The stifling heat and humidity did not deter many San Diego athletes from bringing home medals at Gay Games VII, held July 15-22 in Chicago. Scores of athletes headed to the Midwest to compete in more than 30 different sports.

A large contingent of swimmers from the Different Strokes Swim Team (DSST) earned the most medals out of any other San Diego team at the Gay Games, with 99 overall – 43 gold, 22 silver and 34 bronze.

Bart McDermott led all San Diego swimmers with eight overall gold medals. In the 50-54 age division, he won the 200 short course (SC)-meter butterfly (2:21.70), the 400 SC-meter freestyle (4:35.70), the 50 SC-meter butterfly (28.50), 200 SC-meter freestyle (2:07.22) and the 100 SC-meter butterfly (1:03.50), as well as three medals in relay events.

Mark Wussler earned eight medals overall, five of them gold. Also in the 50-54 age division, Wussler took gold in the 100 SC-meter freestyle (57.72) and the 50 SC-meter breaststroke (35.46). He earned a silver in the 100 SC-meter breaststroke (1:14.89) and bronze medals in the 200 SC-meter breaststroke (2:54.76) and 200 SC-meter freestyle (2:09.73).

In the 60-64 age division, Mike Ahern earned six gold medals: in the 100 SC-meter freestyle (1:04.42), the 50 SC-meter butterfly (32.43), the 100 SC-meter IM (1:14.74), the 50 SC-meter backstroke (35.66), the 50 SC-meter freestyle (27.99) and one in a relay. He also won a silver and a bronze medal in other relays.

Wendy Kellner led the women of the San Diego contingent with seven medals, which she earned in the 30-34 age division. She took gold in the 400 SC-meter freestyle (5:28.26), the 200 SC-meter breaststroke (3:19.71), the 100 SC-meter IM (1:20.33) and the 50 SC-meter backstroke (38.56). She also took a gold in a relay, in addition to two silvers.

Karlyn Pipes-Neilsen’s six medals included five golds, while Tar Larner, Lisa Leonard and Annette Bernier earned five medals each.

Antonio Whitely, Mike Greenberg and Lauri Stock got four medals each, while Mark Spratt, Abel Menchaca, Kim Theriault, Eurika Otto and Mandy Sapsford each earned three.

Fred Will, Joey Hinton, Mike Given Scott Ehrlich, Karen Poirier, Christina McCall and Sinthya Carranza won two medals each.

Kyle West, Bob Ryan, Eric Neilen, Jim Harden, Russ Emmons and Ian Dolman each earned a single medal.

Front Runners & Walkers San Diego (FRWSD) earned five medals in the 5K race.

Stock added to her four swimming medals with a silver medal in the 45-49 age division (21:45). Debbie Chaddock finished right behind Stock at 22:07 for the bronze medal.

Stock also earned a slew of other medals including the gold in the 45-49 age division 1500-meter run and the 800-meter run, as well as two other gold medals in relays, a silver in the 400-meter and a bronze in the 200-meter.

Thomas Sester was seventh overall in the 5K and earned a bronze medal for his 17:51 finish in the 18-29 age division. He also earned six medals in various track and field events.

Ed Karas won the gold medal in the 70-99 age division with a 27:48 finish in the 5K. Millie Schaffer earned a silver medal in the women’s 60-64 division with a 31:52 finish. Karas also earned 6 other gold medals in various track and field events.

In the 10K race, Chaddock picked up a silver medal, placing second in the 45-49 age division with a 46:15 finish.

Jennifer Stary won 11 total medals in various track and field events, including gold medals in the women’s 45-49 age division for the 400-meter, discus, shot put, javelin and two other relays.

Jess LaBonte completed the marathon in 3:43:52, good for a silver in the 50-54 age division.

Chuck Van Beveren earned a gold medal in the men’s 60-64 javelin and Eurika Otto earned a bronze in the women’s 40-44 shot put.

Joey Hinton finished third overall in the Olympic distance triathlon, while at the same time placing first in the men’s 40-44 age division to earn the gold medal with a 2:14:20 finish.

Dean Cortez won the gold medal in the men’s 35-39 category in the sprint triathlon, finishing in 1:13:53, also good for third place overall in the race.

Two out of three San Diego teams at the Gay Games received medals. The San Diego Sharks won the gold medal in the Recreational division and the San Diego Toros earned a bronze in the Competitive division.

In the Competitive division, the San Diego Toros medaled in a close 18-14 win over the Chicago Flames on July 19. The Toros lost to Outsports 35-7 in the quarterfinals.

It wasn’t an easy road to the bronze. The Toros lost two games in a row on the first day of competition and another one on the second day before winning two in a row. Jim Giacobbe said that the heat and humidity caused the team not to play as well at first, but slowly but surely the Toros began to gel.

The eighth-seeded Toros came around on the second day when they beat Salt Lake City in the first round. They were then paired up against the first-seeded Expendables, the other San Diego team in the Competitive division. The Toros barely got past them with a close 40-33 win.

Against defending Gaybowl V champions the Chicago Flame, the Toros led 18-7 at the half and held on to their lead to win the bronze.

“I couldn’t be more proud of my guys,” said Toros captain H.T. Bennett. “To come back from a 0-3 start to upset the No. 1 seed and win the bronze – unbelievable.”

Temperatures and humidity flared inside the gymnasium, but that didn’t stop the San Diego Bulldogs Wrestling Club from putting their all into their matches to earn two gold and two silver medals in the wrestling competition, held July 17 at Northwestern University’s Welsh-Ryan Arena.

Kevin Servais won the gold medal in the Masters 125-lb. weight class over Andres Racinos in the final. The two lightweights rolled and flipped around the mat for several seconds before Servais won by a pin in the first period.

Wrestling newcomer Mat Moranville won the Bulldogs’ second gold medal of the day in the Open 220-lb. weight class, defeating Ross Schmidt of San Francisco in the final. His victory didn’t come easy, as Schmidt initially racked up points against Moranville. Moranville was able to knock Schmidt down to win by a pin in the next round.

Gary Gerber earned a silver medal in the Veterans 163-lb. weight class. Gerber fared well in the final as he faced Si Durney of San Francisco, who has decades of wrestling experience. Points were scored back and forth throughout the match, and Gerber was pinned in the second period.

“It was a pin that is still questionable,” Bulldogs captain Greg Lines said. “In the spirit and goodwill of the games, I as his coach did not contest the outcome with the officials.”

Ty Downey earned a silver medal in the Veterans 180.5-lb. weight class in one of the more interesting finals. Former Federation of Gay Games president and Golden Gate Wrestling Club coach Gene Dermody of San Francisco was a tough match for Downey, but Downey was able to bully Dermody around the mat for several seconds to score a takedown. A few seconds later, however, Dermody knocked Downey to his back, pinning himself, according to officials.

Jake Whitehill, Arik Pou, David Omdahl, Tom Merkel and Lines all competed well in the 149.5-lb. Open and Masters weight classes. Pou received his first tournament pin in the 149.5-lb. weight class.

The San Diego Scullers rowing team, consisting of Chad Gifford, Bryan Heers, Tim Moran and Tom Richman, took home the gold medal in the Gay Games men’s Masters 4 rowing event, which took place July16 on Crystal Lake.

A few local teams withdrew from the quad 4 event the Scullers were originally to compete in, and the team was informed on the morning of their race that the four-man event was cancelled.

Moran said the women’s crew team from Atlanta offered to teach them four-man sweeping, in which each rower uses one oar instead of two. After less then 30 minutes of training on the new equipment, the Scullers rowed to victory.

Moran and Richman also received the silver medal in the men’s Masters doubles event, while Gifford and Heers earned a bronze medal.

Two San Diegans brought home medals in Gay Games tennis competition.

San Diego Tennis Federation’s (SDTF) Jim Winters won the gold medal in the 40-plus doubles tournament, teaming with Patrick Loo of Marina del Rey for a 6-1, 6-4 win over top-seeded Earl Allen and Robert Robbins. Winters also earned a bronze medal in the 40-plus singles tournament, reaching the semifinals before losing to eventual gold medal winner Allen, 6-3, 6-0.

In C doubles competition, SDTF member Dominick DeCarlo teamed with Mitch Adams of Austin, Texas, to earn a bronze medal. They reached the semifinals before losing to Matt Adams and Allen Rindfleisch, 7-5, 6-3.