Published in Next Magazine, November 19, 2010.
"Burning For Basketball"
By Jeff Kagan
On a crisp autumn afternoon in Chelsea, on an indoor basketball court by the Hudson River, the word “de-fense” is called out, rhythmically, by syllable, five times in a row, like the sound of a fire truck steadily approaching a blaze. But this isn’t the sound of a fire truck -- it’s the sound of Burnie Du Rant, Jr., a man who is much louder than most fire trucks, especially when he’s cheering for his players in a game. One might even speculate that his name means “fire screaming” (burn + rant).
Burnie is the captain of team Gym Bar, in the B-Division of the New York City Gay Basketball League, a team with a 5-2 record this season, fighting for the first place position. Week after week, Burnie is calling out cheers, pumping his team up and trying to inspire them to play harder: “We don’t need another hero! Play smart!! C’mon, Gym Bar! C’mon!!!” Someone jokes from the scoring table, “Burnie, you got NO team spirit.” Burnie replies, “I got MY team’s spirit!”
Burnie started playing basketball when he was a teenager. “I played throughout middle school. Even though I was good, I never had the courage to play in high school,” he says, alluding to the anxiety of his deepest, darkest secret: that he was a gay man. Throughout high school, Burnie steered clear from basketball, and other social activities. Alone and afraid, he turned to drinking and drugs.
“I started drinking and using pot in high school. Drug use carried over into college and then afterwards I started using coke.” Burnie believes it was his way of dealing with a low self-esteem while struggling with being gay and in the closet. Eventually, he was able to come to terms with his sexuality, and now he’s out and he’s proud of who he is. And he’s been drug and alcohol free for over five years.
When Burnie was ready to start things over, he looked for an activity that help him meet other gay men, but didn’t necessarily involve drinking. That’s not always easy to find. One day, at the LGBT Community Center, he saw a flyer for the New York City Gay Basketball League and thought, “Wow!! I must have just died and gone to heaven!”
He joined the organization, became a captain in his second year, and now serves as a member of the Board of Directors. It definitely got better. Burnie says that the friends he has made in basketball are the most rewarding of all aspects of the group. “Half of all my friends play in league. And not just acquaintances, but ‘Ok, I am going through something, do you have time to talk’ friends. We are a family.”
With only two games left in their season, Burnie hopes to lead his team through the playoffs and to a championship. One thing is for sure, his voice will be heard on the courts, off the courts, and probably over in Jersey.
The league plays on Sunday afternoons from 3pm-6pm at the Field House at Chelsea Piers. Games are free to spectators. More information at www.nycgaybasketball.org.
Quickies
Look Mom! I won!! Check out “We Are The Champions: LGBT Sports & Recreation in New York City”, and exhibit of LGBT sports memorabilia presented by Out of Bounds NYC and the LGBT Community Center. See hundreds of medals, ribbons, trophies, uniforms and more, representing the pride of gay athletes of New York over the last 25 years. Exhibit runs thru November 30th. LGBT Community Center, 208 West 13th St., 3rd Floor. Free.
Nothing to Balk At! Congratulations are in order for Big Apple Softball’s Titans, Gatorz and Jesters as they won the C-Division 1st Place, and the D-Division’s 2nd & 3rd Place, respectively, of the Ocean State Cup Classic Softball Tournament in Providence, Rhode Island over Columbus Day Weekend. More information at www.bigapplesoftball.com.
Dribble, Dribble! In the world of Gay Basketball, all is good for Boxers B-Division, led by Fritz Maier, as the team beat Band of Sisters 41-32 last Sunday. Not-So-Gay are the opponents of the NYCGBL Division 2 team which continues to roll through the regular season with an 8-0 record in the Chelsea Piers Men’s League. Go Gays! More information at www.nycgaybasketball.org.
Run for your Life! Front Runners New York had a banner day at the NYC marathon. 113 Front Runners completed and 70 cross the line in under 4. Eight placed in the top 1,000 overall out of more than 45,000 runners! More information at www.frny.org.
Rack’em & Crack’em! After only 2 weeks of play: Eagle NYC, Chi-chiz Elite and Boxers are all tied for 1st place. It is still anyone's season!! The league still has teams looking for players. More information at www.nygpl.org.
