The Arizona Gay Volleyball league began fall season registration and open play at Steele Indian School Park last Monday.
The turnout at the first evening of informal league play for the new season was comprised of several crowds of friends and social acquaintances, but once they hit the sand courts it was all serious. The summer league champions, representing their respective divisions, were Roscoe’s Thunder, Roscoe-licious, Volley of the Damned and Bar 1 Barbies.
“There is a handful of new teams each season, there’s room for everyone to play here,” said Mareena Sweat, AZGV commissioner and member of “BOHICA,” which stands for Bend Over Here It Comes Again, a family joke that she and her team have embraced. “It’s pretty fun. I like the fact that everyone gets along well.”
The league, which was created in 2003, continues to serve as a welcoming venue for gay athletes with skill levels ranging from recreational to advanced. According to the mission statement the league’s purpose is to foster competition for a diverse group of individuals.
“The guys who initially started it wanted to have somewhere they could be comfortable playing and be themselves,” Sweat said. “When they say, ‘Oh girl, you missed that shot’ to a guy, no one harasses them.”
Although the league has grown every season, there is still room for more growth, and Sweat encourages teams to try the league out, if only for a season.
“We’re always trying to get other women to play. I think they’re intimidated by the guys … who aren’t all that intimidating,” she said. “I really try to encourage any women that come out (rather than) have them scared away by the fact that it’s not a women’s division.”
Sweat also said not to be fooled by the league name; this coed league is open to people from all walks of life.
“Initially there couldn’t be more than 25 percent of a team that was straight,” Sweat said. “We took that rule out of the bylaws because we didn’t want to be limiting.”
Matt Graham, 23, is playing for the first time with “Sloppy Sets,” the team his girlfriend belongs to.
“I kind of volunteered myself and wanted to see if they’d have me, and they did,” he said. “I really just wanted to play. I’ve never played before, other than family barbecues.”
Last Monday’s open play was a collection of newcomers to the league and veteran players. Francisco Garcia, 30, a first-time team captain, stopped by to register his team “Rough Sets.” Garcia said he learned of the league through word of mouth and compiled a team of friends and coworkers.
“Who knew there were gays that were competitive or sporty?” he joked.
Garcia said he was curious about the competitiveness of the gay world and was willing to give the league a try for the athletic aspect and the social atmosphere.
“We’ve been practicing and we just put some people in and we’re going to try it out,” he said.
The league, which is 18 and older, is made up of four divisions: A, B, C and advanced. Each division is expected to have five to eight teams and to play three games each week with a 15-15-11 scoring format. The league’s four-man advanced teams compete Tuesday nights with a 21-21-15 scoring format, allowing for longer play.
“We try to get people with the same skill level together — we want the divisions balanced,” Sweat said. “If they are a strong team they may move up. I don’t want to set anyone up to fail, and I don’t want anyone to get hurt.”
The league has three seasons per year, each lasting approximately nine weeks. Each season ends with a tournament and awards ceremony.
Although only approximately one quarter of the teams are sponsored by local gay and gay-friendly establishments, the league has been working with 1n10, a Phoenix-based nonprofit organization for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual,Transgender and Questioning youth, to give younger players the opportunity to form teams and compete.
Sweat said the program is positive and provides teens with something to become involved with, which she encourages.
Sweat has played in the league since 2005 and has served as league commissioner since 2008. In this time, she has made necessary accommodations as participation has grown.
Because of a recent increase in teams the league acquired the use of the beach volleyball courts at the Radisson Hotel Phoenix City Center earlier this year.
“We’ve expanded so much, there’s not enough room for everyone to play here,” she said of the league’s original location in the park.
Typically seven teams will turn out at the volleyball courts at the Radisson and 12 to 14 teams will turn out at the park depending on the total number of teams and the potential bye weeks, all of which is determined in advance by the league’s precise scheduling.
“We always find everyone a team,” Sweat said. “We never turn anyone away. I think it’s really important that we don’t do that.”
To anyone curious about the league, Sweat says come and check out open play. The final open play before the registration deadline will take place at Steele Indian School Park on Monday at 6:30 p.m.
Although Sept. 21 is the deadline for fall registration, the spring league begins in February. The entry fee for a team of up to eight participants in the A, B and C division is $90 and the entry fee for for a team of up to six participants in the advanced division is $80.
Contact the reporter at kara.philp@asu.edu
