Compete February 2018 Sin City Issue

BOBBY SAYS:

STYLE TIPS

ICE UP!

2018

WINTER

OLYMPICS

VIVA LAS VEGAS!

SIN CITY CLASSIC HITS THE STRIP SIN CITY 2018 • February 2018 $3.95 • COMPETENETWORK.COM

FEATURE 14 S in City Events 18 Your Vegas is Showing 24 S in City Map

SIN CITY CLASSIC EDITION FEBRUARY 2018 COMPETENETWORK.COM ONE-ON-ONE 16 T alking with Tournament Director Ken Scearce SPORTS 32 P assion Connected: PyeongChang 2018 34 W restler Mario Mercado Engineers Innovative Helmet HEALTH 36 R ecovering From the Sin City Classic GYMBAG 38 Hot Items You Shouldn't Do Without EVENTS 40 February Events STYLE 42 T he Soft Side of Athleisure BEDROOM SPORTS 44 Clothes Make the Man

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MILLENNIAL ON SPORTS: FROM THE SPORTS EDITOR

CHANGING YOUR APPROACH to 2018

BY DIRK SMITH

A

t the expense of sounding cliché, with 2018 just beginning it’s a “New Year, New YOU” (cue a cheesy smile)!

A lot of people set resolutions at the beginning of the year hoping to start fresh and finally change their lives just like they’ve been trying to make happen every year for … their entire lives. Instead of that, let’s change the focus.

Instead of resolutions, let’s set some goals! We have lots of great LGBTQ+ sports competitions happening this year to look forward to starting with the Sin City Classic! Then looking ahead there’s the WeHo (West Hollywood) Sports Festival, the 2018 Bingham Cup, the 2018 Gay Bowl, and of course the 2018 Gay Games in Paris.

2018 is our chance to build off our successes from the last year and move away from the failures. With so many great things happening in the world of LGBTQ+ sports, there’s nothing stopping you from getting involved and channeling all this community energy into helping you find the change you’re looking for.

Set yourself some goals you can accomplish. Start by choosing an event to participate in and select your sport.

It’s OK if you’ve never played one before. Just take the time to learn about the sport, something you can do by finding a team or group to join. You can also search out fellow athletes on social media and read about the rules and regulations of your sport of choice.

But most important is to start training! Just because you can’t run a full marathon on your first day doesn’t mean you can’t go out and run a mile … or less. Start slowly and build up each time you train.

Remember that just like life, being involved in sports is a process. Your destination or the accomplishment of your goal is what gives you direction but the journey that gets you there is what will change your life for the better.

Your first week you might be lucky to run one mile, but if you stick with it and stay consistent then that one mile will turn into two, three and more until you find yourself finishing the marathon.

Your marathon is different from everyone else’s run for the goal. Your goal could be learning how to play a new sport, achieving a best time, developing your strength and skills to become a stronger athlete or reaching the podium; it could be climbing a mountain – figuratively or literally. All that matters is that you set out to achieve something specific and keep at it until you get there. That’s the difference between having a resolution and setting a goal.

It's already 2018 so go out and live it!

Dirk Smith, SDL Sports Editor dirk@competenetwork.com @competedirk

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THE CATBIRD SEAT: FROM THE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

MOVING INTO 2018

A

s we begin moving into the new year, on behalf of the entire Compete crew I want to thank you, our readers for all your continued love and support! Although it’s officially been 2018 for about a month, the New Year is really just getting started for us. In last month’s Compete (Jan-Feb issue) you read that we’ve changed our publishing schedule to bi-monthly. But we didn’t want to miss the Sin City Classic so this is your unofficial February issue. In fact, we’ll be publishing a number of special issues this year in addition to our six regular issues; they include issues for Pride Run, ASANA World Series, the WeHo Sports Festival, World Gay Rodeo Finals and more.

This is an exciting time for us as we continue to stay relevant as society begins to change its understanding of the LGBTQ community, particularly its sports community. We began Compete 12 years ago to provide LGBTQ sports information in a full-color print magazine when such content was rarely if ever covered on a regular basis; the only exception being Outsports’ online format. With an original title of Sports Out Loud, at that time it was a bold move, especially when our tagline was “We Are Gay Sports.”

But as society began to change we realized the importance of sports diversity as a powerful movement for the LGBTQ sports community and the growing number of ally athletes to show the world that it was time to change the conversation; it was time to talk about diversity, inclusion, equality and acceptance for ALL athletes. We changed the magazine’s name to Compete and our tag line became “Uniting the World Through Sports.”

And now that the conversation is ongoing and we even have professional sports teams offering financial sponsorships to LGBTQ leagues and tournaments (the 2017 Gay Bowl XVII in Boston is just one example), we recognize the importance of educating people about the relevance of working with a truly diversified sports community with our Sports Diversity Leadership (SDL) designation program. We hope you’ll want to join us in this latest venture as we continue to “Unite the World Through Sports.”

It’s never too late to wish you a very happy, healthy and prosperous 2018!

Keep Smiling,

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

@CompeteConnie

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COMPETE EDITORS SPORTS EDITOR David "Dirk" Smith With a B.S. in exercise science and nutrition from MSU Denver, David is ACSM, AFAA and AFPAIcertified and a medalwinning swimmer who conquered obesity by losing over 50 pounds.

HEALTH EDITOR Dr. John Sutherland A graduate of Harvard and the University of Michigan Medical School, Dr. John Sutherland is a board certified internist and cardiologist and the founder of the North Mountain Cardio programs for health and well-being.

FITNESS EDITOR Jake Tommerup A graduate of the University of Wisconsin at Madison, Jake Tommerup M.S. is an exercise physiologist, an ISSA-certified Master Trainer and the founder of RxErcise.

STYLE EDITOR Bobby Ciletti A graduate of Boston University, Bobby is a lifestyle and travel expert and founder of TheDaysoftheChic.com, an online destination for simply elegant living.

Twitter @bobbyciletti MISSION STATEMENT Compete unites the world through sports.

COMPETENETWORK.COM FACEBOOK.COM/COMPETEMAG @COMPETESPORTS COMPETE MAGAZINE INSTAGRAM.COM/COMPETEMAGAZINE

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PUBLISHER Eric Carlyle • eric@competenetwork.com COMPETE MAGAZINE Editor-in-Chief Connie Wardman • connie@competenetwork.com Sports Editor Dirk Smith • dirk@competenetowork.com Health Editor Dr. John Sutherland • johns@competenetwork.com Fitness Editor Jake Tommerup • jake@competenetwork.com Style Editor Bobby Ciletti • bobby@competenetwork.com Art Director Heather Brown • heather@competenetwork.com Graphic Designer Kristi Wayland • kristi@competenetwork.com Contributors Harry Andrew, Ian Colgate, Jared Garduno, Kelli Kulick, Miriam Latto, Bryan Lee, Brian Patrick, Benjamin Roussey, Andy Winder.

Staff Photographer Ariel Stevens • ariel@competenetwork.com COO Barbara Harwell • barbara@competenetwork.com Sales Gale Fitzgerald • gale@competenetwork.com Jared Garduno • jared@competenetwork.com Richard Myers • richard@competenetwork.com Administration Bethany Harvat • bethany@competenetwork.com Copyright © 2017 MEDIA OUT LOUD, LLC All Rights Reserved.

All Mail PO Box 2756 Scottsdale, AZ 85252 • (800) 868-5906 Corporate Office 6991 East Camelback Road, Suite D-300 Scottsdale, AZ 85251 West Coast Office 3415 South Sepulveda Blvd, Suite 1100 Los Angeles, CA 90034 East Coast Office 100 Church Street, 8th Floor New York City, NY 10007 Compete is a trademark of Media Out Loud, LLC

Sports Diversity Leadership Council, Sports Diversity Leader and SDL are trademarks of Media Out Loud, LLC. Compete is available by subscription, online, on the Compete app, at local and national events and at 250+ pick up locations nationwide.

WELCOME TO SIN CITY CLASSIC

WELCOME to THE

11TH ANNUAL SIN CITY CLASSIC!

O

n behalf of GLASA, the Greater Los Angeles Softball Association, I am excited to welcome over 6,000 athletes participating in 18 sports to this year’s festival. Our tournament director Ken Scearce and an awesome committee of dedicated volunteers have worked hard to put together a weekend of great fun and great competition.

GLASA is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization whose mission is to provide a safe and fun environment that encourages participation in athletics for all people regardless of skill level, and with a special emphasis on including the LGBTQ community. As a result of the hard work of hundreds of volunteers over the past 11 years, we have been proud and fortunate to expand the reach of this annual festival in the great city of Las Vegas. It has provided a competitive opportunity for many people throughout the world.

For everyone attending this weekend, for those who have attended in the past and for those who would like to attend in the future, we hope we can continue to meet that challenge. Even if you can’t come to Las Vegas for the weekend, please know that there are vibrant sports communities for LGBTQ athletes and their friends throughout the world, so get out there and play!

I want to give my sincere thanks to my fellow GLASA board members and the Sin City Classic committee members for their tireless work over the past several months. Special thanks are also due to each of the sport coordinators for the enormous amount of work it takes to put on a competitive tournament. Thank you to all of our sponsors, supporters and volunteers who make the festival possible. And a very special thanks goes to our presenting sponsor, Toyota Financial Services.

Finally, thank you to all of the participants in the 2018 Sin City Classic. Best of luck in all of the competitions and most importantly, have fun!

Larry Ruiz GLASA Commissioner

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HIGH FIVE

HIGH FIVE for Sports Diversity As an early leader in the sports diversity movement, Compete Magazine gives out High Fives each month to deserving athletes, teams, leagues, organizations and corporations for their sports diversity contributions. Here are five who get a High Five for a job well done!

PARIS 2018 GAY GAMES 10 The Gay Games Federation has finally struck an agreement with the International Skating Union (ISU) after two years of talks ensuring that the figure skating tournament in Paris will be sanctioned by two international federations, the International Skating Union and the International Skating Institute with support from the International Gay Figure Skating Union. More than 200 skaters will be competing in the same-sex and other non-ISU events.

TEAM USA WOMEN’S BASKETBALL Four-time Olympic gold medalists Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi are on the current 29-person Team USA for women’s basketball. Both are openly lesbian WNBA players. Other lesbian WNBA players on the U.S. team include Seimone Augustus, Layshia Clarendon, Elena Delle Donne, Stefanie Dolson, Brittney Griner and Angel McCoughtry. The U.S. has already qualified for this year’s FIBA World Cup being held in Spain. Way to go, ladies!

RAINBOW FLAGS TOLERATED BY RUSSIA AT WORLD CUP Alexei Smertin, the Russian Football Union official and a World Cup ambassador for soccer has said that spectators will be allowed to fly rainbow flags; they won’t be affected by a Russian law prohibiting “propaganda” of homosexuality to minors. Smertin says "The law is about propaganda to minors ... I can't imagine that anyone is going to go into a school and speak."

PREVENTING BULLYING IS CAUSE FOR 9 NFL PLAYERS The NFL’s My Cleats My Cause campaign gave players from all 32 teams the opportunity to wear cleats that were personalized to reveal each player’s passion. There was a variety of worthy causes but nine players chose antibullying, something that is meaningful to every kid growing up in spite of gender preference or sexual orientation!

The players included: Deone Bucannon, Arizona Cardinals linebacker; Carlos Dunlap, Cincinnati Bengals defensive lineman; Randall Telfer, Cleveland Browns tight end; Tyrone Crawford, Dallas Cowboys defensive lineman; Mike Daniels, Green Bay Packers defensive lineman; Tyler Higbee, Los Angeles Rams tight end; Kerry Wynn, New York Giants defensive lineman; Jonotthan Harrison, New York Jets center; and Blair Walsh, Seattle Seahawks kicker.

MUSLIM FIGURE SKATER HELPING TO BREAK BARRIERS Zahra Lari of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) didn’t qualify for the 2018 Winter Olympics but considered the experience a step forward for Muslim women. She is the only woman athlete on the international skating circuit to wear a hijab and this year she was judged by how she skated rather than how she dressed. In her first major competition five years ago in Italy, some judges deducted points from her score because they considered her hijab a costume prop.

QUOTE OF THE MONTH

“I've missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. 26 times I've been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.”

Michael Jordan

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COMPETE READER SURVEY & GRANDSTANDING FAVORITE AFTER-COMPETITION DRINK

LETTERS to COMPETE GRANDSTANDING

15% Other

45% Beer

15% Shots

25% Cider

Husband and Father Knows Best (November 2017) It was great to see an ally like Patrick Higgins in Compete. He seems so down-to-earth, approachable and thoughtful in his dedication to the LGBTQ+ community. He seems like someone in his thirties living the dream. I sure hope he can still dunk at 40, too.

Rich Lewis Helena, Montana Petey Takes Kansas City (December 2017) Someone please give Petey an award! It was amazing to see the likes of Jen Welter, Major League Soccer and others honored at the Petey Awards in Kansas City.

What makes it so special is the diversity of winners.

As I read the article I see people of all ages, races and sexes presenting and accepting awards. Just the way it should be.

Tammy Ngo Boulder, Colorado Please submit all Letters to Compete via email to letters@competenetwork.com.

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CONNECT SPORTS AND NIKE HOLD LGBTQ EVENTS SUMMIT

BY MIRIAM LATTO

From February 5-7 Connect Sports, an SDL Enterprise will be holding an LGBTQ Events Summit in partnership with BETRUE, Nike’s campaign supporting the LGBTQ community.

Held on the Nike campus in Portland, Oregon, it’s expected to be the world's largest gathering of LGBTQ sporting event organizers.

The summit marks the first time in the history of the sports tourism industry that global destinations who embrace diversity and are actively engaged in securing room-night generating sporting events can meet with LGBTQ sporting event organizers to present their hospitality community, venues and facilities.

The event is designed to provide attendees with three days of education, best-practice sharing and networking. Robert Goman, Nike's senior director of global retail brand visual presentation who developed Nike's BETRUE campaign will be the keynote speaker.

"We are excited to share the evolution and connect LGBTQ sport organizations to NIKE's BETRUE work in our commitment to LGBTQ athletes,” said Goman. “Supporting moments like Connect Sports LGBTQ Events Summit helps continue to move the conversation forward."

Connect vice president of meetings and events Patrick Higgins, SDL said the summit will provide LGBTQ planners with never-before-seen resources to create business opportunities with communities across the United States.

“So many individuals that own and operate LGBTQ sporting events are volunteers,” said Higgins. “The days of them trying to navigate the ever-changing world of sports tourism by themselves is over.”

Higgins also noted that “Nike’s BETRUE program has been incredibly supportive of the LGBTQ Events Summit from our very first conversation. Their approach to what we’re going to accomplish with the summit has been nothing short of incredible.”

The Connect Sports LGBTQ Events Summit will held in conjunction with Connect Diversity. Both events demonstrate Connect’s commitment to LGBTQ and multicultural organizations. In recognition of its work with the LGBTQ Sports Coalition, in November Connect Sports received the Corporate Diversity Partner award at the 8th annual Compete Sports Diversity Awards held in Kansas City, Missouri.

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ONE-ON-ONE

KEN

Photo courtesy of Ken Scearce

TALKING WITH TOURNAMENT DIRECTOR

P

SCEARCE

BY JARED GARDUNO

rior to the upcoming Sin City Classic, Compete was able to meet with the tournament’s new director, Ken Scearce and I’m happy to introduce him to our readers.

Jared Garduno: Please share your personal story with Compete readers, Ken. Tell us something about you and what interactions you’ve had with the sports community, the LGBTQ+ community and any other experiences that have brought you to this point in your life.

Ken Scearce: I have always been a huge sports fan and started playing organized baseball at the age of 10. I was 23 when I came out and had my first boyfriend.

By the age of 25 I really wanted to play sports at a competitive level and responded to an ad in the local gay paper in Richmond, Virginia. The ad wanted competitive softball players for a traveling gay team but I was very nervous to respond. Up to that point in my life I had never met a gay person who played sports like me.

Growing up in Virginia, I had moved to Georgia to finish high school and college before moving back to Virginia; that didn’t allow for much interaction with other gay guys at all much less jocks like me. But just a few weeks after I got the nerve to call the ad’s phone number I was playing in my first gay softball tournament in Philadelphia. I have been playing true competitive softball for the last 22 years and I’ve met most of my best friends through gay softball.

I also like to organize events and lead big groups as a result of some awesome opportunities I’ve had over the years. I was part of the executive planning committee for the 2003 Gay Softball World Series in Washington, D.C.; served as local commissioner (2009-2013) for the Los Angeles LGBTQ softball league (GLASA) that

16 COMPETE Sin City 2018

runs the Sin City Classic; and for the last four years I’ve served as membership chair for the parent organization of gay softball, the North American Gay Amateur Athletic Alliance (NAGAAA), leading our efforts to bring on new member cities. I’ve also served as member city liaison for NAGAAA’s executive board. Gay softball has changed my life for the better and I now feel the need to do whatever I can to ensure that other LGBTQ athletes have a safe place to compete and to be themselves on and off the field.

JG: When and why did you get involved with the Sin City Classic, Ken? KS: In 2007 I was part of GLASA’s original exploratory committee that met to examine the possibility of moving our league’s annual tournament from Los Angeles to Las Vegas. We started as just a softball tournament and I assisted with player registration and helped manage the fields. From 2009-2013 I served as the GLASA commissioner and served as board liaison to the tournament committee. During that time we added additional sports to the tournament and moved it from our original host hotel, The Tuscany to the Rio, Planet Hollywood and the Tropicana before moving to our new 2018 host hotels.

JG: Please tell us about the amazing team you have surrounding you.

KS: The majority of the 2018 Sin City Classic committee members have been part of the tournament planning for most of our 10-year history. With all their

ONE-ON-ONE experience and some new additions in marketing, social media, volunteer coordinator and field operations, I believe we are in a great position to put on a very successful event this year.

JG: Please share with our readers what improvements you plan to introduce to the 2018 Sin City Classic.

JG: What are your future goals for the Sin City Classic?

KS: We would love to add more sports. But beyond the sport and social events, I would really like to build on the popularity of the Sin City Classic to offer a sports leadership forum the one or two days prior to the competition starting. We have started to build some great partnerships with other sports organizers. It seems like a perfect next step to take advantage of the opportunity of having so many sports leaders in the same place by meeting to figure out ways to help each sport grow and to learn from each other.

KS: Through our improved branding awareness and social media platforms we hope to gain greater local and national exposure for the Sin City Classic brand name. That will provide us more opportunities to attract sponsorships for the 2019 event.

JG: Describe your perfect Sin City Classic.

Our 2018 events are geared toward allowing our KS: The perfect Sin City Classic will be one that participants to not only compete but also to connect offers a variety of opportunities for fun off the field as through sports. From our bar crawl on Thursday night, well as on the field. Las Vegas is an incredible destination the NFL viewing parties on Saturday and Sunday, to our but we’re working very hard to closing party at a venue known focus on our communication and for being both a bowling and offer events each day that help special events music venue – participants come together and with all these we hope to offer "Buy a tournament wristband, connect, not just compete. We more opportunities for athletes want to wish all the Sin City Classic attend the events and start to to connect through competition participants a wonderful time. If in some unique fun ways from athletes leave Las Vegas craving connect with the other athletes. past years. more, already looking forward For the first time ever, Start to know and understand to the next Sin City Classic, then we plan to have six of the we’ve all met our goals. nine divisions of our softball that you’re not alone." teams end up at one park JG: Please feel free on Sunday afternoon to to include any additional create a very high energy information you think would be of championship atmosphere. interest to Compete readers. After And we are finalizing the role all, they want to know your story to connect with you – of a mobile app that will allow us to communicate with this isn’t the time to be shy! all 6,000+ athletes and fans in a whole new way. It will KS: There are so many closeted jocks out there who keep everyone informed on festival events and alerts have grown up in close-minded communities where they throughout the weekend. might have been the last one picked in elementary school or didn’t play competitive sports as a teenager or even JG: Name the major hurdles the team faced this as an adult because they were afraid to be themselves. If past year and how you overcame them. this is your story, please know that the Sin City Classic has a place for you!

KS: Because of the change in tournament director I encourage those of you who are curious to attend and host hotels mid-year, we have been very busy the Sin City Classic and spend the weekend watching squeezing a year’s worth of planning and building new those sports that might interest you. Buy a tournament partner relationships into a tight six-month timeframe. wristband, attend the events and start to connect with We’ve taken advantage of all of the exciting new things the other athletes. Start to know and understand that located at our host hotel complex, such as the Thursday you’re not alone. To compete and connect is what makes night Bar Crawl; we’ve also assigned someone to focus the Sin City Classic and many other sports leagues and solely on social media through Instagram, Twitter and sports festivals like ours so successful year-after-year. the soon-to-be-released Sin City Classic mobile app to get the word out like never before. The hours have been JG: Thanks for spending some time sharing your very long for members of the planning committee but it’s story with our readers, Ken. And please know that we worth the work to make sure we offer the best experience wish you and all the GLASA members another very possible for those attending for the four days. successful Sin City Classic.

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IS SHOWING

BY LIAM NAYLOR AND DIRK SMITH

Sports photos courtesy of the various teams/leagues

Recognizing the Sin City Classic as a way to bring people together through sport, Christopher Loreface of Wrestlers Without Borders says “While everybody goes off to their respective sports, we all come back together to enjoy the social events and parties.”

YOUR VEGAS IS SHOWING For the eleventh year athletes from the U.S. and a number of foreign countries are gathered in Las Vegas (notoriously known as Sin City) for the Sin City Classic.

Running from January 11-14, there are 18 different sports being played by a crew of more than 6,000 athletes, coaches, officials, fans and significant others over the four-day Martin Luther King Jr. holiday.

But this multi-sport event is always about more than just sports. In the relatively small footprint of downtown Las Vegas and the “Strip,” all the attendees, no matter their sports of choice, have an opportunity to spend time with far-away friends, meet some new ones and relax over a brew or two. It’s the combination of the sport-specific high quality tournaments, great sports venues and upscale lodging that keeps people coming back year-after-year.

But it's the camaraderie that most LGBTQ+ athletes rank as the number one reason why they love playing in a gay and ally-friendly sport and being part of a larger multi-sport tournament. Being part of a multi-sport event that successfully enables a swimmer, a wrestler and a bridge player to hang out together, whether at one of the great parties, bars or at a fabulous Las Vegas show ticks all the boxes for these athletes.

Here are the sports that are part of this year’s Sin City Classic lineup: BILLIARDS Prize payouts, competition and most importantly, community.

This is Landon Hines' first time as billiards coordinator. Landon has an inspiring passion to help the billiards competition continue to grow after three years of Sin City participation. Thirty pool players will participate in this year’s Classic tournament at the Phoenix Bar and Lounge, host for this contest.

Individual Straight 8 competition begins on Friday and the top three finishers will receive cash prizes. Doubles competition begins on the second day.

BODYBUILDING A

Sin City favorite since 2012, Bodybuilding/ Physique is returning for its sixth year. As a national and international official for various bodybuilding events, Richard Cavalier has organized the Sin City Classic Bodybuilding Competition. This is always a big opportunity for Richard to help grow LGBTQ+ bodybuilding since the only previous competitions have been at the Gay Games held only once every four years.

With the annual Sin City Classic, LGBTQ+ bodybuilding continues to grow and become a major part of LGBTQ+ sport.

BOWLING Check it out, bowling fans because it’s making a strike at the Sin City Classic! Hosted at The Orleans, the event promises to be a fun and competitive way for you to grab hold of your balls and knock them out. With three different events offered, Team, 9-Pin No Strike and Scotch Doubles, the tournaments will take place both on Saturday and Sunday with the awards and cash payout taking place on Sunday following the completion of the No-Tap tournament.

BRIDGE Bridge competition that began in 2013 with only 15 players now hosts over 50 participants from across the country. Coordinated once again

by Steve Kaessner, bridge is one of the most popular card games in the world with millions of people worldwide playing. The Tropicana Hotel (Partagas Rooms 1 and 2) will have the card tables up for the four-day tournament. Games begin on Friday evening and end on Monday.

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YOUR VEGAS IS SHOWING

CHEER Clap your hands and get loud because Cheerleading is about to make its triumphant debut at the Sin City Classic. Expect to see full-on routines and amazing stunts from each pod as they compete to see who can have the best routine. Organized

by Piyadha Seabolt and sanctioned by the U.S. All Star Federation, the event will be scored according to their official rules and judged on difficulty, technique and overall impression. Pods not performing will be helping to raise money for a good cause! The show is on Saturday the 13th at The Linq.

DIVING Diving is back! Who doesn’t love some skimpy Speedos getting all wet?! Well it’s much more than that but we all know why you love diving! With a fun diving show taking place right after the tournament in addition to a DJ on deck to provide “the perfect Las Vegas dive meet ambience,” this year’s tournament offers much more than a diving competition.

Organized by David Freedman, this is also hosted by Rebel’s Diving Club and is a USA Diving sanctioned meet.

Competition includes springboard, individual and synchronized events at the UNLV Buchanan Natatorium.

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DODGEBALL Have you been keeping up with the rise of LGBTQ+ dodgeball?

The sport has taken off in the LGBTQ+ sports community and for the sixth year is a staple at the Sin City Classic! This event has continued to grow big with teams of 6-8 taking to the court in divisions ranging from all female to co-ed "sting." There is always a lot of action! Organized by Jake Mason, Compete’s 2015 Mark Bingham Athlete of the Year, and hosted by West Hollywood (WeHo) Dodgeball, their tournament is one of the largest LGBTQ+ dodgeball tournaments around. The tournament takes place at the Bill & Lillie Heinrich YMCA

YOUR VEGAS IS SHOWING FLAG FOOTBALL The University of Las Vegas will be the backdrop for the 14 teams participating in this year’s Flag Football tournament with Matthew Herek serving as tournament coordinator for the fourth year. Day one will serve as a round robin and placement games.

Day two the fourteen teams will be split into an A and B division as the battle begins to make the final round and take home the title. Flag Football fans will be in for a rare treat.

For the first time in National Gay Flag Football League (NGFFL) history San Diego Bolts quarterback Eric Reissner and New York Warriors Captain Wade Davis will be in the same huddle.

GOLF The Different Strokes Golf Club (DSGC) and tournament coordinator Scott Cottingham will host the sixth Sin City Classic Golf Tournament at Las Vegas Strip’s only championship golf course, the Bali Hai Golf Club. The tournament will tee of with 25 golfers trying to be No. 1! Tee off on both Saturday and Sunday mornings is at 10:00 a.m. The course features an Indonesian-theme on a seven-acre property with water features, thousands of trees and 100,000 Balinese tropical plants serving as beautiful challenges.

ICE HOCKEY Ice Hockey is going to be fierce and promises to be an awesome tournament!

Do you need to be part of a team to take part? Nope! Individual players can register and teams will be formed once registration closes, making the tournament accessible for all who are passionate about playing! Ice hockey is one of the biggest secrets of LGBTQ+ sport but always draws a large participation so there promises to be a fun and exciting tournament. All teams will play on Friday with semi-finals on Saturday and finals on Sunday! Spectators are more than welcome so come out and watch your favorite athletes take to the ice at the SoBe Ice Arena. (continued on page 27)

THE POWER OF SPORTS COMMUNITY

LEADERSHIP COUNCIL LICNUOC PIHSREDAEL

TM

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YOUR VEGAS IS SHOWING (continued from page 22)

KICKBALL Lookout because kickball is happening! But it’s definitely not child’s play as teams of eight will take to the field and go head-to-head with each other in pursuit of some awesome prizes and bragging rights for the winners. No matter who wins though, it’s all about friends, fun and of course KICKBALL. Organized by the Varsity Gay League’s Will Hackner, this event is being held Saturday and Sunday at Silverado Ranch Park.

RUNNING Finishing off the 2018 Sin City Classic tournaments are the Sunday morning 5k and 10k runs. For those who want to really push themselves, they can sign up for the “Double Your Luck Challenge” which means running both the 5k AND the 10k! They get some awesome swag, including a T-shirt and a finisher’s medal. So those who are able to get up early after a fun Saturday night can take a shot at taking on Vegas with a new PR before finishing off the fun weekend of competition before the closing party Sunday evening.

SOFTBALL Another Grand Slam hits Vegas with softball as the tournament’s largest competition – over 200 teams competing in five divisions A, B, C, D and Women’s will travel from as far as Auckland, New Zealand (#SquadGoals). Six of the nine championship games will be played in one location, making Sin City Classic softball history. Coordinator Ken Scearce has prepared an electric Sunday championship tournament at Sun Set Park. Here’s hoping the Vegas power grid is ready for the power surge!

SOCCER Sin City Classic once again has soccer (aka football) at the center of the four-day high-energy extravaganza. There’s never a lack of excitement when a soccer game is on.

Since 2013 that excitement has been part of the International Gay & Lesbian Football Association’s (IGLFA) international events calendar held at the Sin City Classic! Veteran soccer organizer Hans Laursen is once again in charge of the fun and games at this 7 vs.

7 tournament. All soccer games are being played at Big League Dreams.

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YOUR VEGAS IS SHOWING TENNIS Tennis is back, making an appearance for the sixth year at the Sin City Classic with a fun and challenging tournament in both singles and doubles events.

Organized by Jim Lash and his husband, the couple has been holding a Las Vegas LGBTQ+ tennis tournament for over 15 years.

Organized in conjunction with GLTA (Gay and Lesbian Tennis Association), the Sin City Classic offers another opportunity for tennis players to represent the LGBTQ+ sports community. The tennis events are being held in the Darling Tennis Center.

ULTIMATE FRISBEE Back for another return engagement is ultimate Frisbee, a sport that has been rapidly popular with growing numbers of fans and Frisbee fanatics. Ultimate Frisbee focuses on self-officiating, even in top level competitions so the spirit of sportsmanship is very high in this game where players are expected to show responsibility for fair play. Back as organizer for this event is Seth Harrington and the tournaments are being held at Desert Breeze Park.

VOLLEYBALL The Sin City Classic is excited to welcome one of its largest sports as volleyball returns for another year. It is a NAGVA (North American Gay Volleyball Association) sanctioned tournament, meaning it counts for member ratings and eligibility requirements; play is offered in B, BB and AA/ Open divisions. It’s always an engaging and fun tournament for volleyball teams and players of all levels and abilities. It’s organized by LAVO (Los Angeles Volleyball Organization), a powerhouse group promoting inclusion and participation in sport.

WRESTLING/ GRAPPLING Who doesn’t love wrestling?

Organized by Christopher Loreface with Wrestlers Without Borders in conjunction with the Southern California Wrestling Club, there are more than 50 wrestlers expected to participate; for the past six years this competition has drawn athletes from all over the world. Loreface likes to recognize it as a way of bringing people together through sport. “While everybody goes off to their respective sports, we all come back together to enjoy the social events and parties.”

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SPORTS

PASSION CONNECTED: PYEONGCHANG 2018

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BY BENJAMIN ROUSSEY

he XXIII Olympic Winter Games are taking place from February 9-24 in South Korea’s PyeongChang County. The host country’s plan for this major international multi-sport event is believed to be among the most efficient ones in the history of the Winter Olympics to date.

The event, popularly called PyeongChang 2018, provides that unique Olympic platform where the best athletes from across the globe will compete to demonstrate their outstanding skills for a rapt worldwide audience of sports fans and non-sports fans alike. The 2018 Winter Olympics will also provide an opportunity for the next generation of budding Olympic hopefuls across the world to feel inspired by the event’s magnificent power and set their goals for participating in future Games Going by the latest figures at the time of this writing, 89 teams from 88 countries will have at least one athlete each competing in the PyeongChang Winter Olympic Games.

However, this year also includes a Russian delegation competing under the International Olympic Committee (IOC) flag.

Prompted by the Russian state-sponsored doping scandal during the 2014 Sochi Winter Games that now has seen 51 medals stripped from Russian athletes, this past December 5 the IOC voted to suspend the Russian Olympic Committee and ban Russia from competing at PyeongChang On a happier note, the slogan for this year is “Happy 700,” referring to the average elevation of the PyeonChang County which is located at around 700 meters (2,300 feet). The region offers local residents as well as visitors one of the finest places for sports, rest, recreation and health benefits but it undoubtedly will be crowded during the games.

Walking is probably the best way to get around. And it wouldn’t be complete without having official mascots: they are Bandabi, the Asiatic black bear and Soohorong, the white tiger.

But really – it’s all about the sports! PyeongChang 2018 will feature 15 sports spanning over 102 events.

There will also be four new categories – mixed alpine

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skiing, mass start speed skating, mixed doubles and big air snowboarding. Listed below are the Winter Games medal events for this year and the number of medals that will be awarded to the winners in each category: • Speed Skating - 14 medals • Cross-country Skiing - 12 • Alpine Skiing - 11 • Biathlon - 11 • Freestyle Skiing - 10 • Snowboarding - 10 • Short Track Speed Skating - 8 • Figure Skating - 5 • Ski Jumping - 4 • Luge - 4 • Nordic Combined - 3 • Bobsleigh - 3 • Curling - 3 • Ice Hockey - 2 • Skeleton – 2 Three openly gay athletes announced that they were working to qualify for the PyeongChang Games: luger John Fennell, freestyle skier Gus Kenworthy and figure skater Adam Rippon. Unfortunately, Fennell was eliminated at the final qualification run when his sled fell apart. So it’s currently up to Kenworthy and Rippon to represent gay athletes. Total figures for LGBTQ participants could grow higher, with numbers reaching 11 but that’s an estimate.

The U.N. has voted to adopt the Olympic Truce Resolution that included the contested reference to non-discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation in the Olympic Charter housed in Principle 6; it prohibits discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation at the Olympic Games. The resolution asks all Member States “to ensure the safe passage, access and participation of athletes, officials and all other accredited persons taking part in the Olympic Winter Games and Paralympic Winter Games.” There are also ongoing plans to have a Pride House at the Olympic Village in South Korea, a first to be had in Asia.

So whether you’re watching the Games in person or via a number of electronic and digital devices, enjoy this brief period of universal peace were the Games are always friendly.

SPORTS

WRESTLER MARIO MERCADO ENGINEERS INNOVATIVE HELMET

irst getting involved in sports by playing stickball as a kid in his Bronx neighborhood, it wasn’t long before Mario Mercado’s passion for sports turned to wrestling. Today he’s also involved in jiu-jitsu and mixed martial arts (MMA) but says that “I’ve been a mat rat since I was a scrawny little kid. Always will be.”

Just last year Governor Andrew Cuomo appointed Mercado as deputy commissioner of the New York State Athletic Commission to help regulate boxing and MMA events based on his almost 30 years experience in various roles within that sporting community. It’s really been Mercado’s lifelong love of wresting that has guided his evolution from competitor to coach, promoter and sports executive to that of entrepreneur.

As one of the oldest sports still practiced today, the potential of injury in wrestling is always present. And with the growing awareness of the long-term consequences of concussions in sports like football, boxing and wrestling, the fact is that wrestling headgear, unchanged for more than 70 years leaves the athlete’s head and face exposed to injury. Having wrestled for as long as he can remember, Mercado’s long-held dream has been to integrate his love of sports with his passion for technology to improve the safety of wrestling equipment.

But it’s a dream no longer for the former NCAA Division I wrestler for Syracuse University. Mario Mercado is now the founder and CEO of Bats-Toi™ (pronounced bah’tua; French for “fight”), an innovative startup technology company whose flagship product, the Mercado (named for its founder) is a wrestling headgear that’s been totally redesigned to help protect millions of amateur wrestlers from concussions and other injuries while also providing wearing comfort.

To ensure all the latest and best protections available were included, Mercado engaged collaborators in engineering, biomechanics and neuroscience at New York

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University (NYU) and Columbia while working on his graduate degree in sports management at NYU. Working with professor Nikhil Gupta of the school’s Tandon School Engineering (known for his work with lightweight but strong syntactic foams), they formed a team of mechanical engineering students to work on the project as part of NYU’s inaugural NYU Summer Incubation Program competition.

When the team won that competition, it entitled them to receive top level mentoring and space in Tandon’s Varick Street Incubator. The new helmet made its debut to positive reviews in 2016 at the Grapple at the Garden, an event that brings together elite wrestling competition from colleges and universities that include top-ranked Division I, II and III programs. The helmet’s four-year journey from conception to marketplace that won Mercado and his team a national technology competition isn’t at an end, however.

Although the helmet has been designed with wrestlers in mind, it’s been attracting attention from other combat and concussion-prone sports like MMA and rugby. And Mercado says that the military and law enforcement have also shown some interest using it in tactical training situations. Unlike many startups, as Bats-Toi survives and continues to grow, it’s really thanks to the lessons Mercado learned from his years playing sports – listening to his inner voice and believing in his ability to win, the physical and mental self discipline to keep going when the outcome is unknown and a willingness to go beyond his personal expectations. Mario Mercado’s Twitter description may define him best: he will “simplify the difficult things” as “a global citizen committed to making tomorrow a little better than today.”

Photo credit: HOT 97/emmis communications

F

Photo courtesy of Bats-Toi™

BY CONNIE WARDMAN

HEALTH

RECOVERING FROM THE SIN CITY CLASSIC

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BY DR. JOHN SUTHERLAND AND JAKE TOMMERUP o, … what’s a nice boy or girl like you doing in a place called Sin City, anyway? You’re here for the Sin City Classic – what else? You’ve chosen to compete with your hometown team in softball and also enjoy tennis and/or the 5K run.

Of course, you have trained very well for these events.

You have done aerobic and anaerobic whole-body conditioning and peaked in your sport-specific skills at just the right time, neither too soon nor soon enough.

Your preparatory training has increased in intensity and decreased in frequency and duration. In short, you’re now a paragon of athletic virtue in the City of Sin and you are ready to play. So feel free to play hard.

And then what? After playing, your body will need to recover. There are basically two ways to recover from the physical demands of your sports. One is to take a week or two to be active in something other than your major competitive events. Cycle or swim (non-weight bearing) instead of running (weight bearing); jog or walk instead of practicing softball; play some pick-up basketball instead of working on your tennis game. Let your body recover by using your muscles in some different way.

A second approach would be to take a few weeks off entirely from organized competitive activity and sport practice. Do not engage in even light jogging or an informal tennis game. Limit yourself to walking, or bicycling if you use your bike for transportation. You don’t have to go into full hibernation or sloth mode; the idea is to give all your moving parts a genuine respite.

I suggest that the older you get, the better you may recover by electing the second option more frequently

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than the first. This is particularly true if during your stay you’ve also been taking advantage of those lessformally organized physical activities (elbow bending, snake eyes rolling, non-FILA style grappling) that in TaglineGuru.com’s annual Sloganville, USA contest earned Las Vegas the first-place slogan of “Sin City” in the “Most Infamous” category.

Recovery after a major sports festival means recovering from any and all of the challenging activities you’ve undertaken. Hopefully your recovery won’t require additional services from your local bankruptcy attorney, infectious disease consultant or multiple 12-step programs. Planning for these possible exigencies should also be included in your “increased intensity preparatory training.”

Whichever approach you choose though, make sure you have a good deal of relaxing time. Perhaps treat yourself to a (non-Vegas style) massage or two and get plenty of sleep. And then? Depending on when you have another competition to prepare for, you should plan to be ready to return to your general conditioning and sportspecific skill activities and to give yourself another set of weeks or months to get ready.

The Buddhist teacher Jack Kornfield wrote a book entitled, “After the Ecstasy, the Laundry.” That may also be a good approach to employ here.

GYM BAG

GYM BAG

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It integrates with top performance apps; creates personalized programs using your personal coach combined with Strava or Runkeeper and the Radar Pace™ App works for both iOS and Android. It also adjusts automatically to make up for missed workouts and keeps you on track toward your workout goals; additionally it responds to your questions when you ask. Includes hardware, charging cable, earbuds and case. $449 www.oakley.com TEAM USA NIKE THERMA PULLOVER PERFORMANCE HOODIE Celebrate the Olympics by wearing Team USA Nike Therma Pullover Performance Hoodie. Midweight hoodie is suitable for moderate temperatures; Nike Therma fabric helps manage body’s natural heat to keep you warm; Dri-FIT® technology wicks away moisture. Pullover hoodie comes with drawstring, front pouch pocket, screen print graphics and is machine washable. Available in red; sizes run S-XXL. Regularly $79.99; on sale for $63.99 plus standard $4.99 flat rate shipping and handling. http://si.fanatics.com GNU HEADSPACE SNOWBOARD The Gnu Headspace is one of The Best Snowboards of 2017-2018 according to the 19th Annual Good Wood Snowboard Test Results. Far into a long week of board-testing at Carinthia, it reported that one veteran tester said that after four days of constant riding, “this board reinvigorated me.” This board is “soft enough to jib with enough support to stomp and the edgehold to actual rail a turn.” $449.95 https://snowboarding.transworld.ne THE MERCADO™ MULTI-SPORT HELMET BATS-TOI™ (pronounced bah’tua; French for “fight”) now offers the Mercado™, an innovative multi-sport helmet that is engineered, designed and manufactured under highest standards using next-generation impact foam materials and state-of-art engineering technology; it’s NCAA compliant, NHSCA and NFHS approved. Raised impact sections on the front, top and back provide optimal protection against bumps, bruises, cuts and lacerations. Internal viscoelastic foam beds strategically placed to absorb and distribute impact.

Patent-pending Y-Joint mechanism achieves optimal fit and stability around the head and chin; custom shapes to head; and interior viscoelastic foam for optimal comfort use and patent-pending MY-FIT™ cable system. Regulates head temperature by circulating air; nonabrasive, lightweight construction keeps excess weight/strain off head and neck; ergonomic tail design cradles back of head for optimal support and comfort. Ergonomic ear guards with specially designed vents allow maximum air circulation to reduce moisture and internal “pop” sound while providing ear protection against impact. $85.00 http://batstoi.com

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EVENTS: FOR A COMPLETE CALENDAR OF EVENTS PLEASE VISIT WWW.COMPETENETWORK.COM/EVENTS BOWLING

TENNIS

Texas Roll-off Tournament

2018 Clay Court Classic Ft. Lauderdale, Feb. 16-19

Grand Prairie, Feb. 9

Cactus Open 2018

Phoenix Regional Invitational Tournament

Phoenix, Feb. 17-19

Phoenix, Feb. 16

VOLLEYBALL

Sweetheart Invitational

NorCal Classic XXX San Jose, Feb. 17

Wallingford, Conn., Feb. 16

San Francisco Golden Gate Invitational Classic

Team Saint Louis Invitational St. Louis, Feb. 17

San Francisco, Feb. 16

Gasparilla Annual Games Mixed Event Tampa, Feb. 16

Bluegrass Classic Louisville, Ken., Feb. 16

Ice Bowl Omaha, Feb. 23

FLAG FOOTBALL Aloha Classic Honolulu, Feb. 15-19

Florida Sunshine Cup VIII Ft. Lauderdale, Feb. 17-18

RODEO Arizona Gay Rodeo Phoenix, Feb. 16-18

RUGBY International Rugby Saturday Carson, Calif., Feb. 3

Americas Rugby Championship: USA vs. Canada Sacramento, Feb. 10

Americas Rugby Championship: USA vs. Chile Fullerton, Calif., Feb. 17

SOFTBALL Gasparilla Softball Classic Tampa, Feb. 17-18

GLASA is Newest Member of SDLC The Greater Los Angeles Softball Association, better known by everyone as GLASA is the newest member of the SDLC, the Sports Diversity Leadership Council that is dedicated to training tomorrow’s sports leaders today.

Individuals as well as organizations and municipalities that complete the SDLC’s designation program and agree to abide by its strict continuing education requirement are awarded the Sports Diversity Leader (SDL) designation, indicating to others they have completed the curriculum that includes training, mentoring and volunteering elements.

It’s no surprise that GLASA should want to be in the forefront of this important designation program. While gay athletes have always played softball, the first organized Gay Softball World Series was played in San Francisco in 1977 when the Badlands team representing the Community Softball League of San Francisco played a mixed team representing the Big Apple League in New York City. This was the impetus for forming a national organization – NAGAAA, the North American Gay Amateur Athletic Alliance.

And by the next year GLASA was formed under its original name of the Inter-City Athletic Union Softball League (ICAU) with six original charter teams. GLASA has now grown to over thirty teams with more than 600 athletes playing both a spring and fall season. They have now expanded from the one division of competition to four divisions of softball participation.

The diversity of the league mirrors the demographics of the Greater Los Angeles area. League membership ranges in age from 18 to 65 years of age and is comprised of people who are in college, just starting their careers, well-established work professionals, high powered executives and also just the average Angelino. Whatever their status in life, all players are welcome in GLASA.

Sports Tourism Event: Connect Sports LGBTQ Events Summit In Partnership with Nike

Sports Club at

Portland, Feb. 5-7

Your Uptown Fitness Experience! www.sportsclubatcitysquare.com (Indian School Rd and 2nd Ave)

602-285-2929

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1 HOUR FREE

1-855-616-2792

18+

STYLE: BOBBY SAYS

THE SOFT SIDE OF ATHLEISURE

BY BOBBY CILETTI

What we wear is an important component of the activities we do, even when we are not doing them.

Athleisure continues to cement itself as a prominent apparel sector. Its rapid expansion in volume of sales and brands available can have us scrambling to keep up with the trends.

Even though it is a relatively new phenomenon, athleisure fashion still has seen a number or trends and styles come and go. What was once the hard fitnessforward activewear we wore only to the gym has evolved into a softer, more stylish fashion category.

Neutral is the New Black While black has and will likely always be the top-selling color in fitness apparel, it has seen some steady competition lately. Neutral colors are doubling in sales for many major lines. Pale colors are more popular. The fashion forecast suggests we will be seeing many more versions of neutrals like beige, grey, nude and even white.

Fabrics Next to color, fabric choice seems pretty obvious when it comes to working out or physical activity. Moisturewicking, cooling, engineered fabrics are the standard.

However, most buyers will analyze fashion purchases on how well they rate for comfort, durability, flexibility and luxury. Given that athleisure is bridging the gap between activewear and fashion, a shift from nylons and polyesters to ultra soft cottons, modal and bamboo fabrics seems necessary.

Uses As our fitness and activity levels become more diversified so do the clothes we need. With the rise of well-being activities like meditations, nature walks and mindfulness, people are seeking fashions that better represent their states of mind in addition to their activity.

Softer colors and fabrics reflect these trends as well.

Silhouettes How our clothes fit us is essential, especially for purpose-driven clothing. Athleisure is seeking to capitalize on the age-old form-versus-function debate. One can imagine that as our uses for fitness fashion evolve, so too, can the silhouettes. The current state of fashion suggests "looser," "baggy," "drapey" or "slightly fitted" as apt descriptions for the athleisure looks we wear. Opt for wide neck lines and longer silhouettes that have some flow and embrace this trend.

Bobby Says ‌ Staying neutral can cause a clash. Neutrals are a great way to soften your fitness look and stand out. Remember, black is and will likely always be the best selling color in fitness. However, when you start to incorporate neutrals pay attention to your color story.

Blacks can mismatch and even clash, although not as often as grays. Gray is a varied color, often with different undertones of blue, violet, green or brown. When you start layering grays it can look messy. Here is a safe bet for a completely neutral, monochromatic look: do not mix and match. Stick with one brand when you want to a head-to-toe look in neutral.

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BEDROOM SPORTS

CLOTHES MAKE THE MAN

BY RYAN O’CONNOR, GUEST COLUMNIST

W

hen it comes to dating and relationships everyone has a different type.

Some like them short, some like them tall, some like them hairy and some not so hairy. The list goes on and on. One thing that most of us can agree on though is this – men in sports uniforms look smoking hot!

Case in point is my ex-boyfriend Mike. I dated Mike back in college. When we met through a mutual friend Mike wasn’t even close to being out. He played baseball back then. And when he wasn’t playing baseball, he pretty much dressed (if that is what you can call it) like a slob.

When Mike was in uniform his look was home run worthy, but when he was off the field he struck out – untucked shirt, old jeans, Birkenstocks (eek!) and unkempt hair. He wasn’t hideous but he wasn’t my type either.

That all changed when Mike put on his baseball uniform. First off, his unkempt hair looked much better hidden underneath a baseball cap. His baseball jersey was tucked neatly into his baseball pants. Did I even mention I was into stirrups back then? And of course, even his beat up old cleats beat Birkenstocks. In his baseball uniform Mike was a thing of beauty.

Alas, it wasn’t meant to be. In college, just like today, I would consider myself a preppy. Although my Ralph Lauren shirt and dark brown penny loafers looked almost as good as my neatly combed hair, my style just didn’t match Mike’s. The final straw in our relationship?

He refused to wear his baseball uniform out on dates with me!

Later on I dated a soccer player. His name was Brian #2. Yes, I know; I have a thing for Brians. Fortunately, he did slightly better than Mike when it came to dressing in street clothes. At least Brian combed his hair and wore real shoes. He even shaved on occasion. And in his soccer uniform Brian was a thing of beauty.

Alas, this wasn’t meant to be either. The one thing I couldn’t shake was that when Brian was out of uniform he wasn’t able to hold a legitimate conversation. Ugh! Why do I have to be so selective!

Finally, there was Carter. That wasn’t his real name, but he looked like a Carter and saying Carter is much hotter than saying Jethro (well, Jethro wasn’t his real name either). And Carter was a swimmer. Enough said.

In his swimsuit Carter was a thing of beauty. Alas, my relationship with him wasn’t meant to be any more than with Mike or Brian. In what should be perfectly obvious, Carter simply couldn’t wear his swimsuit year-round.

I really do believe looks don’t matter as much as personality … that is as long as my boyfriend is wearing a sports uniform!

RYAN O’CONNER is just a regular guy who is dating in this great big world. His advice comes from personal experience and his advice is for entertainment purposes only. We recommend you consult a physician, counselor or therapist in your area for specific advice about your personal situation.

Otherwise, questions can be submitted to bedroom@competenetwork.com.

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