From October 20th to 23rd this year, delegates from throughout the United States will be representing their chapter of the International Gay Rodeo Association in Calgary for the annual IGRA convention at the Sheraton Suites Calgary Eau Claire. It’s a new and exciting venture for the Board of Directors that puts together the incredible Gay Rodeo every July.
“The rodeo weekend is just that, a rodeo. The convention is a series of meetings that happen every year, a chance for the member associations of IGRA to get together in front of the Board of Directors and voice their opinions on things such as bylaws, rules, growth, animal safety and health, community outreach, and a time to review where IGRA is from a financial standpoint,” ARGRA secretary Pierre Cadieux told GayCalgary.com. “At this meeting we also elect the new incoming board of directors – it is two year terms so we vote for half of the board. It’s combined with the annual general meeting and all rolled into one. We are expecting over 100 delegates from across the United States.”
The process of hosting began two years ago, and since then the board has worked hard to organize both the rodeo events and the convention.
“A delegation representing ARGRA went to the convention two years ago and bid on the 2005 event being held in Calgary. The 20 conventions up to this point have never been outside of the US so this is the first truly international gay rodeo convention. Conferences have been [held] all over the US, places like Cleveland, Ohio, Denver, Colorado and Long Beach, California. It is a big feat to host the event. One of the biggest challenges of this is the fact that you are drawing from the same volunteer base. Three months ago we held a rodeo and the same board of directors has to now hold a rodeo and a convention in the same calendar year - that is two major events. This is a much easier event to plan than the rodeo; the Hotel does most of the work and it is a lot easier to organize from a volunteer and organizational standpoint. I think we have done a great job of organizing, planning and sharing the workload but, it is a huge amount of work to throw two events so close together. We have been planning since the day we bid - the last year has been intense.”
While the general public won’t be part of the main convention activities, there are lots of opportunities for us Calgarians to show our southern neighbors a good time.
“As far as the convention is concerned, a lot of our local membership unfortunately won’t even see that part. Delegates will be attending the meetings at the hotel and representing their host association. Where we want our community to get involved will be Friday night with a pub crawl, the delegates will be shuffled on buses from bar to bar, come out to one of the different bars and we will be there at some point. On Saturday night our regular monthly dance is at the Victoria Park community hall, which will now be part of the convention. Before the main dance is an international dance competition. Dancers from different divisions of IGRA compete against each other in country and western dancing, partner and line, for buckles. We will also be having the ’Prairie Pride Dinner and Dance’ sponsored by Team Money Pennies. This is a time to socialize. I don’t think you can and not learn a bit more about IGRA. The goal of the convention is to have an AGM style meeting and to also learn from one another.”
The Dance competition starts at 7:30pm, with the dance beginning at 9:00. Tickets for the dance are $7 for members, $10 for non-members. Dinner tickets, which include the entire evening, must be purchased by October 14th for $24.95 at Money Pennies or through the ARGRA Visa ticket line at (403) 938-7329. Cadieux and the rest of the board are looking forward to giving the delegates a uniquely Canadian experience.
“I am looking forward to impressing the Americans and showing off Calgary – explaining that they have to go to Tim Hortons for coffee. We definitely have been praised at past conventions that the ARGRA rodeo is one of the best rodeos on the international circuit. Now we want to step up and show them we can throw the best darn convention they have seen as well. We have always been seen as leaders and being different, and we will continue to prove that.”
The International Gay Rodeo Association Convention 2005
Sheraton Suites Calgary Eau Claire
October 20th – 23rd, 2005
www.igra.com
www.argra.org
