Wild Wild South 2017
In 2017, almost 450 sportsmen and sportswomen were welcomed in Stuttgart for the 15th Wild Wild South. All competitions and workshops took place as scheduled, many of them were even booked out.
For Football and Volleyball, team registrations and team fees were introduced. The men's Volleyball tournament had a record number of 17 teams competing, so an additional sports hall had to be booked. This was honoured by the presence of the national LGBT heroine and honorary Abseitz member Laura Halding-Hoppenheit for the awards ceremony. The women's Volleyball tournament was a small and fine event with six teams. Football offered a mixed competition for the first time, which attracted nine teams.
At the 8-hour-swim, almost 50 swimmers have covered a total distance of 487 kilometres. The shooting competitions took place on a modern electronic shooting range with sensors for the first time. Squash had less participants than in the previous years, but a very international field nonetheless. The same goes for Badminton, which was fully booked at 90 players.
The workshops in Queer Tango, Yoga and Indoor Climbing were well frequented too. The Running workshop was added to the programme only a few weeks previous to the tournement, but had three participants who were not scared off by the cold and rainy wheather.
There were a few changes in location for the supporting events. The tournament party took place in the Kings Club, the oldest continuously running LGBT club in Germany. Owner Laura herself greeted the international crowd, the club was packed with people, the atmosphere was boisterous.
The tournament ended as usual with a Sunday brunch. This year it was served right in the city centre in the compact and stylish Brauhaus Schönbuch. We have feasted over regional and international delicacies like Muesli, croissants, pasta, salads, coffee and beer, concluding a wonderful sporty and international weekend with old and new friends.
Sports: Badminton, Climbing, Dance, Football, Running, Shooting, Swimming, Squash, Volleyball, Yoga
Medals: 217
