Houston athletes won 36 medals in Gay Games VII, with six golds, eight silvers, and 22 bronze medals. Now some of them are headed to compete in the Outgames in Canada.

More than 100 local athletes marched in the July 15 opening ceremony as Team Houston, and they competed last week in events ranging from marathon to bowling. Houstonians were also represented in the cultural aspect of the games, from playing saxophone in the Team Band to singing in the choir.

In the Men’s Tennis D Division doubles, Kevin Newman and Brian Determan, took home a bronze medal. What makes their victory even more noteworthy is that Determan, 43, is deaf.

“I started playing tennis when I was 12 years old in Irving, Texas,” Determan said. “One summer early morning, my father woke me up early … there was a private tennis instructor that my father hired for me.  After that, I played tennis with my father and my neighbor boys just for recreation for several years, but never been in a competition. 

“At college, I took a tennis class, and I played it with my college friends also just for recreation. Ever since, I have not played tennis again for 18 years.”

In March 2005, Determan discovered the Houston Tennis Club and started playing again. He made it into the semi-finals in his first tournament and has been playing competitively ever since. He now has his sights on the next Gay Games, which is set for 2010 in Cologne, Germany.

“Participating in Gay Games VII is one of my successfully completed goals,” Determan said. “Playing tennis has been one of my top passions in my life, and I have been traveling around the nation to compete in sanctioned tennis tournaments since last November, but I have never been to Europe.” 

As for his tennis partner, two days after winning the bronze medal, Newman completed the full marathon, despite not training since February.

Winning two bronzes in badminton was Scottie Scott, 71, who beat a 36-year-old athlete to get a medal in the Women’s C division. In the mixed doubles, she was paired with Chris Albala, and the two of them barely missed out on her third bronze medal.

“To get into the semi-finals, we had to play six games in the pool tournament to get into the open bracket. It was a big crowd, and [Albala] was really moving around,” Scott said. “I couldn’t back up from the net or else I would have gotten hit. It was just amazing that I could still stand up at the age of 71.”

Although still recovering from the Gay Games, Scott is already planning for her next challenge: the Texas Senior Games. She’ll be competing in Austin in September in basketball, shot, discus, horseshoes, javeli and, of course, badminton.

Participating in a different way was Judy Reeves, 54, who played the saxophone in the Team Band.

“Over 200 people came together on July 13 from all over America, including half a dozen from Houston,” Reeves said. “We learned four songs, and four movements in three rehearsals over three days. It was fabulous!”

Reeves, however, suffered an injury. She twisted her ankle while escaping the rain.

Upon seeing her doctor in Houston, Reeves discovered that she has a cracked rib along with an ATF ligament rupture. She’s awaiting the results of an MRI to see if surgery is required.

“You hear all these stories of ‘Oh, I got the gold medal.’ Well hell, I was the one who got the big boot,” Reeves said.

Outgames 2006

Continuing on to Montreal are about 30 Houstonians, of which 15 are Team Houston members. Houston athletes Keith Wright, Keith Peters and Hana Michelle Pinard, who won a gold medal in the cycling competition for  the Gay Games, will head to the
Outgames.

Among the Team Houston members is gymnasium owner Keith Peters, 51. In 1994, he won a bronze medal in the elite division of speed-skating, and was disappointed to find the event had been cancelled for the 1998 Gay Games. Although he and numerous other skaters petitioned for the event to be included, the organizers decided against their wishes.

In 1998, Peters was in a coma in the hospital for three months and had to learn how to walk again. He learned how to skate before he learned how to run.

“On Christmas of that year, I went to the hospital, got a big basket of fruit with candy canes,” Peters said. “I skated up to the seventh floor, where I presented a big basket to the nursing staff. They called me the miracle. I’m happy to be alive.”

Although he’s 51, Peters is expecting a gold at the Outgames in the elite division.
The Gay Games had originally been planned for Montreal, but a financial dispute between the Federation of Gay Games and the Montreal organizers forced a move to Chicago.

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