G-TV

Reykjavik Update

2012-01-27T09:23:00.000-08:00

After some nice investigative work by Jerome D, we now have dates for the water polo competition in Reykjavik!

**********************

Greeting from IGLA2012 Reykjavik

We have a preliminary schedule and it looks like the 29th of May the pool will be open from 5 PM for practices and warm ups.

The water polo competition starts on the 30th of May afternoon

The finals will be on Saturday afternoon.

I think you should book tickets for the 29th evening.

Hopefully we will see you in Reykjavik

If you have any further question please let us know

Best regards

Julio César

Timeline of LGBT Sport

2012-01-27T09:11:00.000-08:00

As part of LGBT History Month (which has taken LGBT as it's theme this year), Chris Morgan - Chris Morgan, Gay Games Ambassador & World Champion Powerlifter - has produced a Timeline of LGBT sport.

It's really interesting to look at the milestones that have been recognised and nice to see the formation of Out To Swim prominently featured.

www.lgbthistoryuk.org

Gratuitous photo of Gareth Thomas as he's featured in the timeline and he looks like he'll win Celebrity Big Brother...

Diet Doctor: Food Diary - Wednesday 25th January 2012

2012-01-25T15:41:00.000-08:00

07:00 Wake Up
07:15 L.Tyrosine/L.Glutamine
07:30 Roast chicken and vegetables
09:00 Black Coffee
11:30 Chicken Salad
13:15 2xSuper Green Tea Diet/4xL.Arginine
13:30 Work Out (with BCAA drink)
14:30 Protein Drink (whey/creatine/glutamine/barley grass)
17:00 Spoonful of almond butter
19:00 Grilled beef steak and spinach
19:15 black coffee with cream
21:00 Water Polo Training
22:30 Bounce almond protein ball
23:15 Chicken Salad (with flax seed)
23:45 Blueberries
00:30 Bed

Not too bad today on the diet front - still light on leafy green vegetables and fibre but lots of good protein.

Good session at the gym today with my personal trainer Ro (who I worship) - 45 minutes of squats (still on the strength/wave-load protocol. He said my squats have gone from "rubbish" to "getting better" - such high praise, I think I blushed...

Inspirational Photo:

London Orca Water Polo - Training Report: Wednesday 25th January 2012

2012-01-25T15:27:00.000-08:00

While the A Team trekked down to Croydon to battle it out in an important match in the Thameside League, training continued as normal at Porchester for the rest of the squad.

I won't lie to you, there wasn't a huge turn-out, but it was definitely quality over quantity.

Rusty was in charge of the session and he is really getting into the swing of this coaching malarkey - this week he added a whistle and a pair of sporty pool-side shorts to his ensemble, not to mention a really good structure for the session.

In the water for training were Chris F, Kate, Oscar, Ming, Jerome D, Lance, Rob S, Huw, Iarla, Andrijus and G.

After some widths to warm up, it was leg work (again!) and some passing before moving into some shooting drills - we were practising how to drive into the goal on an angle, taking the goalie off-line and creating maximum space for your shot.

The second half of the session was some friendly scrimmage - we played 4-on-4 (plus 2 goalies) with 1 rotating sub. This actually worked really well as the extra space enabled us to practice working with an arc of 3 plus a pit player (with a press defence being applied).

It was all good fun and everyone got a really good work out - as a ref. Rusty seems to favour a fairly fast and loose game, not many fouls being called even despite Chris giving Jerome a tough work-out in pit.

Beginners session this Friday at Porchester (rumour has it that the fabulous Joe Palmer will be making an appearance) and normal training at ULU on Saturday.

London Orca Water Polo

Gay Star News: Matthew Mitcham Feature

2012-01-25T12:00:00.000-08:00

My third feature for Gay Star News has been published today - this time a profile of gay Australian diver Matthew Mitcham.

I tried to get an interview with Mitcham but, according to his agent, he's not doing any media at the moment as he's focused on his training for the World Champs in February.

I found the research pretty interesting though, there's a lot to like about Mr Mitcham.

I'm doing some volunteer work at the diving World Champs so hopefully I'll get to see him (and Tom Daley) in action. If I get a chance I might also try and hit him up for that interview...

www.gaystarnews.com

Culture Vulture: 2012 (BBC4)

2012-01-24T14:14:00.000-08:00

Heavily inspired by mock-umentaries such at The Office and Modern Family, "2012" satirises the easy target that is London's 2012 Olympics.

In many respects this is slightly lazy comedy - obvious stereotypes with fairly pedestrian writing - but it makes me laugh and I guess that (although a low benchmark), this is the ultimate litmus test of any comedy.

My favourite is Siobhan - the Head of PR. Her blank look when asked for ideas at a meeting feels eerily familiar...

www.bbc.co.uk

BT Storyteller Challenge: Connection

2012-01-24T13:02:00.000-08:00

A connection, or what brings us together and unites us, is sometimes quite obvious - sometimes it is unexpected.

In August 2011 I was part of aquatics club Out To Swim's trade stand at Black Pride in London.

Although our club has a pretty diverse membership, we are under-represented in terms of people from black ethnic groups and cultures.

Our objective for the day was to raise awareness of what our club offered and try and attract some new members from the Black Pride attendees.

As a group of people manning that trade stand we were connected. Although we came from countries across the world, from different cultures and with different languages, we had a common purpose and a shared passion for aquatics. When it rained we huddled together beneath our small gazebo, we dared each other to make conversation with unlikely characters, and when music came on that we liked we all danced together.

For the 700ish people at Black Pride, their connection was to come together for the biggest celebration of African, Asian, Caribbean and Middle Eastern LGBT people in Europe.

It was a great day - we met some amazing people, ate some really good jerk chicken, and signed up over 50 people interested in finding out more about participating in aquatics.

However the moment that stands out for me is when the DJ slammed on Beyonce's "Single Ladies". I have never seen a group of teenage boys (a spontaneous troupe of over 30), so together, so in sync, so focused on delivering and performing a step-perfect routine that Beyonce herself would have been proud of.

As the song finished and the boys caught their breath, we stood and applauded. Now that is a connection.

Diet Doctor - Food Diary: Monday 23rd January 2012

2012-01-23T12:59:00.000-08:00

06:00 Wake Up
06:30 L.Tyrosine/L.Glutamine
07:00 Grilled Beef Steak/Barley Grass/Psyllium Husks/1xMultiVit/1xVitC/4xFish Oil
09:00 Black Coffee
11:00 Black Coffee
13:14 Chicken Curry
13:45 Black Coffee
14:00 Mango
15:00 Handful of nuts
17:15 Spoonful of almond butter
18:45 Roast lamb, vegetables/red wine
19:30 Another glass of red wine
21:00 Cherry Tomatoes
22:30 Bed

A long meeting that went all day today - seriously all day. Way too much coffee. Dinner at Vinoteca made up for it though - love that place.

Inspirational Photo:

Wanna be on the tele?

2012-01-23T10:43:00.000-08:00

Casting agency looking for gays - details below:

*********

I am writing from a TV Production company based in Central London and we are currently casting for a new reality TV series called The Scene.

The series will focus on the lives of a group of remarkable gay men living across London and Essex. For the past month we have been casting for potential characters for this new series and are looking to put together an ensemble cast of real people, who have strong personalities and interesting stories to tell.

We are looking for all sorts of people to portray the diverse gay community - especially those that offer a contrasting view on the stereotype. We are looking for characters who could potentially be a fantastic role model for young gay people today.

There is more information about the show on our website www.thescenetv.co.uk.

We are holding a casting night at Ku Bar, Lisle Street, near Leicester Square tube station, this Thursday from 7.00pm – 11.00pm. Hopefuls will have the chance to impress our talent scouts and casting teams, and a selection of people will meet our director and have a chance to sell themselves on camera.

Yours thankfully,

Paul Braund

Casting AP | ‘The Scene’ | Funky Pink Productions
145-157 St John Street | London | EC1V 4PW
Tel: 0203 002 8894 | Email: pbraund@funkypinkproductions.co.uk
Website | www.thescenetv.co.uk

Restaurant Review - C&R Cafe, Chinatown

2012-01-22T12:32:00.000-08:00

Tucked away in Chinatown's Rupert Court, C&R Cafe isn't the easiest place to find but it's worth tracking down.

This is good value, solid Malaysian food (very generous with the portion size).

I went for Singapore noodles with some Roti, Regan had some massive soupy bowl of noodles, meat and vegetables and Ming opted for Nasi Lemak - chicken, rice and stuff.

It's a busy little cafe and also provides a great view of the hairdressers opposite - think we may have slightly intimidated the poor guy getting his hair done while we were eating, but he did look funny with the rollers in...

www.cnrrestaurant.co.uk

Movie Review - Underworld: Awakening (2012)

2012-01-22T09:28:00.000-08:00

Helpfully, "Underworld: Awakening" begins with a re-cap of 'the story so far...' to bring you back up to speed for this 4th (or 5th?) instalment in the endless Vampires v Werewolves battle.

For a mindless Sunday afternoon movie this totally delivers the goods. There's lots of running around, shooting stuff and gory ripping apart of bodies (in 3D!).

I won't lie to you, the plot is a bit tricky to follow, but that doesn't stop this being a great way to kill a couple of hours on a sunday afternoon.

Thankfully, with a cliff-hanger ending, we are left in no doubt that the gang will all be back for at least one more movie.

Kate Beckinsale's career lives on...

www.imdb.com

Restaurant Review - Gallipoli, Islington

2012-01-22T04:15:00.000-08:00

Confusingly, there are three Gallipoli restaurants on Islington's Upper Street - Gallipoli, Gallipoli Bazaar and Gallipoli Again.

I think we were in Gallipoli Bazaar, but to be honest they all pretty much interchangeable - same decor, same service, same food.

This is good, basic Turkish stuff - we were a table of 8 and it was all easy and no fuss.

£30 each including plenty of wine. Result.

http://cafegallipoli.com/

Bar Review - Barrio North, Angel

2012-01-22T04:05:00.000-08:00

We were heading out for dinner in Islington and had planned to meet up at the uber-cool cocktail bar 69 Colebrook Row. Predictably though (it was Saturday night) there wasn't any space (it's tiny) so we needed a plan B.

Sads led the way and we crossed Essex Road to Barrio North. Bright decor, vibrant music and lots of straight women - now this is a cocktail bar!

Only slight downside was Ming being called a "bender" by some bogans while he was outside on the phone. To be fair he was wearing a cowl neck top with maximum cleavage - Nina Garcia has advised against that look previously...

Joe got the drinks, we rounded up Regan, we tracked down Andy, Kate and Oliver. Saturday night was just beginning...

"Is that a mojito?"

www.barrionorth.com

Salt Espresso Bar, Covent Garden

2012-01-22T03:48:00.000-08:00

It was a Saturday afternoon and I'd arranged to go shopping with Patrick. He was preparing for his first ski trip and need to kit himself out.

We met up in Salt Espresso Bar in Great Queen Street - this is a small space but the staff are friendly, the coffee is great, and they have cool furniture from that place off Brick Lane that I can't remember the name of.

I ran through Patrick's list, added a few things to it and tried to convince him that a helmet and body armour was probably a little over-the-top for the beginner's slopes.

After a couple of coffees we headed off to boost Snow+Rock's trading figures for the month...

Map

New Year's Resolution - Week 3 Review

2012-01-22T03:02:00.000-08:00

Week 3 of 2012.

Here's how I scored:

No coffee from Starbucks. Done! (3/3 = 100%)
Continue to train for water polo at least twice a week. Smashed it on Wed, Fri and Sat. (3/3 =100%)
Continue to train with my personal trainer Ro (who I worship) at least twice a week. Smashed it on Tuesday and Friday. (3/3 = 100%)
Send Ro a food diary at least once a week. Done! Smashed it on Wednesday and Friday (3/3 = 100%)
Go to the gym at least once a week by myself to work on VMOs and Interval Training. Done! Smashed it on Wednesday and Thursday (3/3 = 100%)
Cook at least one evening meal at home each week. Done! Smashed it on Thursday (3/3 = 100%)
Take a packed lunch to work at least once per week. Done! Smashed it on Friday (3/3 = 100%)
Have at least one alcohol free day per week. Done! Smashed it on Wednesday (3/3 = 100%)
Avoid going out with my cousin Nick. Texts only this week - seems relatively safe. (2/3 = 66%)
Eat at least one punnet of blueberries per week. Done! Smashed it on Thursday, Friday and Sunday (3/3 - 100%)

Inspirational photo:

Diet Doctor - Food Diary: Saturday 21st January 2012

2012-01-22T03:00:00.000-08:00

07:45 Wake Up
09:00 L.Tyrosine/L.Glutamine
09:30 Bacon
10:00 Black Coffee
11:30 Black Coffee
13:00 Chicken Salad/1xMultiVit/1xVitC/4xFishOil
14:00 Coffee
16:00 Cocktails
17:00 Coffee
18:00 Water Polo Training
22:00 Turkish food - haloumi, lamb tagine, rice/red wine
00:30 Energy Bomb chocolate bar
01:00 Bed

A bit too much coffee today... and the cocktails before training were not a good idea (they were my reward for taking Patrick shopping for ski gear...)

Inspirational Photo:

Training Report - London Orca Water Polo: Saturday 21st January 2012

2012-01-21T17:01:00.000-08:00

There's something calmly authoritative when Mario is in charge of training - the whistle, the yellow t-shirt, the wild and generally meaningless hand-gesturesl...

There was a lot of people at the Saturday training session at ULU, but Mario maintained a firm hand and ensured that everyone stuck to the programme.

Warm up widths to start as per normal - head up, back stroke and butterfly. Then it was into some cross pool relays, with the ball. From there it was into a series of passing and shooting drills before a solid 30 minutes of scrimmage.

Highlights were Johnnie demonstrating the latest in Melbourne fashion styles, a guest appearance by Mike O who has clearly been working on his upper body definition, and the return of newbie Andreas.

There was also a lot of drama and speculation about accommodation in Reykjavik - there is no truth to the rumour that I have only booked one bedroom for us all with just a coat rack, a baby oil dispenser and a sheet of black plastic....

London Orca Water Polo

Diet Doctor - Food Diary: Friday 20th January 2012

2012-01-20T16:21:00.000-08:00

07:00 Wake Up
07:30 L.Tyrosine/L.Glutamine
07:45 Bacon/Barley Grass/Psyllium Husks
08:15 2xSuper Green Tea Diet/4xL.Arginine
08:30 Work Out (with BCAA and Acetyl L. Carnitine drink)
10:15 Protein Shake (whey/creatine/glutamine/barley grass)
11:00 Black Coffee
12:30 Chicken Salad
16:45 Beef Jerky
17:45 Lamb/Rice/Hummus/Carrot Juice
19:00 Black Coffee
20:00 Water Polo Training
21:30 Glass of red wine
22:30 Bounce almond protein ball
23:30 Chicken Salad
00:00 Blueberries
01:00 Bed

Inspirational Photo:

Diet Doctor

2012-01-20T15:04:00.000-08:00

My personal trainer Ro (who I worship) repeatedly tells me that the only way to train for swimming is to get in the water and start swimming.

There is an undeniable logic to that, and the same goes for water polo - nothing beats some solid pool-time if you’re looking to improve your game.

There are however a couple of additional things you might want to consider if you’re looking to up your performance...

In the gym: Powerful legs are the name of the game - make sure your workout includes lots of squats, lunges and deadlifts.
Diet: When your sports kit is nothing but a pair of speedos it can be pretty unforgiving... You want to minimise complex carbs, boost up your protein and leafy green vegetables and drink lots of water. Eating naked in front of a mirror is also a proven technique (Uma Thurman swears by it)
Man-scaping... I say no more.

Water-polo. Not just a sport... it’s a lifestyle choice.

London Orca Water Polo

Fashion Police

2012-01-20T15:00:00.001-08:00

Always looking to bring you the latest fashion trends, this is new active wear from practical clothing line Rufskin.
A sporty harness, some riding breeches and a big pair of boots.
There’s really nothing you can’t tackle in this ensemble...

London Orca Water Polo - Training Report: Wednesday 20th January 2012

2012-01-20T14:51:00.000-08:00

Fantastic beginners session at Porchester tonight led by Chris F and Kate S (supported by Luke, G and Ming - who demonstrated the “pretty decoy” tactic)
24 enthusiastic new players braved Chris F’s fairly grueling drills - while water polo is not all about eggbeater technique, it is a fairly key skill. The good news is that once you’ve got the basics down you’re soon ready to move on to the fun stuff.
Normal training for everyone at ULU on Saturday 21st January (18:00-19:00)
There is an away match for the A-Team on Wednesday 25th January normal training for everyone else at Porchester.

London Orca Water Polo

Restaurant Review - St John, Clerkenwell

2012-01-19T14:22:00.000-08:00

Cool Clerkenwell crowd.

Service in the bar is fairly laid back, but friendly enough.

I was happy chilling out with a glass a red wine but there's a really interest bar menu - even before you get inside to the restaurant (still one of London's best).

www.stjohnrestaurant.com

Diet Doctor - Food Diary: Thursday 19th January 2012

2012-01-19T14:09:00.000-08:00

07:00 Wake Up
07:15 L.Tyrosine/L.Glutamine
07:30 Roast Chicken/Psyllium Husks/Barley Grass/1xMultiVit/1xVitC/4xFish Oil
11:30 Work Out (Intervals) - with BCAA drink
12:00 Protein Shake (whey/creatine/glutamine/barley grass)
12:45 Lamb and vegetables (moussaka)
14:30 Lamb meatballs with hummus
16:45 Spoonful of almond butter
19:00 Chicken Salad
20:30 Glass of Red Wine
21:30 Roast chicken
22:00 Blueberries
23:30 Bed

Inspirational Photo:

Gay Star News: Locker Room Rules

2012-01-19T14:07:00.000-08:00

My second feature for Gay Star News has been published today.

This time it's exploring changing room etiquette and why some people get changed under a towel and others let it all hang out...

I learnt quite a bit researching this piece - I guess I'd started from the perception that if you didn't feel comfortable about getting naked in a changing room then you probably had some self-confidence or body issues, some sort of social anxiety to deal with. But after talking with guys from different cultures and backgrounds, it's really a bit more complex than that.

Ultimately, I shifted my perception from a starting point of "everyone should get comfortable with their bodies" to "do whatever works for you".

www.gaystarnews.com

Diet Doctor - Food Diary: Wednesday 18th January 2012

2012-01-18T16:12:00.000-08:00

07:00 Wake Up
07:30 L.Tyrosine/L.Glutamine
07:45 Grilled beef steak/psyllium husks/barley grass/1xMultiVit/1xVitC/4xFish Oil
11:30 Work out (VMOs/Rotator Cuff/Intervals) - with BCAA drink
13:30 Protein Shake (whey/creatine/glutamine/barley grass)
14:00 Chicken Livers & Salad
16:00 Black coffee/banana cake
17:30 Roast Chicken
21:00 Water Polo
22:30 Bounce Protein Ball
00:15 Roast Chicken
01:00 Bed

Inspirational Photo: