For many gay athletes, being able to compete in a supportive atmosphere is the ticket to being healthy both physically and mentally.
That is the case for Eddie Coffey, who will be continuing his tennis play this summer at the Outgames in Montreal.
Coffey, 40, a resident of San Francisco, said he will compete in both the singles and doubles competition at the Games. He said participating in play allows him the luxury of travel, visiting with old friends and making new ones.
"I have made friends from all over the world and also been able to travel and play a sport I love," he said.
"Traveling to tournaments and seeing friends I have not seen for years, and for us to be able to catch up and still play tennis is really why I continue to compete and travel to play. Plus I can still stay in shape and enjoy it while I do."
Coffey, who is single and works for an online marketing firm, has been playing tennis since high school and continued competition while in college. He has been competing for 25 years.
"I played high school and college tennis and have actively played on the GLTA [Gay and Lesbian Tennis Alliance] circuit for the last 15 years," he said. "I play at least once a week for an hour and a half and work out with a trainer twice a week."
Coffey told the Bay Area Reporter that playing in gay competitions is more rewarding for him because it is less "macho," and he can be himself.
"I like the feeling of being in an environment that although competitive, is still very supportive," he said.
"Playing tennis as a gay athlete in a gay tournament is certainly a different experience then playing on a USTA [United States Tennis Association] tennis team at a non-gay event. You can really allow yourself to be who you are without having to get caught up in all the macho competitive stuff that exists in non gay events."
"Having been able to play on the GLTA circuit has allowed me to continue to play at this point in my life and still try and improve. The physical and personal benefits are just as significant today as they were when I first came out and joined the gay tennis league 15 years ago," Coffey said.
"My coming out as a gay man and playing gay tennis were pretty much at the same time," he added. "Joining the local gay tennis group in NYC, the Metropolitan Tennis Group, back in 1991, helped introduce me to another way of meeting and interacting with other gay men and lesbians. It was a great social network and I soon found out about the national gay tennis circuit that existed.
"I went to play my first gay tennis tournament in Chicago that year with a group of guys from NYC and got to compete and meet other gay people across the country. That first year I played doubles with a lesbian friend of mine from NYC, and the Chicago tournament did not have a mixed doubles event so they threw us in the men's doubles event. We didn't win but we had a great time and I have gone on to play in well over 40 tournaments around the world since then."
Coffey said, "Being part of the gay tennis group also introduced me to the Gay Games. In 1993 my mixed doubles partner at the time was responsible for the organization of the tennis event for the Gay Games in 1994 and she recruited me to be the site director for the event.
"It was exciting and thrilling and exhausting but so worth it. It was an experience I will never forget. The moment we all walked into the opening ceremonies at Columbia University, it was electric. I have never felt so much a part of something bigger than me and to feel this excitement along with all these other competitors was almost overwhelming. I say almost because I was not sure if it was the experience or the over 90 degrees summer heat that was making me light headed," he said
He then decided to compete in future Gay Games events.
"From then on out I planned to play every Gay Games until I grew too old to run around a court. Most of my friends say I don't run much anyway; it's not true. I played Amsterdam and Sydney and both were so amazing experiences."
Coffey said he and his tennis partner decided on the Outgames this year because they wanted to visit Montreal.
"I have competed in New York in 1994, Amsterdam in 1998, and Sydney in 2002 and was really looking forward to Montreal," he said.
[The 2006 Gay Games was originally awarded to Montreal; a contract dispute resulted in the organizing committee splitting with the Federation of Gay Games and deciding to hold its own event, called Outgames.]
"Although I have many friends that are going to the Gay Games, my current doubles partner and I decided back in Sydney that Montreal seemed like a place we would enjoy and so we kept our plans and are very much looking forward to what appears to be a great competitive event as well and a fun city to visit," said Coffey, who's not attending Gay Games this year.
"Most of my friends this time around will be in Chicago," he said, referring to next month's Gay Games VII, which is taking place in that city. "I am sure they will have a great time and I will miss not seeing them and being with them but I made a decision four years ago to go to Montreal for the Games and I think I made the right decision.
"I am expecting this to be an exciting event and I love Montreal. I am traveling and playing with a friend from New Orleans and we have rented a house near the gay village in Montreal. We have two other athletes who are staying with us at the house who are competing in volleyball.
"Also, it seems that the tennis competition in Montreal will be much more international and Chicago will be much national," Coffey added.