Melbourne’s largest GLBTI swimming club The Glamourhead Sharks, dove into their ninth year, swimming smoothly towards a decade of training, competition and camaraderie.
The team was originally formed by a group of people wanting to compete in the Sydney Gay Games in 2002 and nine years on, they have developed into one of Master Swimming Victoria’s largest clubs. The team competes in many international and national swimming events, having sent teams to the Gay Games in Sydney in 2002, the 2006 World Outgames in Montreal and the 2009 World Outgames in Copenhagen. In fact, they were the second largest swimming team at the 2006 World Outgames, beaten only by the host city, Montreal.
The club has a strong team spirit and comprises of over 70 members, with an average of 20 members turning up to swim to each session. Swimmers have joined the Glamourhead Sharks to improve fitness, meet new people or participate in swimming competitions so there really is a place for everyone.
Women have always been a strong part of the Glamourhead Sharks and since the club’s inception, women have always been represented equally on the steering committee. The GLBTI community is often separated by gender lines, however the Glamourhead Sharks pride themselves on being a club where those lines are blurred. It is a place for women to develop strong friendships with other lesbians as well as gay men and vice versa.
The Glams are entering a team into the Gay Games in Cologne later this year. Twenty members will be participating in Cologne and will have the strong support and friendship of their teammates back in Melbourne. Next year our Team Captain Robbie Leslie aims to have the whole team represented at the 2nd Asia-Pacific Out Games in Wellington N.Z.
If you are interested in becoming part of this diverse group come down to The Wesley Pool, Punt Road on Tuesday or Thursday evenings from 6.30-8pm. Or check our website for more details: www.glamourheads.org Your first session is free so how can you say no?
From a Glamourhead Sharks member:
I decided to join the Glamourhead Sharks because I wanted to meet women outside of the clubbing scene and far away from the internet. Outwardly I wanted to meet people who were healthy, aware of their bodies and most importantly – active. Secretly I wanted a club that would be like a family to me. I had high expectations. I wanted gay boyfriends, girlfriends, different walks of life, different ages, the list goes on.
The first night I decided to join was the ‘welcome to youth night’. To which I didn’t quite belong, tipping the bucket at 30 years of age. I forced a close friend to literally hold my hand as I tentatively walked up to the group. I had been looking at the Glamourhead Sharks website for months prior to actually turning up to a session. I should have felt confident and prepared. I had read everything; I knew who the coaches were, what lane etiquette meant, but still I felt petrified.
I looked around me to discover people of all different shapes and sizes, men and women older and younger than me, some fit and some not so fit looking. They were all happily laughing and talking to each other. I immediately asked which was the slow lane and dived into a training session that was grueling, fun and most importantly personalised. The coach spoke to me about my strengths and weaknesses. Everyone asked, and remembered my name. I felt immediately at home.
The Glamourhead Sharks have made me feel more confident in both my swimming and myself. I look forward to my two training sessions a week. The mix of people is what excites me the most. In fact, the closest friend I have made in the team is a young gay man, and there is no divide whatsoever between the GLBTI community represented on the team. It is a great opportunity to meet people.
We have dinners/functions/awards nights/swim meets etc and you don’t have to be the world’s greatest swimmer to be involved. As long as you can swim 300 meters of freestyle and be confident in one other stroke you are in!
