San Diego’s Different Strokes Swim Team (DSST) is sending approximately 21 swimmers to the International Gay & Lesbian Aquatics (IGLA) Championships, taking place in Atlanta July 20-25.

The IGLA Championships are comprised of swimming, water polo, diving and synchronized swimming events with adult athletes of all competitive levels. The five-day event is expected to draw more than 1,500 swimmers, water polo players and divers from around the world. It will be held at Georgia Tech’s Aquatics Complex and the Washington Park Natatorium.

IGLA is the world’s foremost international organization solely devoted to developing and promoting aquatic sports among gays and lesbians, and represents over 10,000 athletes in 36 countries worldwide. U.S. Olympic diver David Pichler and U.S. Olympic swimming gold medalist Bruce Hayes have appeared at previous Championships.

“We’re sending a fewer number of participants this year – a bit lower than normal,” said DSST Secretary Alan Palmer, who attributes the lower numbers to a combination of distance from this year’s Atlanta location, time conflicts with San Diego Pride and preparation for the upcoming Gay Games taking place in Chicago next year.

DSST has hosted the ILGA Championships in San Diego twice, most recently in 1997, where the annual event attracted over 800 participants – proof that the competition continues to grow and expand with each passing year.

The 20-year-old DSST will again be participating in the San Diego Pride parade and festival. They will march in the parade, perform various kick-board routines, and man a booth at the festival as a means to recruit new members and foster team exposure within the community. They will also sell bottled water during the festival to raise funds for the team.

In 1991, DSST held the first annual Bart Hopple One-Hour Memorial Swim to honor its late co-founder, Bart Hopple, who died of AIDS-related complications. During this event, individual team members swim as many lengths of the pool as possible in a continuous one-hour swim. Team members collect pledges from family and friends on a per-length or lump-sum basis. There is no winner or loser in this event, as all monies raised benefit non-profit AIDS support agencies in San Diego and Tijuana, Mexico.

Not only is swimming great exercise, but DSST introduces new participants to dozens of other like-minded adult swimmers in a friendly, social atmosphere of support and encouragement. There are anywhere between 60-100 adult swimmers in DSST at any given time – gay, straight and bisexual; students, professionals and retirees. Everyone is welcome and all ages and body types are represented by its members. There is no qualification test required and DSST welcomes all swimmers regardless of ability – from novice to competitive levels.

The DSST coaching staff works to enhance team members’ skills and endurance regardless of their fitness level, and workouts are tailored to each swimmer’s abilities.

Practices are held six days a week, alternating between the City Heights and Allied Gardens Pools. Locker rooms and hot showers are available at both facilities.

Besides getting to know fellow swimmers in the pool and participating in community events, many swimmers also socialize with each other in their everyday lives. They get together for dinner at a local restaurant on Friday nights, and many of them go out for breakfast on Sunday mornings after practice.

As a team, DSST sponsors parties and movie nights a few times a year and also usually coordinates events for larger holidays like Valentine’s Day, Halloween and Christmas.

DSST holds practices Monday, Wednesday and Friday at City Heights Municipal Pool, located at 4083 Landis St. in San Diego, from 7:00 to 8:15 p.m.; Tuesday and Thursday at the La Mesa Municipal Pool, located at 5100 Memorial Dr. in La Mesa, from 7:15 to 8:30 p.m.; and Sunday mornings at the East County YMCA, located at 10123 Hoffman Ln. in Santee, from 9:30 to 11:00 a.m.

For current practice schedule and times, call (619) 525-SWIM or visit www.gaylesbiantimes.com for a link to the DSST Web site.