Mark Tewksbury: The Spirit Behind Rendez-Vous 2006

SOURCE : 365gay.com

Mark Tewksbury: The Spirit Behind Rendezvous2006
par Bill Abdul

Mark Tewksbury is a man on a mission. The Olympic athlete has been the guiding light for developing a new focus on gay sports.

An Olympic gold medallist, he has model good looks, an infectious charm, and a keen mind that keeps him focused.

Tewksbury led the drive to get Montreal the 2006 Gay Games. Then when the Federation of Gay Games and Montreal couldn't come to terms over money and control, Tewksbury was instrumental in pulling Montreal out of the FGG and helping it develop a stand alone games: Rendezvous Montreal.

But, that wasn't enough, Tewksbury is also working to bring gay athletics under a new banner that he says will promote a more organized system, one that will help teams and sports groups around the world plan for the future.

If you cannot picture Tewksbury - arms raised, fists clenched, smile plastered across his face - then you probably didn't witness his golden moment at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. It is an image that does not easily fade.

Born in Calgary, in western Canada, Tewksbury moved to Australia in 2001 to coach athletes and returned to his homeland to lead the bid to bring the international gay athletic event to Montreal in 2006.

Asked about the televised coming out of former NFL player Esera Tuaolo Mark says he understands the pressure he felt. Tewksbury did not come out until after he returned from Barcelona.

He told his parents he was gay shortly after he returned home with his gold medal. But, his public coming out was a carefully orchestrated affair.

"I wanted to make the event not just proud, but joyful." He chose December 15, 1998 and did it with typical Tewksbury style. Using a sports contact at the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, he was able to set up an exclusive interview, and use it to promote his one-man show. "Out and About" which was premiering that night at Toronto's Buddies in the Bad Times Theatre in the city's gay neighborhood. The show also served as a benefit for the Casey House AIDS hospice and was a critical success. The following day he held a news conference to talk about gays in sports.

Tewksbury told the media that many people had already assumed he was gay during his swimming career. He said, "It would be hard for people not to have known.

"It was time, I guess, to come out," he says. "I got tired playing the game and not admitting who I was. I felt that the experiences I was able to speak about publicly ... were limited to the Olympics and not my humanity."

He believes sport encourages its participants to "check their individuality" for the sake of the team or the sport, making it harder for gay athletes to be true to themselves.

He recalls during his heyday he was even worried that Australia's "Mean Machine" would target him as a kind of weak-link in the Canadian team.

"I was terrified that I'd be found out for being gay. But, that said, I was the gayest thing in the pool. I was worried that all that blokey bloke energy surrounding the Mean Machine would be directed towards me."

The story was front page news at the time, although few in gay Toronto did not know his sexuality. He had been seen at gay clubs in the city's gay village for months.

With his boundless energy and endless determination, Tewksbury inspires and motivates thousands of gay and lesbian athletes from around the world.

© 365Gay.com 2005