Speedo Sunday

Students Suspended For Speedo Prank

More than half the players on a high school water polo team were suspended after wearing nothing but their Speedo-style uniforms to an event honoring school athletes.

The San Pasqual High School water polo players appeared on the school's football field at the event, despite a school administrator's order to keep their street clothes on.

Principal Martin Griffin said 13 of the team's 20 players were suspended from the team's first preseason game for disobeying orders, not because they were wearing the skimpy swimwear.

For some parents, reaction to the Sept. 1 prank was overblown.

"It was boys having fun, being goofy," said parent Pat Dickey, whose son was among those suspended.




Troy Dumais



Troy Dumais named USA Diving Athlete of the Year

DEARBORN, Mich. -- USA Diving has selected former University of Texas All-American Troy Dumais (1999-02) as its Athlete of the Year after the former seven-time NCAA champion turned in a tremendous diving season on the national and international stages.

Dumais teamed with Mitch Richeson to capture the three-meter synchronized diving title last month at the 2006 Kaiser Permanente USA Diving Championships in Indianapolis. In July, Dumais and Richeson claimed the silver medal in the three-meter synchronized event at the FINA World Cup in Changshu, China. Dumais also won the bronze medal in the three-meter springboard event at the FINA World Cup.

Dumais joined with Richeson to take silver in the three-meter synchronized event at the Speedo USA Diving Grand Prix and won bronze with Richeson in the same event at the China Open.

Dumais represented Team USA at the 2000 Summer Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia and the 2004 Games in Athens, Greece. His seven NCAA titles make him the winningest male diver in the history of the Texas swimming and diving program.



Ryan M. Smith ‘06 may be Mr. Gay Boston, but he’s not just a pretty face... and bulging pecs...and chiseled abs.

A former member of the Harvard Men’s Swim Team, Smith didn’t come out until the end of his senior year. He was never active in Harvard’s gay community, but the Boston title fell into his hands after a friend of Smith’s tipped off Don Spradlin, Executive Director of Mr. Gay, a gay male beauty contest.

On October 26 Smith will be in Palm Springs competing against 24 Americans and 25 internationals for the title of Mr. Gay. It’s a prestigious (and succinct) distinction, but Smith insists he’s not feeling the heat. “I’m not nervous, not at all,” he says.

To beat out the field, Smith will need to scale a rock climbing wall, make it through a fireman’s obstacle course, and dazzle the judges in a swimsuit competition.

It sounds a bit like a Village People casting call, but Smith sees the competition as an opportunity to transcend gay cliches.

“I like the idea that I’m portraying a different image of the gay male to the general viewing public,” he says. “A lot of the contestants are more educated or career-oriented than the current stereotype of gay males.”

Smith’s ex-boyfriend and close friend, Tyler Duckworth, has already achieved marginal fame with a stint on MTV’s The Real World Key West, but he’s still right behind his man.

“I think it’s fantastic. It’s fucking fantastic,” Duckworth says. “Because he’s gorgeous. Everyone should see that kid in a Speedo walking down the runway.”

With a win in Palm Springs, Smith will get his own 15 minutes of fame appearing on the cover of Instinct magazine, a queer monthly. But he does not need the exposure: when not working out to prepare for the competition, Smith is busy applying to medical schools in the Boston area.

Paging Dr. Gay!