Kurt Dahl will never forget three magical moments from Gay Games VIII, held this past August in Cologne, Germany.
There was, for one, singer Taylor Dayne surrounded by fire at the Opening Ceremony, doing what she does best.
There was the moment by Dahl's partner, Jeff Clark, who proved with his softball teammates that they had the best team in the tournament. They won the gold medal—and Dahl put the medal around his husband's neck.
Then there was the day he spent with the American ambassador to Germany and the Cologne vice mayor, touring the venues.
"The Games in Cologne were amazing," said Dahl, who celebrated his 49th birthday Aug. 8—the day after the eight-day sports and cultural extravaganza ended. "I was very happy with the Games Cologne organization. Most of the organization was made up of volunteers; [ there were ] very [ few ] paid staff and there was great deal of work. The team pulled it off and I am very proud of their accomplishments. The city was amazing and the weather was perfect—sunny, but cool. The venues were good and many of the venues were close together, so a participant and spectators could see many different sports all within walking distance.
"There is not one thing I would say I was disappointed in."
That includes the turnout, which numbered about 9,500 participants from 65 countries.
"Given the economic conditions and the strong Euro, I was very pleased with the turnout," he said. "The participation was truly global."
Dahl, who lives in Joliet, is the co-president of the Federation of Gay Games ( FGG ) . His current two-year term end in the fall of 2012.
Dahl is the vice president & senior risk manager for Harris Bank.
He was one of about 125 Chicagoans who traveled abroad for the Games.
"I was hoping that we would have more from Chicago given that Chicago was the previous host [ in 2006, ] but I know many people could not afford the time off and [ the ] cost to come to Cologne," he said. "The people [ who did go ] represented Chicago well and I [ saw ] many familiar faces as I toured the venues throughout the week."
Dahl said he was most surprised by the warm, welcome feeling he and most others received from the locals. "There were many families in the stands cheering the participants and really having a good time," he said.
Dahl did not participate in any events while in Cologne. He was, instead, busy touring most of the venues and also handing out medals at various sporting events.
"I was able to watch the Pink Flamingo event and also was able to watch the combined concert [ featuring ] choral and instruments, which was a blast," he said. "There were some events that I needed to be at with various city officials, and the FGG also hosted a reception where we thanked our past bidding cities and announced the winners of the Tom Waddell Award. In between that, we had two board meetings of the FGG and also hosted the annual meeting of the FGG.
"It was a long week, but it went by way too fast."
Cologne was Dahl's second Games and, of course, he can't compare the 2010 version to the 2006 edition, held in his hometown.
"Chicago was great as I was part of the planning," he said. "Gay Games VIII truly represented the culture of Cologne. That is one of the reasons why the FGG selected Cologne; they lived up to the challenge. Each Gay Games is different, so to compare one Games to another would not be fair.
"The Opening Ceremony [ in Cologne ] was amazing; it was simple, but inspiring, especially the ending when Taylor Dane was down in the field surrounded by fire; that gave me goose bumps. The Closing Ceremony was fun. The week had completed; everyone had done their personal best and we all just wanted to celebrate and thank the people of Cologne for welcoming us into their home. It was a fun time and good way to end the week."
Dahl also spent time in Cologne with gay Olympic diver Matthew Mitchum from Australia.
"Matt is great guy," Dahl said. "He is so real and so sure of himself. He is the one to watch and he is a great role model for the next generation of LGBT people. He is so inspiring and I am hoping he remains part of the FGG because we need people like Matt Mitchum to move the Gay Games to new heights. I was very lucky to have met him and spend those couple of days with him."
Dahl said it was a "great honor" to personally award medals, which he did to the winners of the women's slow pitch softball, the men's softball, and with out former NFL player David Kopay at some of the swimming events, and also with the ambassador at some of the diving events.
"It was memorable for me and I was happy to be able to do it," Dahl said of presenting medals. "I had a blast in Cologne, which is such a fun city. Jeff and I actually arrived on that Tuesday before the opening ceremony so we were able to sight see and get our bearings. Thursday evening, July 29, was when the Games actually started for us, [ not two days later at the opening ceremony ] as we had the opening of an exhibit at the Sports Museum, an art exhibit opening on Friday, the scholarship reception on Saturday afternoon and then finally the opening ceremony."
After the Games, Dahl and Clark spent time reflecting on their experiences in Amsterdam.
"Jeff did really well. I was very proud of him," Dahl said. "He was put on a team that was formed by some great guys from Philadelphia, Fort Lauderdale and Boston. He was quickly welcomed to the team and fit right in. His nickname was 'Clutch,' as he was able to step in and deliver a hit when needed. I was really proud of him."
Dahl said he cherished the time he spent with the U.S. ambassador to Germany.
"He had done his homework before his arrival and asked us all sorts of questions about the Gay Games, why it was important, how planning was going for Cleveland, etc.," Dahl said. "This was the first time such a high ranking U.S. official had taken such an interest in the Gay Games. The ambassador was disappointed he was not going to be in Germany for the Closing Ceremony, but did send representatives from his office to be present."
Dahl said that "an LGBT non-profit organization is being formed to manage" the 2014 Gay Games in Cleveland. The FGG revoked its contract with the Cleveland Synergy Foundation, which was the first organizing committee for the 2014 Games.
"For [ the remainder of ] 2010, our focus is to see that [ the Cologne ] host organization is wound down and all the data, and material is handed over to the FGG," Dahl said. "In addition, the FGG is focusing on working with GLISA on creating one quadrennial event in 2018. The FGG also will be working together with the organizers of GGIX in Cleveland. There are also some other projects that we would like to see get accomplished over the next year or two. We are going to be very busy."
So what's the latest on 2018 and the rumored merger of the Gay Games and the World Outgames?
"There is no merger between FGG and GLISA," Dahl said. "The FGG and GLISA have agreed to work together on hosting one event every four years, starting in 2018. This working together will evolve over the next year or so and will require all the support of the LGBT sports and culture community in order to succeed."
