April 4, 1969 -
IGRA# 5801
First attended a gay rodeo in 1995
Inducted 2022
James H. Jenkins Jr. was born in Miami, Florida where he spent his childhood years between the city life of Miami and country life on the family "Hobby" farm in central Florida. During those years James' love of horses and the country lifestyle began. After high school, he quickly realized that Miami was no longer the place he wanted to be, so he packed up and headed North to Minneapolis, MN.
After a couple of years living in Minneapolis and James finding himself single, he decided to try out a little gay country bar he heard of called The Town House. It was a Saturday night in October of 1994 when he stepped into The Town House for the first time. Shortly after arriving he was approached by a woman, who introduced herself by saying: "Wanna Dance Cowboy?" Taken aback, James' first response was: "No." But this woman, who we all know as Dot Trevis, was NOT taking NO for an answer. After multiple attempts to get James onto the dance floor, James finally had to admit to her that he did not know how to two-step. Well, that did not stop Dot from asking him to dance, and she went as far as getting a friend (everyone was Dot's friend), Andy, to take James out on the floor and give him a beginner's crash course in two-stepping. Little did James know that The Town House bar would become the center point for a whirlwind adventure into the gay rodeo scene. That first night at the Town House was exactly what he was looking for - A place to belong!
He and Dot became inseparable, and James quickly picked up two-stepping. Both could be found every Friday and Saturday night out on the dance floor at the Town House. It wasn't long after that Dot mentioned she was going to be traveling to Phoenix, AZ for the Road Runner Regional Rodeo (RRRR) and asked James if he wanted to go. Eager to find out what this gay rodeo thing was all about James agreed and the plans were made. After arriving in Phoenix and attending the gay rodeo, James was in love! Not only was there Gay Rodeo, but there were also HOT cowboys for as far as the eye could see. It was like being a kid in a candy store, and at the same time, "Fresh Meat" at the market. Instantly James was hooked! James quickly became a member of North Star Gay Rodeo Association (NSGRA). Not only did he and Dot attend every rodeo on the IGRA circuit that year, but James even started competing. This ignited a passion for rodeo even deeper in James and as the years went on, he continued to add events on his plate, eventually competing in every event (at least once), except for Bareback Broncs.
Through the years James has been a member of numerous Member Associations including North Star Gay Rodeo Association (NSGRA), Illinois Gay Rodeo Association ILGRA, Colorado Gay Rodeo Association (CGRA), Pacific Northwest Gay Rodeo Association (PNWGRA), Florida Gay Rodeo Association (FGRA), and Alberta Rockies Gay Rodeo Association (ARGRA), just to name a few. He has served on Member Association and the International Boards of Directors. He served as Fundraising Chair, Public Relations Chair and President before becoming the Trustee for NSGRA. After moving to Chicago in 2000,
James took on positions within ILGRA, including Vice President, and Rodeo Logistics Coordinator for the "Windy City Rodeo" for 6 straight years. After moving to Colorado in 2006, James
became Vice President and served as Rodeo Director for RMRR 35 and 36. In 2018 he was honored to be voted in as a Lifetime Member of CGRA. At the International level James has served as an Instructor for IGRA University, IGRA Vice President, and at the time of his induction into the Hall f Fame serves as a Certified Arena Director.
And let's not forget ALL the Royalty Titles James has held over the years:
1995 - Mr. NSGRA - First Royalty Member for NSGRA
1996 - Mr. NSGRA
1997 - Mr. IGRA 1st Runner-Up (the first time)
1998 - Mr. NSGRA (Sensing a theme...LOL)
1999 - Mr. IGRA 1st Runner-up (the second time)
2002 - Mr. ILGRA 2002
2003 - Mr. IGRA 2nd Runner-Up (Yep...thought the third time was a charm)
2007 - Miss CGRA (Yep, gender change!)
2008 - Miss IGRA (FINALLY...I won! Ha ha ha)
James stands before you today, a well rounded and humble member of IGRA who calls this amazing sport and its contestants, officials, spectators and supporters - "FAMILY!"