Captain Canada

Captain Canada at the Opening Ceremonies of the Outgames (Montreal, July/2006)

Is it me, or is Olympic Stadium just like one huge phallic symbol? Totally appropriate, given the fact that thousands of gay men were marching to their date with history inside that place.

As in Sydney 4 years previous, I wore my always-in-style Canadian flag cape, this time paired with my completely unbreathable Team Vancouver shirt. It was a gorgeous night, interrupted briefly by rain. But there wasn't nearly enough precip to spoil our coming out party.

Once inside The Big O, I kept thinking of all the amazing things that had taken place in that very location 30 years ago during the '76 Olympics. "That's where Hasely Crawford won the 100m....ooh, that's where Alberto Juantorena swung wide and blasted the finish of the 800m....and this is where Rosi Ackermann took the High Jump gold......and Irina Szewinska kicked everyone's butts to take the 400m title there....and that's where Lasse Viren started the 5000m race, securing his 4th Olympic gold in two Games...."

It was cool to be inside, wrapped up in all that history. But the most important thing was the history that was being made that day. The first World Outgames were launched in grand style, and I was part of it. It didn't hit me until the Closing Ceremonies that these Games are for real. Despte all the bitchslapping disagreement between Montreal and the Federation of Gay Games that caused the split that led to the creation of these Games, Montreal came out on top. They created a festival and a multisport extravaganza that put me, the athlete, first. I felt like these Games revolved around me, something that was probably considered very specifically by the amazing Mr. Mark Tewksbury, based on his own Olympic experiences.

But even more than that, I was made to feel like I could, in the words of Mark and Martina, become a better human being. And that's no small accomplishment.

Bring on Copenhagen 2009. Cuz I'll be an even better human being by then.