Published in Next Magazine, December 16, 2010.
"Defying Gravity"
By Jeff Kagan
Michael Schmidt wants to be on top. Good-- that got your attention (we know our readers). However, the top we’re talking about is 29,035 feet, up on top of a mountain (you can hear the size queens gasping…)
Michael Schmidt is going to climb Mt. Everest. That’s a lot of ambition for a man who started climbing rocks and other objects only a few months ago. “I set really high goals for myself. I used to be overweight. When the weight came off, I wanted a health-related goal.” Schmidt, a former U.S. Air Force officer, went online to MeetUp.com, where he found CRUX: New York’s Gay & Lesbian Rock Climbing Group. Looking for his next big adventure, he thought, “I am too old to be the first gay man on Mars, so Everest just made sense.” That being said, he wanted to do it right, and he needed to learn how to do that. “When I die, I want to be warm and surrounded by love ones -- not frozen for eternity on a cliff somewhere.” From there, he contacted the nice people at CRUX and his adventure began.
John Masse, one of the group’s co-organizers, thinks Schmidt will reach his lofty, but admirable goal. “From what I know of Michael, he’s the type of person who sets his mind on something, and then does it.”
Masse admits that his own reasons for joining CRUX weren’t as awe-inspiring, but they certainly were vital: he joined CRUX to find a date. “I like rock climbing, and I’m gay. Maybe I’ll meet someone.” However, when he showed up to his first climb, he was the only male, with several lesbians, and a lot of rope. That didn’t discourage him, as they were friendly lesbians, and week after week, more and more men joined the group. He’s been with CRUX for two years, and although the gender-balance is now slightly higher on the male side, Masse still hasn’t found a boyfriend, but he isn’t giving up!
So, if you’re looking for a new place to “hang around”, CRUX has over 600 members waiting to hold your ropes. The next meet is on Friday, December 17th at Brooklyn Boulders (575 Degraw Street, Brooklyn). More information at www.climbcrux.org.
Quickies
Straight to Bed: The NYC Gay Basketball League swept the Men’s Division at The Field House at Chelsea Piers (playing against the “straight” teams). They finished with a perfect record (12-0), and then a thrilling overtime win against the Honey Bears (yes, that’s the name of a straight team).
Blue Balls: Big Apple Dodgeball finished their 7th season with 18 teams and 180 members strong. Team Penelope fought long and hard the entire season for their 1st place finish, team Cubbyhole narrowly missed out and came in 2nd, while team Rock Bar rocked out to 3rd place. The tournament was a different story altogether. The underdogs came out fighting with the 6th place ranked Stonewall taking down the 9th Place Bonobos for the finals. Stonewall caught their way to victory in the end, taking down Bonobos in just two games.
Hang On! Congratulations to CRUX: The LGBT Rock Climbing Club on raising over $2,000 for the Ali Forney Center at their recent holiday party.
That’s a BIG Apple: Congratulations to the Fall Guys and the Warriors on finishing in 1st and 2nd place, respectively, in the Big Apple Softball League Fall League Competitive Division Finals. Final score was 9-8. The game was won at the bottom of the 7th inning, with an 8-8 tie as “Shane“ hit a 3-run walk-off homerun, bringing in the men on 1st & 2nd.
You’re a Wizard, Harry: The Wizards gay hockey team is having a magical season, just coming off of a six-game winning streak with their first loss against the Sled Dogs. The Wizards are looking good for playoff contention, which is a rare, yet sweet taste these boys long for…
See Dick Run: The men of Front Runners New York came in 3rd place citywide in the Race to Deliver, a 4-mile race in Central Park benefitting God's Love We Deliver. FRNY’s fastest finisher, Rich Velazquez, finished in 8th place overall, out of over 5000 racers!
