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In spite of an indoor event held in the cool surrounds of the Chicago Hilton and Towers, competitors felt the heat during the darts competition of the VII Gay Games Sports and Cultural Festival held July 15-22. The international event, hosted in Chicago, brought RGL art director/webmaster Mike Pfeifer and tournament partner Lewis Cline a bronze medal in the 501-Pairs Competitive category.

“The level of competition and skill surpassed anything I expected,” said Mike, who prepared by increasing the amount of time he normally plays in a summer league. In a competition where every throw counts, the key difference in competing at the Games proved to be the level of concentration required.

“When you’re playing socially, it’s usually in a dark club setting with distractions of music and people,” explained Mike. “At the Games, you’ve got 25 boards, 40 people watching, the lights are bright and you need to stay focused to get over your nerves and keep winning through the brackets. These guys were good.”

Beyond the victory in pairs, Mike narrowly missed taking home a bronze medal in the Cricket singles, where he placed 4th out of a field of 60. The competition featured the newest soft-tip electronic dart game. Round robin play seeded competitors for the medal round tournaments.

With nearly 11,500 participants and competition in 30 sports and events spotlighting world-class athletes and artists, the week-long Gay Games delivered on its theme of inclusion. Competitors spanned age, gender, race, sexual orientation and skill levels, providing opportunities to compete with – or simply meet and greet – an international scope of peers from England, Australia, New Zealand, Russia, Zimbabwe and other countries.

Mike, who was a competitive swimmer while in school, had set his sights on participating in diving events during the 2002 Gay Games held in Sydney. A neck injury during training kept him out of the competition. When darts events were offered as part of the Chicago Games, it was another opportunity to put his honed skills to the test.

While excited over his considerable achievement, he reflectively describes the bronze win as “the cherry on top of the sundae.” Beyond his personal best, he takes extreme pride in what the city of Chicago achieved – and communicated – in hosting and promoting the event.

“It was all about breaking stereotypes and showing that gay people are just like everyone else,“ said Mike. He points out the strength and diversity of college-caliber competitions ranging from volleyball and soccer events to basketball. “It was impressive to watch a 5 ft. 6 in. Peruvian player spike over a 7-ft. net.“

Mike also pointed to the opening ceremonies as a high point, capped by an impassioned welcome speech by Mayor Daley that opened wide the city’s door to gays and lesbians. “It made me proud to be a Chicagoan,” said Mike. “I think the entire event stepped up the level of the city and put us on an international scale.”

With a bronze medal under his belt (and readying for relocation to a modest display case), Mike is looking forward to the 2010 Games, slated for Cologne, Germany. He already is pondering the prospect of bringing the Speedo out of retirement and returning to the diving well.

More importantly, has Mike Pfeifer’s status as medalist brought lucrative product endorsement offers from the likes of Wheaties, Nike, Dodge Dart or Miller Genuine Draft? The question induced an Olympian-sized laugh. “This bronze medalist likes Budweiser,” said Mike. See Mike's profile.