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Gay games, here we come!
Interestingly, the Gay Games are an officially recognized international sporting event--any world records set there are considered official. But because the Gay Games don't require athletes to be of national-team calibre, Sport Canada offers no funding; athletes must raise the money themselves. Lavigne says it hasn't been easy: "When Montreal put together its bid to host the 2002 Gay Games, the sponsors lined up. But they're far less helpful when it comes to sending us abroad." Lavigne and Le Blanc--who must raise $7,000 in total--have gotten some help from Christian Carle and Yves Dion, owners of Jello Bar and South Beach Restaurant: they've held two fundraising dinners and raised over $1,000. A third and final fundraising dinner will be held at South Beach (1310 de Maisonneuve East) this Saturday, July 25, beginning at 6 p.m. South Beach will donate 25 per cent of all the evening's receipts. Info: 590-0990. --Philip Preville
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Back in 1990, Montrealer James Michael Lavigne won the silver medal in bodybuilding at the Gay Games in Vancouver. Now he wants another crack at it: Lavigne and his bodybuilding teammate, Joseph-Pascal Le Blanc, are determined to win gold at the 1998 Gay Games in Amsterdam, which begin August 1. The problem: they have to get there first.