SIN CITY CLASSIC JUST KEEPS GETTING BETTER AND BIGGER

BY CONNIE WARDMAN, M.A., SDLT • SHE | HER & EMMA CARLSON, M.S.L., SDL • SHE | HER PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE SIN CITY CLASSIC

The one tournament many look forward to year-after-year, the Sin City Classic has just continued to grow and get better over its 16-year history. It’s now to the point that we decided to tell you about the two important award winners and sports updates in written word and then let some pictures do the rest – ENJOY!

Sin City Honors Its Own

The 16th annual Sin City Classic was certainly another one to be remembered. Among the sports competitions, adult beverages and camaraderie, the SSC honored two exuberant individuals who have graciously served the LGBTQ+ sports community for many years.

The late Ken Scearce, former SSC Tournament Director, is remembered as a dynamic leader within the LGBTQ+ sports community. His legacy lives on through the Ken Scearce Leadership Award, given to a person who demonstrates Scearce’s values of passionate inclusivity in sports.

The 2023 Ken Scearce Leadership Award recipient is Tommy Otterbine. “Tommy has exhibited Ken’s leadership since the day I met him in 1999. He was the captain of the track team I had just joined; he welcomed me as a friend and enabled me to excel athletically with mentorship, enthusiasm, and a personal approach,” said Lucas Mariano, a friend of both Scearce and Otterbine as well as the person who nominated Otterbine.

the LGBTQ+ community through his work in higher education by cultivating more gender-inclusive and accessible sports in their intramural systems at Penn State and formerly at Virginia Commonwealth University. He’s also partnered with organizations such as the Special Olympics of Virginia, Virginia Pride and an adaptive recreation non-profit to build inclusive recreation programs.

Within the LGBTQ+ sports community, he founded the Richmond, Virginia chapter of Stonewall Sports, helping grow it to the fifth largest of 23 chapters. As Vice President of Stonewall, he expanded the league from 13 to 23 chapters while facilitating relationships with organizations such as Compete Sports Diversity and Varsity Gay League.

The second important award is the SCC’s Volunteer Award that went to Dorian Dixon for his years of dedication to serving the LGBTQ+ sports community. Dorian Dixon is a natural-born volunteer. He’s also been a team manager for the Greater Los Angeles Gay Softball Association almost a decade. And since the rest of GLASA’s members are part