Capping another successful year of GLBT aquatics events, Brian Jacobson of the Minnesota Ice became the first athlete at a GLBT event to meet time qualification standards for his country’s FINA World Championship swimming trials at the 2004 edition of the International Gay & Lesbian Aquatics (IGLA) Championships.

Jacobson was one of about 1,000 participants at this year’s IGLA Championships, held Oct. 7-11 at the Fort Lauderdale Aquatics Center and International Swimming Hall of Fame complex in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

Jacobson’s 22.91 in the 50-meter freestyle was well under the U.S. trials qualifying standard of 23.79 – in fact, for the one-length event it was very quick indeed. While Jacobson would still need to be one of the top two at next year’s U.S. Championships in order to represent his country at the 2005 FINA World Championships, the achievement is remarkable for someone his age, 31.

The 22.91 time broke the FINA Masters world record in Jacobson’s age group, 30-34, by .3 seconds. Jacobson also broke the world record in the 50-meter breaststroke in Fort Lauderdale. His time of 29.15 beat the existing mark by .02 seconds. The 50-meter breaststroke, however, will not be contested at the 2005 U.S. World Championships trials.

The annual IGLA Championships once again proved to be the year’s main focus, as competitors from four continents took part in water polo, synchronized swimming, diving and an open water swim off Fort Lauderdale beach.

“IGLA not only has one of the largest aquatics competitions in the world each year but also one of the best run and most fun,” said Ivan Bussens, outgoing IGLA co-president of London’s Out to Swim club. “The Nadadores of South Florida did a fantastic job as meet hosts and, of course, the Fort Lauderdale Aquatics Center is a superb facility with an excellent full-time staff.”

More than 100 IGLA marks were set in this year’s swimming races, with 43 in women’s events, 46 in men’s, and more than two dozen in relays. Among the women, Krista Prescott of D.C. Aquatics Club broke three marks in the 19-24 age group. Patricia Nielson of the Long Beach Grunions and Marcay Dickens of D.C. Aquatics Club, who set records in the 70-74 age group, proved that age is no barrier to swimming excellence. Tanya Hanson of the Nadadores of South Florida showed strength from sprints to middle distances, setting records in the 50, 100, 200 and 400- meter freestyle in the 40-44 age group.

The youngest male record setter was David Spires of the Atlanta Rainbow Trout, who broke the 14-year-old IGLA mark in the 1500-meter freestyle in the 19-24 age group. Among the oldest men, Stefan Bauer of the Copenhagen Mermates set two marks in the 70-74 category and John Kiley of Team New York Aquatics set four in the 75-79 age group.

In overall swimming team scoring, D.C. Aquatics Club won the large division (more than 44 swimmers), West Hollywood Aquatics won in the middle category (14-43 swimmers), and The Texas Cowboys won in the small team competition (13 and fewer).

Sixteen teams from 12 cities in five countries competed in water polo, including both men’s and women’s teams from Gay Swim Amsterdam and the Sydney Stingers from Australia. In the end, West Hollywood continued its long dominance in IGLA water polo. The West Hollywood A and B teams took the top two spots with Montreal-Igloo earning bronze in an exciting overtime game against San Francisco Tsunami A.

Synchronized swimming is growing steadily, with strong contingents in Paris and San Francisco. John Fay of Paris Aquatique won the solo competition with teams from San Francisco taking the top spots in duet, trio and team categories.

Scott Smith of the Minnesota Ice was top scorer among all divers in the 1-meter, 3-meter and platform events.

In another highlight, Gary Hall Jr., still fresh off his Athens Olympic gold medal swim in the 50-meter freestyle, served as one of the five judges of the always-hilarious Pink Flamingo event. Longtime IGLA and Gay Games participant Bruce Hayes, a 1984 Olympic swimming gold medallist, was also among the judges.

The Pink Flamingo is a tradition at IGLA and Gay Games competitions in which teams perform musical skits to a theme selected by the host, this year’s being “Fun in the Sun”. West Hollywood won with their routine of female synchronized swimmers “of a certain age,” most of who couldn’t last until the end without rescue by lifeguards. Runner-up teams were from San Diego and Washington, D.C.

“During an early 1990s fundraising drive, IGLA sponsored a brick on the Swimming Hall of Fame’s ‘Walk of Fame’ and IGLA is one of the first names you see when you enter the facility,” said Jon Olsen, chair of the Nadadores’ organizing team. “It was inevitable that the IGLA Championships be held in the Fort Lauderdale/Miami area one day, and we’ve been proud to host this year’s event.”

The IGLA Championships return to the Atlanta Olympic pool at Georgia Tech July 21-24. The Atlanta Rainbow Trout last hosted the IGLA’s championships in 1999 and have planned next year’s event around the theme “Reflections”, celebrating IGLA’s near 20 years of achievements by GLBT swimmers and their friends within the aquatics communities.

IGLA suspends its championships during Gay Games years, serving as the GLBT sports body governing Gay Games aquatics. When the IGLA Championships resume in 2007, London’s Out to Swim hopes to bring them back to Europe for the first time since 2000. l

— Press release