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IGRA#
First attended a gay rodeo in
Inducted 2023
When Glenn Gore was growing up on a farm and ranch in 1950's western Oklahoma, rodeo was a fact of life and an event you went to every year, whether it was the local amateur rodeo in his small town or the big PRCA rodeo in the nearest big city. Everyone went to both, and as a young gay kid Glenn idolized the cowboys who competed in those rodeos.
So, in 1980, when the owner of an Oklahoma City gay bar found out about this thing called gay rodeo that was going on in Reno, Nevada, and organized a trip to see what it was all about, Glenn jumped at the opportunity to attend. It was a total blast watching other gay people compete in the rodeo, and being around the thousands of spectators in the stands was a whole new experience.
Another trip was organized in 1981 and it was on that excursion that Glenn first met Wayne Jakino, along with some other attendees from Colorado, and learned that there might be a move afoot to form a larger organization involved with this new sport of gay rodeo. Along with others in Oklahoma City, Glenn kept track of those efforts and looked forward to joining once it was up and running.
Another trip was organized to a gay rodeo in Houston (one that still lives in "infamy" with many 'war stories and adventures) and everyone returned from that rodeo inspired to form an Oklahoma rodeo organization and join up with the existing ones in Colorado, Texas, Arizona, and California at the first opportunity.
That opportunity came in 1985 when Terry Harms and Sam Jennings from Texas and Wayne Jakino from Colorado came to Oklahoma City and helped them to organize and set up the by-laws for the Oklahoma Gay Rodeo Association (OGRA) at the Bunkhouse bar. Les Krambeal and Glenn drove to Denver for the organizational meeting for the International Gay Rodeo Association (IGRA), and OGRA was seated as a new member organization. It was a great weekend and Glenn met many new people that he would continue to call friends for years to come.
The next several years were busy, as he served as Rodeo Director for the Great Plains Regional Rodeo (GPRR) several times, and new gay rodeo organizations from Kansas, Missouri, and Arkansas were welcomed into the fold. Everyone had great fun producing rodeos together, and gaining experience so each state organization could go on to produce its own individual rodeo along with some IGRA Finals rodeos.
Glenn says that he was 'not rodeo contestant material by a long stretch', but he could sing and dance, so he had the pleasure of singing and performing with the Bunkhouse Cloggers at fundraising events in the fledgling GPRR cities, raising money to put on the rodeos.
Glenn served two terms as OGRA's IGRA Trustee and 4 years as Chairman of the IGRA Board of Trustees as the organization experienced a great era of growth and expansion. Some of the things IGRA did back then were divisions, national sponsorships, and officials' certification programs. IGRA became a truly international organization with the addition of the Alberta Rockies Gay Rodeo Association (ARGRA). Glenn made many trips to Calgary for their rodeos, making a raft of new friends and watching ARGRA grow.
All things have their day, so eventually he stepped away from gay rodeo to concentrate on the farm at home and his business. Glenn has enjoyed watching IGRA's activities over the ensuing years. He continues to appreciate all the wonderful friends he made, and marvels at the effect all those people had on his life. He treasures those memories, and knows that the ones who have passed on are looking down and still giving encouragement to all of us.
Glenn wants to thank IGRA for this honor. It has been a great experience and he hopes to see the organization continue to grow and thrive in the future.