The emphasis is on having fun, so throw yourself into the deep end

But let’s forget about peacocks and music for a bit as sports clubbing is perhaps a much healthier and cheaper way for expats of all ages to meet people and settle in and of course keep fit too.

There is a huge range of sporting opportunities specifically for gays and lesbians across Germany - not just in the bigger cities - and all can be explored quite easily with a few key internet addresses.

You can really take your pick from an extensive list of well-organised activities ranging from marathon running to martial arts, and from my experience they come for a fraction of say the price in some other European states, such as the UK. (Gymnastics for EUR 12 a month, say, or rowing for just a few euros more).

Most clubs seem happy to open their doors to anyone and everyone with a new or established interest in a particular activity.

Of course there is on-going training for major competitions, including the Gay Games or Outgames, but this community is not in the business of turning people away.

Like many aspects of the gay world the emphasis here too is on having fun, so throw yourself into the deep end.

*quote1*Kicking off with jogging, the German branch of International Front Runners has regular meetings in Berlin, Cologne, Hamburg, Hannover, Munich and Stuttgart.
In Berlin for example there is a weekly run in the Grünewald with longer and shorter distances on offer.

There is no obligation, but several members of this club took part in the Stockholm marathon earlier this year and even more competed in the capital’s annual 42 kilometre event.

As its name suggests, the IFR organisation is a global family and you can drop in wherever in the world there is a training event.

Taking to the water and Berlin also offers the "Queerschlag" rowing group, an umbrella organisation for two rowing clubs – "Friedrichshagener Ruderverein" and the Sportclub Berlin-Grünau.

Both hit the water regularly and have a bi-monthly "Stammtisch" (regular social gatherings in pubs or bars) to bring members of both clubs together.

"Queerschlag" recently received a recognition boost after its name and renown as a gay rowing organisation was borrowed for use in this summer’s must-see German ‘coming-out’ film "Sommersturm".

One organisation allows four weeks to try your choice before you finally decide

But perhaps the most unmissable link for expats in the German capital is for "Vorspiel" (foreplay) which claims to be the largest sports club for gays and lesbians in Germany.

The organisation currently offers an impressive week-to-week list that is updated regularly and includes 24 sporting options from light fitness to football through martial arts, racket sports, gymnastics, dance and sailing.

An attractive cost structure allows four weeks to "probieren" (to try) your choice before you finally jump in and pay "Vorspiel" what it surely deserves for organisation. It is also a website not just for Berliners to check out.

If you click on "Befreundete Vereine im deutschsprachigen Raum" you will see links to "friends of Vorspiel", sports organisations and clubs in 18 German-speaking cities and towns, spreading as far as Vienna.

Those currently featured, apart from the German and Austrian capitals, are: Bielefeld, Bochum, Bonn, Chemnitz, Dessau, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Halle and der Sale, Hamburg, Hannover, Köln, Leipzig, Magdeburg, München, Nordbaden and Nürnburg.

*quote2*Hot on the heels of "Vorspiel" is the "Frankfurter Volleyball Verein" which is a bit of a misnomer and should not be missed if you are living in that part of the country.

Apart from the obvious emphasis on volleyball, the website offers a punchy gay and lesbian sports newsletter of a more general nature.

There are also team ads, for example a current drive to recruit members for a new rowing club.

On offer at the moment are 16 sports, including synchronised swimming, wrestling and sporting activities for people with HIV.

Some more general gay websites also list sporting and outdoor activities, most notably http://berlin.gay-web.de/ which has a club list for more than 30 towns and cities and is worth checking out.

But let’s not forget the Bavarian capital with its proud history as a sporting host and of course the venue for the 2006 football World Cup.

Dancing seems to play a large part in Munich's gay sporting diary, in particular is what is claimed to be the world’s first gay "Schuhplattergruppe", keeping lederhosen, knee-lifting and hand slapping alive and well in the gay community.

Dancing is also big in Cologne, largely regarded of course as one of Germany’s key gay cities.

The "Ballett for Männer" class at "Die Ballettschule POSITION… danse!" is well advertised in the gay press and sometimes offers a free first time trial class for beginners.

In short, as far as settling into German gay life is concerned then nightclubs are of course a consideration if you like to play the scene.

But getting your kit on can be equally rewarding.

More information

http://www.frontrunners.org/
http://www.queerschlag.de/
http://www.vorspiel-berlin.de/
http://www.gaymunich.de/index.php?navilinks=0&sort=0
http://www.fvv.org/english/ehauptteil.htm
http://www.positiondanse.de/
http://berlin.gay-web.de/

October 2004

[Copyright Expatica 2004]

Subject: Life in Germany, gay scene, gay and lesbian sports clubs, Gay Games, Outgames