins unprecidented 4th different weight boxing title - 1987

1st national horseshoe throwing championship (Kellerton, Iowa) - 1915

18th Olympic games close at Tokyo, Japan - 1964

30

31

Jim Elliott (U.S.) completes 24-hour paced outdoor race for 548.9 mi - 1988

Don Keller makes his 18,000th sky dive - 1992

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