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Mark
Tewksbury: The Spirit Behind Rendez-Vous2006
SOURCE:
365gay.com
Mark
Tewksbury: The Spirit Behind Rendezvous2006
by 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
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