Pride – 1st Place!
Summer is moving on, but we do want to remember Pride and celebrate QUAC’s fabulous FIRST PLACE parade entry in the non-profit category. AMAZING. Thanks to everyone who worked so hard to put the whole project together – and especially to Jake Adams who made it all happen!
 
And the crew at the Pride 5K
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Gay Games 2018 – in Gay Paree!
We are already gearing up for the 2018 Gay Games and IGLA Championships a year from now in Paris. Anticipation is building - it will be magnifique!
Registration is open and early registration is strongly encouraged. There is a limit of 1,200 aquatics participants, and as of now, there are 850 vacancies. So register!
We are raising funds to be sure that everyone who wants to swim in Paris can go.
- The "Sink a Duck" fund raiser at Club TryAngles raised nearly $2,000.
- And bingo with the Matrons of Mayhem at Sugar House Park earned another $1,100.
Polo Notes
Well, water polo fans, it's been busy busy when it comes to preparations for Gay Games Paris 2018. In mid-July, a notice went out on Facebook from the organizers that 31 teams had already registered for the event. This is more than 1 year in advance! Katherine Thom quickly registered QUAC for water polo, and soon after that they closed registration for any additional teams. Because organizers had only planned for 32 teams (16 rec. division and 16 competitive division), they met to see if they could accommodate the 36 registered teams. We are optimistic that QUAC will be able to send a recreational division team, so we are encouraging members to go ahead and register right away. We will continue to keep everyone posted on any developments.
Meanwhile, this would be a great time to work on your polo skills so you are ready to compete next summer. We practice all year round in Mondays (Steiner East) and Tuesdays (Northwest). Additional drop-in non-QUAC scrimmage practices are available on additional days for advanced players. Contact Aldo Littig, Jason Olofson or Katherine Thom for more information.
Board Shorts
Welcome to our newest Board members, Duncan Chalmers and Chandler Whipple. In addition, Duncan will be serving on the executive board as the club treasurer. Congratulations guys, and many thanks in advance.
Sadly, we announce that after many, many years of service to QUAC as a team captain, swim coach, committee member, board member and head coach, Sterling will be stepping down as vice president of QUAC. We would be even more sad if we didn't know he'd still be participating in swim practice each week!
We are seeking for new board members to help move QUAC forward, and we are also looking to recruit a new head coach. Please email Kevin at secretary@quacquac.org if you'd be interested in being a coach or a board member!
Board meetings are open to all QUAC members. Please come and get involved.
Swimming Saves Lives
QUAC has teamed up with USMS to boost our Adult Learn to Swim (ALTS) program. We have a grant from the Swimming Saves Lives Foundation which allows us to run our program at no cost to the swimmers. Maybe you have seen our ad in Q Salt Lake? Over 20 people have participated in the program this year so far, and several new swimmers have recently started. We have also re-submitted our application for a renew grant for next year.
QUAC is the only Utah Masters swim club that sets aside a lane to teach anyone that wants to how to swim. It's part of how we continue to give back to the community.
Mark your Calendar
- Membership party - September 16. Wine, champagne, light h'orderves, good company.
- Out of Darkness walk - also September 16. QUAC supports suicide prevention.
See the QUAC Facebook page for details.
Outrage at the OutGames
As you know, the World OutGames collapsed right as competitors were arriving in Miami. Only the aquatics competition survived due to IGLA’s concerted efforts. Fortunately, QUAC did not send a team. The debacle left competitors stuck with their travel and hotel bills not to mention lost registration fees. It sounds like a massive fraud – the organizers are said to have raised over $1 million. Where did it go? Read all about it here in the Miami Herald.
 IGLA has a new name
At its annual 2017 meeting, IGLA approved a a new name for the organization - IGLA: International LGBTQ+ Aquatics. The addition of T and Q include the trans and queer communities, and the + is inclusive of straight, gender nonconforming, gender non-binary, and additional athletes who may not identify with the other letters in the acronym.
Duck Digress
Did you see Michael Phelps “race” against a shark. Kind of. Not really. The Great White was a computer simulation. Apparently there was a concern by Michael’s coach that a real shark might not stay in its lane.
Knowing how competitive Ryan Lochte is, I called his agent (also named Ryan Lochte – who knew?) to see if he would like to for real race some aquatic creature. I had lined up a manatee, a snapping turtle and an alligator gar. To Ryan’s credit, he knew that manatees were mammals, but deferred saying that he was bored with racing mammals on a daily basis. “How about a fish, then”, I suggested. “Yeah, the turtle”.
OKAYOKAYOKAY. I know I have been picking on the hapless Ryan for some time. Actually, I'm rooting for Ryan who is back to swimming after his 10-month suspension by the U. S. Olympic Committee. He apologized for his behavior in Rio, and criminal charges against Lochte were dismissed by a Brazilian appellate court in July.
Perhaps that experience and now being the father of a two-month-old son, Caiden, will bring about some positive changes. We can hope so. He certainly made an impressive return by breaking Michael Phelps US record in the 200 IM at the U.S. Open. His time of 1 minute, 59.24 seconds (whew!) bettered Phelps' mark set way back in 2006.
See you in the pool with Coach Swen!
Editor: Barb Nash
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