CGRA Newsletter

February, 2011

President
Secretary
Membership
Public Relations
Rodeo Events
Metro Outreach
Entertainment
Dance

President

Howdy Cowboys and Cowgirls and Dancing Fools,

I've been sitting here trying to think just how to start this months letter. You know, should it be....... Better Late Than Never. But I knew most of you would probably jump all over that and say well I would prefer it be Better Never. So that wasn't working for me. Then I thought, what about if I were to just say Hey, it's that time of the month again. Now there's a sure way to bring a bad thought to 29% of our membership. So I was to the point where I just thought what the hell just say what you want to say........ So that's that.

It's really here. It's really all coming together. I can't thank each of you enough for all your efforts in seeing that the fun returns to CGRA. We have certainly started the new year off with a bang. Our Charity Partners are all in place for 2011. Congratulations to The Element, Home O' Hope and Rocky Mountain Cares. We look forward to a great year and a working relationship with each of you. Plans for RMRR 29 are moving right along. Host hotel is under contract as well as our Stock Contractor and Jefferson County Fairgrounds is under contract. Yeeha!! So if your sitting around waiting til things get a bit closer you might not want to wait this year. We could use your help today. Your participation in attending meetings is up, way up, and that's just what its gonna take. You, my friends, the members of CGRA are definitely, "Getting in the Truck".

Now you know me, I don't like to talk about last month much. I am more of a forward thinker. With that being said........ We, CGRA, are hosting an Open House this Saturday, February 05, 2011 at The Center, 1301 E. Colfax, from 12:30-2:30. I would love to see a lot of our members present to talk with the kids and folks there about who we are and what it is that CGRA is all about. So if you don't have any plans..... you do now! We also have a BIG Valentine Extravaganza coming up on the 12th of February. There are some HOT, I gotta repeat that..... There are some HOT Bachelors and Bachelorettes for us to be bidding on along with Gift Baskets and Auction items. You don't want to miss this one. A quick reminder it is one of our largest fund raisers. And Hell, (I know you ain't suppose to start a sentence with and, and ain't ain't a word, well it didn't used to be, but then I'm old) now where was I....... Oh yeah, And Hell, we could sure use the money. So, bring your cash, bring your credit cards, heck bring someone else. We will have FUN.

Two other dates that pop into my head are our General Membership Meeting is on Friday the 11th, of February and there is a Gymkhana hosted by the Jeffco Mounted Search and Rescue on Sunday the 13th of February. Please feel free to contact a member of the Board for more information on that.

Again, Thank You to everyone who is making the start of this year one to remember as I look forward to things only getting better. Remember you have a very impressive Board of Directors working very hard to get you involved. The rest is up to you. Come out and enjoy!!

Damn, (can I say that) I almost forgot one thing....... It's time to Rodeo!!! Its the kickoff to the 2011 IGRA rodeo circuit. Good Luck to all the CGRA contestants heading to Phoenix for the 18th, 19th and 20th for the Road Runner Regional Rodeo. I'll be there and I hope to see a large contingency from Colorado. Okay, I gotta go now. I got a darn horse to get ready to ride. Been having so much FUN I almost forgot I still gotta compete.

Thanks for your time and I hope to see y'all at the meeting on February 11th, General Membership starts at 8:00 following the Board of Directors who meet at 6:00. One last thing..... Have you heard my new saying? "Get in the Truck" or get under it cause we're moving on and we're fixin to run a few people over. You think that's good you should hear me when I've had a cocktail or three.

Robert Thurtell
CGRA President

Secretary

Hello from Colorado Springs!

Well, as the Secretary for CGRA there's not a lot for me to report on. So instead, I'll update you all on some upcoming events held down here that we would like all of you to attend and help us spread the presence of CGRA to the Southern area of Colorado!

On March 5, 2011, the United Court of the Pikes Peak Empire will be holding their "Winter Cotillion". The Emperor and Empress have asked CGRA to present colors that evening for their first State function of the year. This will be held at Club Q starting at 5pm. Cost at the door will be $15 for non-members of the UCPPE or $12 for members. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to email me --

Also, mark your calendars for April 30, 2011. Out Loud: The Colorado Springs Men's Chorus will be holding their next concert -- "Boys on Broadway!" - at the Stargazers Theatre and Event Center. Since I am a member of the chorus, I would love to see many of you there representing CGRA. We will be holding two concerts that day, one at 2pm and the other at 7:30pm. For more information regarding the concerts and our chorus, please check out the web page -- http://www.rmarts.org/outloud.php.

Well, that's about all from down here. And remember, to "Get in the Truck" and start helping CGRA prepare for RMRR 29! Volunteer if you can, you'll have a great time!!

Rich CGRA Secretary

Trustee

University was a very educational thing to go to and fun, several classes were offered and I would like to see more CGRA members next year, along with all of our new dancers.

As far as rodeos, Phoenix is coming up soon, February 18, 19, 20, and at this point we are trying to figure out who and how many horses are going.

Well, well, that seems to be it for now. Good luck to all contestants going to Phoenix!!!!!

Your Trustee, John Beck

Membership

Rolling into 2011 as your membership chair, here's a little reminder about what's what in the by-laws for MEMBERSHIP and how it affects you:

1. All memberships are based on calendar year quarters instead of months. This translates to just four (4) renewal dates per year- March 31, June 30, September 30, and December 31.
2. Membership cards (for those who wish them) and reminder emails should make it easier for everyone to renew their membership when due. Members will be DEACTIVATED in the database within 10 days of expiration if they have not renewed. ABSOLTELY NO EXCEPTIONS!
3. CGRA offers limited Junior (JR) memberships at a reduced annual fee of $12. This is ONLY for those under the age of 18 - with parental approval, of course.

Please do take a moment and make sure your membership is up-to-date. Prompt renewals are always greatly appreciated and be sure to let me know if you have any name, address, phone or email changes. Do check your emails closely for those renewal reminders. For those of you needing to renew end of March, you'll start hearing from me shortly.

Remember, staying on "Active" status is imperative for rodeo event registration - AND I HAVE MEMBERSHIP CARDS FOR ANYONE WHO WANTS ONE! If I don't run into you at our meetings and events, contact me and I'll snail mail one to you. Not only is it a great reminder for your renewal date, but a shopping trip to Lancaster's with your card will net you a 10% discount.

Feel free to email me: if you have any questions or updates...
and, as always, Membership Applications/Renewal forms are available through the website. Those can be snail mailed to me at:

CGRA-Membership
P.O.Box 18728
Denver, CO. 80218

or, better yet...renew on line @ cgra.us

Public Relations

Hello CGRA,

Well its been a fast round out of the gate since being elected Public Relations chair. Our new Board of Directors have been very busy, Getting RMRR 29 underway, Congratulations to Mary Munger for all her very hard work. Being Rodeo Director is never an easy job and Mary has rolled up her sleeves and jumped right in.

I can't believe its February already and Road Runner Regional Rodeo is just around the corner next weekend Feb 18, 19, 20. Wishing all of those within CGRa traveling to Phoenix safe travels and a great weekend.

I also want to say a huge Thank You to RJ Johnson for the amazing dance competition, he and his team put together WOW. It was great to see Charlie's packed that night with so many faces of CGRA and Dancers.

Robert our President has a new Motto for the Board and for CGRA this year. "GET IN THE TRUCK", I love it and I must say I am in the truck and ready and willing to roll my sleeves up and get dirty with everyone else. I know that Bruce has been heading up the Valentine Extravaganza Team and I must say it is shaping up to be an excellent night of fun for CGRA.

With that said I wanted to take a fast minute and once again let everyone know who CGRA has picked as charity partners for 2011. The Element, Rocky Mountain Cares and Home O' Hope. I am very excited to work with three organizations this year. Also on board for the Valentine Extravaganza is The Krewe Of Chaos, and their two charity partners for this event are P.A.W.S. and The Center's Rainbow Alley.

I feel that we are in for a real treat this year with our Valentine Extravaganza. I know personally this team has worked their tails off in making sure there is something for everyone. Saturday Night, the Men Of Charlie's will be on hand selling their famous Jell-O shots as well. Rumor has it that most of the shots this year are red and pink. Makes me wonder what flavors are on hand, YUMMY YUMMY.

Also a reminder that next month is Texas Tradition Rodeo in Fort Worth on March 11, 12, 13, so mark your calendars for that. Also don't forget that sponsorships are available for RMRR 29, contact Bruce Gros at for more details or log on to www.CGRA.US our website, click on Rodeo then click on sponsorships and go from there.

Also remember that this year's CGRA meetings are on the second Friday of the month instead of Thursday's. Below is the meeting dates for 2011

February 11
March 18
April 15
May 13
June 10
July 15
August 12
September 9
October 14
November 18
December 9

Also check out the web site for the gymkhana schedule. CD has worked very hard on getting these set. I look forward to seeing all of you out and about.

Dan Rutledge
Public Relations Chair

Rodeo Events

Hmmmm... 2011... and I volunteered to take on the Rodeo Events Chair position this year.
Yeah, I know - what was I thinking!

Turns out I was doing some thinking - about our gymkhanas, about our cattle day, and about some other things that seemed relative to this position.

I'll start with our gymkhanas. As a regular for the last several years, I've noticed a steady decrease in participation that has unfortunately been paralleled with a steady increase in cost(s) - mainly facility/arena. While CGRA does not have a formal stance on the financing of our gymkhanas, we should look at them to be - at least - a self-supporting endeavor. Last year was not nearly the case. Given the BOD still wished to run our own gymkhana series, I did some "shopping" of alternative venues. Options were few, with cost savings even fewer. Bottom line: CGRA's full gymkhana schedule will be at Jeffco. We'll be starting in March using the indoor arena; and, we'll finish up with a date in early October in one of the outdoor arenas.

GYMKHANA DATES: March 13, April 17, May 1, July 31 and October 2.

In addition to the regular speed events (poles, barrels, flags) and some people events (egg toss, cucumber race, etc.), I'm entertaining some ideas about adding some "horsemanship" events. These events would focus more on certain horsemanship basics rather than speed while still challenging both the novice and veteran riders. More to come on that later.

We also had a little retooling of the gymkhana standing rules. I sent out a letter to the Yahoo group that included the new standing rules as adopted plus a chart that highlighted the changes. The chart is included below for your convenience.

CGRA has been holding (at least) one cattle practice day every year. One is in the planning stages for this yearl - in June - prior to RMRR29. In addition to providing a practice venue for the veteran contestants, I would like to see us all help in placing more focus on recruiting and teaching new members. Stay Tuned for the details!

By the way, this is a new BOD hat for me this year, so please feel free to share any thoughts, ideas or even criticisms you might have. After all, this is YOUR organization. Contact me here:

Wow - February already! Better "get in that truck!"

CD

Metro Outreach

We are looking to go Tubing at Copper Mountain at Coca-Cola tubing hill on Saturday 26 of Feb. I'd like to know how many are going by the 21st of Feb so we can book the bus and the hill for us. Tubing opens at 11 am and closes at 7 PM. I would like to leave Denver at 10 am so we can be on the hill by 1 PM. It will cost $25 per person and if we get more than 25 it will be $20. So the more the merry. On the way back we will stop at Beau Jo's pizza in Idaho Springs.

Metro outreach had an open house on Sat. Feb 5th, and two things came to mind:

1. A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step. So we took the first step;
2. Do not fear going forward slowly. Fear only to stand still.

So with that said, I would like to thank each and everyone that came out to support the open house and help us move forwar. Our next step will be to visit GLBT representatives in the collages. To go where we have not gone before.

Entertainment

New for February 2011

Valentines Day is fast approaching. And CGRA, along with the Krewe of Chaos, will once again be co-producing the Valentine Extravaganza 2011, on February 12th. 22 Bachelors and Bachelorettes are going up for bidding with a special date added in. Hope everyone will be there to bid.

Secondly, I am starting to send letters to other Rodeo Associations inviting their Royalties to perform on Saturday and Sunday at our Rodeo, in addition to the Royalty Show on Thursday before rodeo.

Mary Munger is working on getting James Allen Clark as our special live entertainer on Saturday and Sunday evenings at the Rodeo Grounds.

We are also opening up to all the Local Royalties to perform at our Rodeo. Dan, Tracey and Rocky will be helping me with this. They don't know this yet, so surprise KIDS.

And one final thought, is anyone interested in a float for Pride this year? If so, please let me know as we need to get started on any ideas.

Just remember "Git in the Truck."

John Kingston
2011 Entertainment Chair

Dance

CGRA Dance Competition

The CGRA Competitive Dance Program will strive to be a stellar program of quality and integrity.

"Thank You" to all the persons who helped the first CGRA Dance contest to be such a great success. I sincerely appreciate the support of CGRA members who were present for the Dance Contest and those CGRA members who volunteered to help out with the actual contest: Kim was great to help out with support for the judges; Tommy, Vince and Dave were great to tabulate the results of the contest; Chris and Kimeul were two of the judges; and of course, Billy and Kimeul were members of the dance committee in preparation for the contest. Dave deserves a very special thank you for all hs work and expertise in technology, preparing the forms and ballots for the contests, and preparation for computer application for the tabulation of results. In addition to CGRA volunteers, we had great help from volunteers, other judges, AJ the DJ, Sean and photography and Frank for his help with creating the CGRA Dance Link on our website and providing on-line registration.

Much appreciation is expressed for all the contestants who participated in the dance contest. Photographs of winners, participants, volunteers, judges, and fans are featured on the CGRA.us Dance link.

A huge THANK YOU shout out to John Nelms and the great staff at Charlies. They have been great about providing space for tables and chairs for publicity purposes and space for tabulation, dancing, meetings and various venues and activities necessary for a successful dance program. Thanks, John, for being the home bar for the CGRA Dance Contest.

February will have some minor preparation (AKA: take some down time) for the March 26 CGRA Dance Contest but we will hit the contest heavy in March. Even seasoned Dance Chairs need some time off for respite and R&R to gear up for the next big event.

I want to sincerely express my appreciation for the CGRA President and the Board of Directors for the great support with personal encouragement, physical presence and positive attitude and personal support for the dance program. Thank You. I cannot find the words to express my sincere appreciation for the great support from the BOD.

I am sincerely grateful for the opportunity to be the CGRA Dance Chair and look forward to the challenges of future dance contests. The next dance contest will be held on March 26, 5PM at Charlies. More information will be posted on the CGRA Dance Link and Charlies Home page.

FYI: Find your partner and get signed up to have a fun time of participation. This is your time to have fun and be able to tell your friends that you have really participated in a dance contest and had fun.

Respectfully submitted by RJ
AKA:
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