Members of Team Philadelphia flexed their muscles last week at the Gay Games in Germany, bringing home a sizable collection of medals.
The 55 local athletes garnered 18 gold medals, seven silver and 10 bronze.
“It was absolutely phenomenal,” said Team Philadelphia marketing director Bob Szwajkos. “Everybody had an incredible time.”
Gold medalists included M. Huyette, who won five in swimming competitions; G. Aumen, who won three for cycling, cycling criterium and triathlon in the men-over-55 category; E. Hoffman, who won two for freestyle swimming; L. Sloan, who topped the bodybuilding men-over-50 category; W. Robinson, for diving platform in the men 18-30 category; A. Kasney, for the diving solo for the men 18-30 category; and R. Van Tassell for wrestling in the men-over-50 category.
Team gold medals also went to Kasney and Robinson for diving synchro in the men 18-30 category; and Hoffman, Huyette, R. Ryan and J. Jordan for two separate freestyle swimming events.
The swimmers, who competed under the Fins Aquatic Club name, set several Gay Games records, and Szwajkos said the contingent included several former Fins team members who’ve since moved to other parts of the country but whose loyalty to the city and the club motivated them to don Team Philadelphia garb.
One of the biggest wins of the week was the gold medal garnered by the Philadelphia East Coast Fusion in the men’s slow-pitch softball competition. The Fusion had to beat the Indianapolis Sluggers twice to claim the top spot and, although a deluge of rain repeatedly delayed the final match-up, a rainbow appeared overhead as the Fusion accepted its gold medals.
“When the rainbow came out at the medal-awards ceremony, it was like the dream came true,” said Szwajkos, who himself won a silver medal for marathon running. “And the co-chair of the Games asked us to help him put medals on the softball team, and that feeling was just indescribable.”
Szwajkos said all of the athletes had their own “magic moment” during the Games, and one of his was getting the chance to get his picture with the U.S. ambassador to Germany.
Szwajkos commended the Gay Games officials and the city of Cologne for producing a well-run event.
“There were 3,000 people running around helping everybody and everything went smoothly,” he said. “Everyone in the city was so welcoming. No matter where you traveled and no matter what time of the day it was, if somebody saw you had a registration necklace on, they came over to you and talked to you.”
He noted that Team Philadelphia members got to meet athletes from around the world, from “Sri Lanka to Australia to Mexico to Iceland,” but said the relationships the local athletes forged with one another were just as remarkable.
Team Philadelphia members showed up to cheer on their fellow teammates at their respective events, which Szwajkos said was influential in helping the squad garner so many medals.
“To my knowledge this was really a first, that everyone went to everybody else’s events,” he said. “The swimmers came to the races and people went to bodybuilding; nobody just stuck to their own discipline. That support really helped people, and all of the follow-up e-mails I’ve been seeing, people have been saying, ‘Thank you so much for coming to support us.’ The team really jelled.”
That unity also carried into the evenings, when Team Philadelphia members from all of the different sports clubs spent hours getting to know one another at various watering holes and restaurants around Cologne.
Now that the members are back in the States, Szwajkos said the newfound connections formed among the athletes will help to strengthen and unify Team Philadelphia in the future.
“We hope to continue that spirit going forward. Everybody came back having made solid friendships that I think will carry us forward and help us to support all the sports in our community.”
A welcome-back party for the athletes is being planned for September.
Jen Colletta can be reached at [email protected].