On the weekend of October 12th, over 30 volleyball teams converged on Portland from all over the Northwest for “Portland Fall Ball 2008,” an annual competition and tournament hosted by Portland Gay Volleyball. A majority of the players were from California, British Columbia, Oregon, and Washington and involved a weekend full of fun and games to compete for the glory of winner in several different levels of play.
The Portland “Fall Ball 2008” is part of the larger National American Gay Volleyball Association (NAGVA) tournaments held across the country hosted by different member regions. The member regions come together once a year for Nationals, a competition hosted by NAGVA.
“Volleyball in Portland has given me a great social outlet. Almost every single one of my friendships here is connected to volleyball in some capacity. I love traveling to other cities and meeting other fun people that have a passion for the sport. “, comments Ryan Clover who has been playing for the Portland team The Plastics since April 2006.
The Portland tournament lasted all weekend and involved a day of qualifying, or “pool play” followed by a day of competition that resulted in one of Portland’s teams taking home first place.
Several fans were also present and cheers of encouragement were often heard for the teams playing. There also were occasional athletes walking around shirtless displaying their physiques, but most players were adorned most of the time with nice fitting uniforms.
The spirit of the tournament was competitive, but also with a strong focus on fun and socializing. Part of the weekend’s activities involved a banquet at a local bar Hobo’s, where the teams could socialize before the completion on Sunday. This was one of Hobo’s busiest nights ever, and was a lot of fun for the staff as well. “It was a lot of fun and everyone was really nice,” commented Matty, one of the servers and bartenders. “I love nights like that,” she grinned.
Several players seemed to find a social outlet as an alternative to the bars.
“I had heard for a while that gay men played at a gym in NW PDX and I always wanted to try it out. I also thought that playing sports would be a good way for me to transition for hanging out at the bars on the weekends, “ commented John Lowe -- one of the organizers of the weekend’s event. “I have met some very decent people and have made some close friends. It’s been a great stress reliever for me – keeping me in shape and it’s been a social outlet.” John expressed.
The Portland tournament is part of the competition for the Triple Tiara award that started in the mid-nineties, given to the team with the best win record in all three NW tournaments including Portland, Seattle, and Vancouver (British Columbia). This year a new award will also be given in recognition of the recent loss of a long-time volleyball friend, TJ Meyers and will be called the TJ Meyer Memorial Team Sponsorship Award.
“I started with Portland Gay Volleyball 2 ½ years ago as a way of meeting people,” commented this year’s Tournament Director Sean Walker. “This is important for me because I didn’t know anyone when I first came out. Being around people, some who had been out for 30+ years, helped me to be more comfortable with my sexuality and to come out of my shell. I grew up in a small town where I didn’t know any gay people. Now at least 50% of my friends are people I have met through gay volleyball.”
Portland Gay Volleyball is always seeking new players and beginners are always welcome. Several levels of teams are formed and play teams with similar ability. For more information, you can visit the Portland Gay Volleyball web page or click here.
The winners of the Portland “Fall Ball 2008” tournament were:
A Division
1st Place -- Vancouver’s Liquid Explosion
2nd Place – Vancouver’s Las Seas
3rd Place – Fierce Creatures
BB Division
1st Place – Seattle’s Battle Cattle
2nd Place – Seattle’s Pursuit of Happy Nets
3rd Place – Portland’s Plastics
B Division
1st Place – Portland’s Pirates
2nd Place – Vancouver’s No Comma
3rd Place – Vancouver’s All Aboard