Swimmers from across the globe will be heading to the Bay area this weekend for the International Gay and Lesbian Aquatics 2003 championship. The San Francisco Tsunami swim club is hosting the international gathering of swimmers at the Aquatic Center on the campus of Stanford University.

The world class swimming facility opened in spring of 2001 and boasts two 10-lane, 25-meter courses side-by-side, with a additional nine-lane, 25-yard warm up pool located adjacent to the swim complex. Water polo matches will be played in the Avery Stadium Pool, with seating for more than 2,400 people. The diving and synchronized swimming competitions will be in the Maas Diving Center, which features an underwater sound system for the synchronized swimming events.

“I think it’s going to be exciting in this big new professional facility,” John Rasmussen of the San Diego Cygnets water polo team told the Gay and Lesbian Times. “Being in this big stadium that holds 6,000 people and playing a game should be real motivating and exciting.”

More than 50 swimmers from San Diego will be making the trip up north to compete in events ranging from swimming and diving to water polo and synchronized swimming in what is expected to be the largest IGLA meet ever, with 1,200 participants and 16 water polo teams. In their opening round of play the San Diego Cygnets will face the Atlanta Rainbow Trout and then last year’s Gay Games winners, West Hollywood Aquatics.

“I think we’re going to be competitive,” Rasmussen said. “We are in a strong division. I think the team’s outlook is more into just competing, recreational, and just having some fun as opposed to all-out winning.”

San Diego missed out on participating in the international water polo championship at the Gay Games last year in Australia, so the team is looking forward to seeing how they stack up against the international competition. Seven out of the 12 players on the Cygnet’s team this year are straight, and looking forward to playing in the gay tournament.

“At one of our lunches after practice we were just saying to one of the straight guys that he was going to have to be ready to be hit on,” Rasmussen said. “He was like, ‘It’s no problem, it’s not a big deal. If it didn’t happen, that’s when I would be a little disappointed,’ and I was just stunned.”

He added, “It’s how it’s supposed to be, it’s a non-issue.”

In the swimming events participants will compete by age group in freestyle, backstroke and breaststroke singles and relay races. There will also be team honors in large, medium, and small team categories. With more than 50 swimmers expected to compete, San Diego will be in the large team category at this year’s championship. San Diego will definitely be on the hunt this year, not having won a large team championship since the first IGLA meet in 1987.

“I think we are going to win, I really do!” said David Lynch, president of the Different Strokes swim team. “This is the largest contingent we have ever had in our history. I think it’s because of our superior coaching staff and a dedicated board that has created this enthusiasm to go and compete in IGLA.”

The new leadership within the local club has also been responsible for drawing some inactive members back to the team to compete this year. To get the entire team pumped up and ready for the IGLA Championship, the team hosted a party for participants and their family and friends after their swim practice this past Friday.

Up to the minute coverage of the IGLA Championship will be available online. Visit the Gay and Lesbian Times online at www.gaylesbiantimes.com for a link to the IGLA Championship website.