12 | QSALTLAKE MAGAZINE | NEWS
Qsaltlake.com |
ISSUE 320 | FEBRUARY, 2021
Utah Gay Ski Week 2021 canceled “With great disappointment,” organizers of Utah Gay Ski Week, Elevation Utah 2021, announced that all events are canceled. “We were simultaneously planning Elevation Utah while holding out hope that we would turn the corner on COVID-19 at the end of 2020,” event founder Tom Whitman said in a statement. “Unfortunately, we have not turned that corner.” “Throughout this challenging time, we had always planned to produce reduced capacity and socially distanced events for 2021 in Park City. But as COVID has surged, capacities have been further reduced, ICUs are close to full, and some regions have gone back into stay-at-home orders,” he continued. “There is not a feasible way to produce the quality of the events you deserve while guaranteeing the health and safety of my staff, my talent, and the
attendees of Elevation Utah.” “We need to get through this pandemic and come out the other side. And I don’t want to be a part of organizing an event that has the potential to spread COVID to the ski family I love, and beyond to our friends, families, and neighbors, both at home and in Park City,” Whitman said. Whitman said he would be heartbroken if Elevation Utah became a superspreader event. He said he plans to move forward with future events as soon as they are feasible. “I’m still a big proponent of skiing (and gay skiing) in 2021,” he said. “Get on the slopes. Have a great time. We just shouldn’t gather in big groups inside of a bar or a nightclub until we turn that corner.” Utah ski resorts are still open for skiing, and Park City venues that have historically supported Elevation are open to limited capacity. “If you are heading to Park
City, please support those venues by stopping by to have a drink or a meal. Those venues are Downstairs, OP Rockwell, and The Cabin. They have each supported our big gay events for years, and we need to be there for them in return,” Whitman said. Whitman is still hopeful that he can produce the Elevation Mammoth events in March. “The events will be smaller and will look different, but with the ability to have more
outdoor space, and some additional weeks to turn our numbers around on COVID, Mammoth is looking good,” he said. The Mammoth event was canceled in 2020 as the mountain closed, and the first lockdowns started in California. “I want to be on a dance floor as soon as possible, with flashing lights and hundreds of you,” Whitman said. “We’ll get there sooner if we support each other and stay safe.” Q
Int’l swim meet in Salt Lake canceled The International Gay and Lesbian Aquatic Association announced that their 2021 event, scheduled in Salt Lake City, has been canceled due to the worldwide pandemic. “It is with great sadness and disappointment that we report that IGLA 2021 is canceled,” the group’s board said in a statement. “This was not an easy decision — we were all excited for the event, and the organizing committee in Salt Lake was committed to making it work as planned. Regrettably, based on the ongoing concerns for the health and safety of our attendees, travel restrictions, and the inability to fund and hold the wonderful social activities that make IGLA so important to our community, we have jointly reached this decision.” The group is hoping to host smaller, regional events throughout the year and is “fully supportive” of the Gay Games in
Hong Kong to be held in November 2022. Queer Utah Aquatic Club (QUAC) was to host the event this May where swim masters athletes from all over the world would compete in the only international LGBTQ+ inclusive aquatics tournament. IGLA originated in 1978 in San Diego, California, and was concurrently held with the second-ever Gay Games — a global LGBTQ+ athletic event that includes a larger range of sporting events: track & field, ballgame sports, mat sports, racquet sports, and more. Since then, the competition has been held in cities all over the world including Berlin, Stockholm, Sydney, Reykjavik, and Montreal. In February 2020, over 800 aquatic athletes competed and celebrated their athletic achievements in water polo, swimming, diving, and synchronized swimming in Melbourne, Australia. “Events like these can be very mean-
ingful to the LBGTQ+ community, and especially for those from countries where people still face oppression for living their authentic lives,” wrote QUAC leaders in a statement. In 2016, a few of the competing teams, the IGLA Board, and a QUAC team member made it possible for Ugandan swimmers to participate in the tournament. In Uganda, same-sex sexual acts are still criminalized. In fact, just before the competition, two of the Ugandan swimmers were arrested and placed in jail for participating in a local Pride event. Q
