Guys and Gals:
I hope that you're enjoying the improving weather, though it still isn't warm enough to suit me! Your rodeo leadership group has been very busy. I just wanted to share a few items to keep you in the loop about the Association's continuing work.

• Our By-Laws Committee, under the leadership of Jason Hays and Paul McCaffrey, did an outstanding job preparing its recommendations. You, the members, responded equally well by casting enough ballots to reach quorum! Thanks to all of you who took the time to vote. Each proposal was adopted. The Committee is finalizing the revised By-Laws document and identifying any Standing Rules that may need modification based on the revisions.
• Mark Baker, our Fundraising Chair has brought Jose Cuervo online as an ASGRA sponsor for 2003. He's also lined up Coca Cola for product support and is busy wooing other prospective cash and product sponsors and supporters. He has done exceptional work thusfar on our behalf.
• JR Key, our Social & Entertainment Chair, has been instrumental in obtaining excellent artwork for consideration by the Board. Under his guidance, the Board has selected Stampede artwork for 2003, 2004, and 2005 and Hoedown artwork for 2003 and 2004. For our Sunday night entertainment at Stampede this year, JR's finalizing plans with an exceptionally talented Canadian group for a concert at the hotel - details to follow!
• Mike Sanders, our Membership Chair, worked with others to create a wonderful Member Survey. We've already gleaned a great deal of useful feedback from the membership.
• Billy Collison, our 2003 Rodeo Director, has worked diligently to secure the services of a wonderful slate of Officials for this year's rodeo. He has also been busy coordinating our Rodeo Schools for May and August.
• Rob McGuire, our Public Relations Chair, submitted a wonderful set of publicity documents. These documents, once refined, can serve as templates for future publicity and promotional activities.
• Frank Harrell, our Secretary and Webmaster, continues his excellent work with our website and our official documents and records.
• Scott Smiley, our Treasurer, in addition to expediting our bill payments, has straightened out our county and state tax filings and is shepherding our application for the District's Master Business License through the maze of DC regulations.
• Our Royalty Team, John Alvey and Courtney Lovelace, continue to jet about the country representing ASGRA and hosting a variety of local events.
• Lonni LaBel continues her dedicated work on the Newsletter and continues to set the standard for other IGRA Associations to meet.
• Mike Lentz, our Trustee, continues to represent us with distinction in our many dealings with IGRA and our fellow Associations.

Gaither Pennington, President

Who seeks a friend without fault remains without one

Thanks go out to everyone who participated in the ASGRA Membership Survey. Your responses will help us to better meet your needs in the future. In response to several requests, an email list has been set up. This list can be used to find rodeo partners, rides, roommates, etc. You can access the list thru Yahoo Groups at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ASGRA_Connections/. You will not be added to this list unless you subscribe to it, and you can set how you receive messages. Subscribing is easy and free.

As I mentioned in the last newsletter, we have retired the Red ASGRA shirts and the order for the new denim shirts will be placed this week. They will be available for purchase thru the web site (in the Members Only section) and at events in the area. Contact me for more details.

Don't forget about our Rodeo School: May 17-18!!

Remember to keep me up to date on any changes in your personal information. This way, you will continue to be informed of meeting notices, special events, and receive your newsletter.

And last, as your Membership Chair, I serve as your liaison to the board. If you have issues, concerns or questions, please don't hesitate to bring them to my attention. I can be reached by email at or by phone at the number listed in the sidebar of the newsletter. Keep an eye on web page for all the upcoming events, Stampede information, announcements and updates.
Mike Sanders, Membership Chair

Howdy Gang,

Well, it looks like we have already have a change in some of our coordinator positions! Our new Vendor Coordinator is Mike Sanders with Patrick Hunter as Assistant Vendor Coordinator. We are on the brink of having Vendor packets ready for distribution and with these packets will be information on Buckle sponsors. Please help us out by sponsoring one of our many buckles. Our Buckle Coordinator is the one-and-only Lonni La Bel. I have been told by our Volunteer Coordinator, Diane Mejia, that she has already sent out emails and letters to volunteers from the past. Please keep the Rodeo Dates (Sept. 5, 6, & 7) in mind if you are interested in helping us put on a fun and exciting Rodeo! Check the website for more information.

Lastly, I am starting monthly Rodeo meetings for Stampede 2003. We will hold them the first Monday of every month, beginning on May 5th at 7:30pm, probably at the Hyatt Regency (our host hotel). Please keep an eye out on the web site for more information. If you are interested in attending, please drop me a line () or just come on down! Rodeo Hugz!
Billy Collison, Atlantic Stampede 2003 Rodeo Director

Remember, ASGRA trail rides are the first Sunday of the month at 11:00am!
Weather permitting, we will be holding a trail ride at Piscataway Ranch in Clinton, MD at 11:00 am on the following days:
May 4th: April showers bring May flowers - get a dose of spring fever on the budding trails of Maryland!
June 1st: Kick off Pride month in style with a rainbow ride along the springtime trails!
For further information and to RSVP, contact Glenn at (703) 538-2225.

2003 IGRA Rodeos
Great Plains Rodeo 2003: OGRA Oklahoma City, OK May 23-25, 2003
Bay Area Regional Rodeo 2003: GSGRA San Francisco, CA June 20-22 2003
Heartland Rodeo 2003: HGRA Omaha, NE June 27-29, 2003
Canadian Rockies International Rodeo 2003: ARGRA Calgary, Alberta Canada June 27-29, 2003
North Star Regional Rodeo 2003: NSGRA Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN July 4-6, 2003
Rocky Mountain Regional Rodeo 2003: CGRA Denver, CO July 11-13, 2003

ASGRA Spring Rodeo School 2003
The annual ASGRA Spring Rodeo School has been scheduled for the weekend of May 17 & 18 at Classic Rodeo ranch in York Springs, Pennsylvania. The ranch is located off Route 15 just a few miles north of the MD/PA state line. By car, it is approximately an hour from Gaithersburg.

This year's school will include beginning and intermediate instruction and practice in calf roping on foot, chute dogging, and steer riding. There will be a charge of $50 per student for chute dogging or steer riding, $75 for both. The charge for one or two days of calf roping is $20. Events will start at 9:30 a.m. and run until @4 pm on both days, with a cook-out/picnic around noon for the participants. All events will be run each day. Information on accommodations in nearby Gettysburg or York Springs will be available for those who wish to stay overnight nearby.

Pre-registration is required so that we can ensure the necessary amount of livestock for the weekend. Anyone interested in attending should contact ASGRA President Gaither Pennington.

American Airlines - New IGRA Corporate Sponsor!!

American Airlines has signed on as the official corporate sponsor airline for the International Gay Rodeo Association starting with the 2003 rodeo season. Special discount airfares are available to all host rodeo cities that American serves through the AA meeting desk which may be contacted at 1-800-433-1790 between 5 a.m. and midnight Central time daily. An added benefit is that this phone number rarely has a holding wait time.

Use Starfile number S16294 to book your rodeo travel and receive special discounts off of any published fare. The discount is at least 5% when booked but increases to 10% for tickets purchased sixty days in advance. You can even book your own flight using the on-line reservations system at www.aa.com and then call the meeting desk and provide them with the record locator (confirmation) code given on the website. The meeting desk agent will then re-price your fare and include the special discounts when taking the billing information from you.

Other special pricing may be available for all of your AA flights. IGRA and ASGRA will receive a benefit if you use the Business ExtrAA code 538389 when booking all of your travel. Help support our association by flying on American Airlines and including the IGRA codes in your travel bookings.
Michael Lentz, IGRA Trustee

The Association ended the first quarter with a loss of $10,216. This is $2,441 lower than what was anticipated in the budget due to higher than anticipated income for the period combined with lower than anticipated expenditures. This loss will continue to increase in coming months.

A loss for this time period of time is typical for the Association and should not cause any alarm. The bulk of the Association's income is received between July and September when dues renewals and income from Atlantic Stampede is received. While income is received predominately during that three-month period, expenses associated with generating that income are incurred all throughout the entire first nine months of the year. The Association continues to have healthy cash balances. The cash balances at the end for the 1st quarter of 2003 are 42% higher than they were for the same period in 2002.
Scott Smiley, Treasurer

Join ASGRA at Remingtons on Thursday, May 1 for a May Day Indoor Rodeo! Everyone is encouraged to participate in all three events:

• Cowboy/Cowgirl Dressing
• Pole Bending
• Flag Racing

ASGRA and the CMAs…..
Please join ASGRA At Freddie's Beach Bar & Grill on Wednesday, May 21st for the Country Music Association Awards. Mr. and Miss ASGRA will be hosting the evening of fun, food and lots of country music. Ballots will be available for those who would like to vote on the award recipients. The person with the most correct votes will win a gift certificate from Freddie's! The evening will start at 7:30pm; the CMAs begin at 8pm. Freddie's is located at 555 S. 23rd St. in Crystal City and plenty of street parking is available.

ASGRA Royalty Past and Present are featured every Sunday night at Freddie's Follies, an evening of live and drag performances at Freddie's Beach Bar & Grill in Arlington. Hosted by former Miss ASGRAs Blair Michaels and Jymmye Jaymes, the show begins at 9pm and generally runs till 11pm with one brief intermission. Come on down and party with the ASGRA herd!

Upcoming ASGRA Events!!!!
PRIDE - PRIDE - PRIDE Triple Play Pride Events for ASGRA in June! Start with DC Pride on June 7 when ASGRA will once again host a contingent in the DC Pride Parade, this year on Saturday evening. We're seeking members and volunteers to join us on the float and on foot. Horses also welcome! On Sunday June 8 join us at the DC Pride Festival for an afternoon of line-dance lessons, (mechanical) bull rides and lots of two-steppin' fun at the ASGRA dance tent - always one of the most popular attractions of the DC Pride Festival. Then it's another weekend of fun when ASGRA takes our pride on the road to the Baltimore Pride celebration on Saturday June 14, Come join us for the parade and block party before heading over to Hoedown on the Harbor. Then wrap up the month with the annual Pride Posse trip to the NYC Pride Parade and Festival on June 28-29.

Hoedown on the Harbor 2003
Saturday June 14th, 2003
Baltimore Museum of Industry
Ticket prices: $15 advance/$20 door

Spend the day enjoying Baltimore's Gay Pride Festival; then spend the hot summer night where the Cowboys and Cowgirls play, at the Hoedown on the Harbor. We'll be boot-scootin' all night under an open-air pavilion down on the waterfront of the Baltimore Inner Harbor. We'll provide plenty of food, drinks, good music, and a special guest performance by the DC Cowboys. Add in a cool breeze ... the harbor lights … and all we need is you to complete the mix for the area's best country western dance party of the summer. Tickets for this event are available for purchase online and at local Lambda Rising bookstores. (Volunteers needed!)

Rehoboth Hoedown
Sunday, July 13th, 2003, 1-5pm Henlopen State Park, Rehoboth Beach, DE Take your boots to the beach! ASGRA will host an afternoon tea dance at Rehoboth Beach under the pavillion at State Henlopen Park. Skip the afternoon rush traffic rush and join us for food, drink, music, and dancing outdoors. Stay tuned for more details.

NEWS FLASH!!
This year, ATLANTIC STAMPEDE weekend has a NEW EVENT! Mark your calendars now, and plan to join us for a Sunday evening CONCERT and dance at the Hyatt Regency. We can't announce the name of this fantastic GROUP just yet, but you won't want to miss the show. Tickets to the concert will be available as part of the weekend pass or separately priced. Stay tuned for more details!

Want to be the first to know about ASGRA Social Events?
The Social & Entertainment committee will meet next on Thursday, May 8 at the Hyatt Regency on Capitol Hill (400 New Jersey Ave NW) from 6:30 - 7:30pm prior to the monthly Board of Directors meeting. Anyone interested in participating in planning, organizing, or participating in social and entertainment events for ASGRA is welcome to attend. For more information, please contact the S&E Chair, J.R. Key at

And Speaking of Rodeos

Stampede 2003, September 5 - 7, 2003
Gay Rodeo and country western enthusiasts from California to Calgary, from NYC to NC all know the only place to be Sept 5-7 is in Washington, DC, for two days and three nights of cowboys, cowgirls, competition and dancing. ASGRA has earned a reputation as one of the best rodeo entertainment weekends on the IGRA circuit. With several new improvements to our arena and rodeo grounds venue, praised by contestants and fans alike, followed each night by the largest and best evening dance/entertainment events, Atlantic Stampede continues our tradition in 2003 to provide the highest quality all-around line-up of rodeo entertainment. Start making plans now to be in DC this fall.

Check our website frequently (www.asgra.org), as new information and details are posted regularly. Tickets for this event will be available on-line beginning in June 2003.
J.R. Key, S&E Chair

Austin: Unfortunately no listings in the Top 8 for ASGRA.

Phoenix: Reddi Whip (aka Lonni La Bel) took 2nd place in Calf Roping on Foot on Saturday and placed 8th in Wild Drag on Saturday with her partners Irish (NGRA) and Randy (TGRA). Sonny Koerner and Oscar Mocelo placed 4th on Saturday and 5th on Sunday in Goat Dressing, finishing the weekend in 3rd place overall.

Fort Worth: Karl Klingener took 6th place in Steer Riding on Saturday, while Wayne Sheffield placed 5th on Saturday and 1st on Sunday in the same event to finish in 2nd place for the weekend. Wayne took first place with his Bull Riding on Saturday and finished in 2nd for the weekend. Reddi Whip took 2nd place in Calf Roping on Foot on Sunday and finished in 3rd place for the weekend. Karl, Reddi Whip and Gene (TGRA) had a first place finish in Wild Drag on Saturday. But the big ASGRA winner in Fort Worth was Jackie Thompson who took home the buckles in Calf Roping on Foot and Chute Dogging - both her first buckles ever in IGRA competition! Way to go, Jackie!

Las Vegas: Although he actually competed for PONY, ASGRA member Don Horn took 2nd place on Saturday and 1st place on Sunday in Goat Dressing at Big Horn Rodeo with partner Bob (GSGRA), missing the buckle by 1/4 of a second!

Los Angeles: Jennifer Vrana took 7th place on Saturday and 6th on Sunday in Chute Dogging to finish the weekend in 5th place for the weekend. She also partnered with Jim (MIGRA) and David (PONY) in Wild Drag to take 7th place in the event for the weekend. Sonny Koerner covered his Steer Rides both days, taking 1st on Saturday and 4th Sunday for a 3rd place finish for the weekend. Along with Steer Deco partner Mark (NSGRA), he finished in 5th on Saturday and for the weekend in that event. They also took first place on Saturday in Goat Dressing. Mark and Sonny joined Erin (GSGRA) in Wild Drag and took 4th place on Sunday.