Sports & Activities
World OutGames: Volleyball
Photo Credit: Andrew Delaware
Mike Law, a 37-year-old lawyer (yes, it's true) from Winnipeg, Canada, is a force to be reckoned with on his OutGames team, the Golden Boys. We took a few minutes on the sidelines with Mike to ask him about his experience playing volleyball in Montreal.
How have things been going in the competition so far?
Pretty good. We've won more games than we've lost. We started out a bit shaky, but we improved quite a bit over the two days so far. The first game we were really nervous. A couple of the guys have never played in a tournament like this before, so it's all new to them. Now, we are all warmed up and playing well.
What did you do to prepare as a team for the OutGames?
We play on a volleyball team in Winnipeg in the city league. We had special practices throughout July. One of the guys on our team has a sport scholarship to play volleyball starting in the fall, so he knows a lot of drills that have helped us. We didn't have much time to do conditioning ahead of time. So I find I am seizing up right now. I'll be OK. I've played these tournaments before so I know how it is: When you start out the morning you're a little sore, then the lactic acid starts to go away and you're fine.
What's the level of play here?
It's really good actually. Other than one team in our division that is quite weak, everyone else is really quite competitive and evenly matched, which makes for exciting games.
Have you played in any of the Gay Games before?
Yes, I played at the New York games in 1994. I was 10 years old then [big laugh].
Any great stories coming out of your team?
Well, I could tell you about what they all did last night [laughs]. But I am most excited to be playing with two young guys who are both 18 years old. They are so ecstatic about being here. It's just fun to see them interact, be out in public and play in a tournament like this, because they've never seen anything like this.
How have things been going in the competition so far?
Pretty good. We've won more games than we've lost. We started out a bit shaky, but we improved quite a bit over the two days so far. The first game we were really nervous. A couple of the guys have never played in a tournament like this before, so it's all new to them. Now, we are all warmed up and playing well.
What did you do to prepare as a team for the OutGames?
We play on a volleyball team in Winnipeg in the city league. We had special practices throughout July. One of the guys on our team has a sport scholarship to play volleyball starting in the fall, so he knows a lot of drills that have helped us. We didn't have much time to do conditioning ahead of time. So I find I am seizing up right now. I'll be OK. I've played these tournaments before so I know how it is: When you start out the morning you're a little sore, then the lactic acid starts to go away and you're fine.
What's the level of play here?
It's really good actually. Other than one team in our division that is quite weak, everyone else is really quite competitive and evenly matched, which makes for exciting games.
Have you played in any of the Gay Games before?
Yes, I played at the New York games in 1994. I was 10 years old then [big laugh].
Any great stories coming out of your team?
Well, I could tell you about what they all did last night [laughs]. But I am most excited to be playing with two young guys who are both 18 years old. They are so ecstatic about being here. It's just fun to see them interact, be out in public and play in a tournament like this, because they've never seen anything like this.