Charge
The GLRF Regatta Advisory Group provides a forum for the gay and lesbian rowing community to offer input on the structure, format, and length of gay-sponsored and gay-friendly regattas. The group serves to advise regatta organizers on how to promote their regattas in the gay and lesbian community, as well as to offer ideas on how to structure a regatta to make it appealing to gay and lesbian rowers.
Regatta organizers who would like advice or assistance can contact the advisory group at regattaadvisory@glrf.info
Background
The 1998 Amsterdam Gay Games Regatta was a huge success. Three hundred rowers competed over a five-day period on a 2,000 meter course. Exhausted and exhilarated, many rowers commented that the regatta, although incredible, was almost like a working vacation. Many rowers felt they had no time to enjoy Amsterdam or the festival.
Fast forward to 2004. GLRF was beginning to create a worldwide community and the gay-sponsored regattas planned for 2006 in Chicago and Montreal were beginning to take shape. Here was an opportunity to influence the structure of these regattas to meet the desires of the worldwide gay and lesbian rowing community. Rather than have a free for all with a number of rowers individually contacting Montreal and Chicago with their ideas and preferences, would it not be better if we consolidated those inputs through one resource, that could consider multiple ideas and offer recommendations that addressed as many of these ideas in a unified, coherent, and logical manner? As a result, the GLRF Regatta Advisory Group emerged. The group’s inputs helped influence the relocation of the Chicago Gay Games Regatta to Crystal Lake, and helped shape the length and format of the Montreal Outgames Regatta.
Looking Ahead
GLRF is doing such a good job of promoting rowing that more and more gay and lesbian multi-sport events are now snapping their fingers and declaring that they will have rowing. Little do they realize the amount of work or the cost involved in organizing a regatta or that hosting a regatta for 50 people is neither realistic nor successful. There is also the concern that the rowing community will become over saturated with gay-sponsored regattas that compete for a small pool of participants as well as with the existing worldwide regatta schedule. The goal should be to ensure that these gay-sponsored regattas succeed, for the organizers and for the participants. Otherwise we will just put off the community within and without that we are trying to build.
The solution is an active, engaged Advisory Group. The broader rowing community is seeing some great success with new, varied rowing events and regatta formats. By working with the multi-sport events sports directors and regatta organizers, and with input from the GLRF Worldwide Community, the GLRF Regatta Advisory Group can offer some beneficial suggestions to various proposed rowing events.
Help Out - Get Involved
Shape the format of gay-sponsored and gay-friendly regattas. Join the advisory group. We are seeking members who have extensive regatta experience, either as a participant or as an organizer. Preference will given to rowers who have competed or attended both local and international regattas. In order to encourage the full and active participation by all advisory group members, the term of service will be limited to two years. That way members won’t feel like they are tied to this forever. Active, participating members will be invited to renew for up to 2 additional terms. Apply today!
Group composition will be limited to a maximum of 9 members to ensure discussions are productive and efficient.
The composition of the advisory board is international in nature. Representatives are solicitied from every continent To be effective, the membership is kept intentionally small (to a maximum of 9 members) so that issues can be discussed and resolved quickly. It is anticipated that the group will meet bimonthly by teleconference and by occasion with regatta organizers. Members are selected based on their advanced level of rowing experience and participation in major worldwide regattas. All terms are for two years, and renewable by invitation.
Shout Out – Provide Input
Everyone has an opinion. Let yours be heard. Become involved in the Regatta Advisory Group discussion group. Post your comments about a proposed regatta or format. Debate, discuss, and reply. The more members who post, the better opportunity for the Advisory Group to serve the needs of our rowing community.
Review our current regatta portfolio and then offer your thoughts.
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