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Media Inquiries and the 2012 Sunshine Stampede...

The Florida Gay Rodeo Association will be holding its Seventh Annual Sunshine Stampede rodeo at the Bergeron Rodeo Grounds in Davie, Florida. This event is one of the largest gay rodeos in the United States with between 80 and 100 contestants from throughout the United States and Canada traveling here to compete in thirteen events.

Members of the media are invited to attend the rodeo free of charge by walking up to the rodeo ticket office at the Bergeron Arena and presenting media credentials. An FGRA representative will be available for any questions you may have.


PLEASE NOTE THE FOLLOWING:

  • There is NO access to the rodeo arena at any time. There are NO EXCEPTIONS. Media representatives found in the arena will be asked to leave the Bergeron Rodeo Grounds.
  • There is NO access to behind the chutes without an FGRA escort and proper attire consisting of closed toed shoes, long pants and a long sleeve shirt. Media representatives behind the chutes without an FGRA representative or without proper attire will be asked to leave the Bergeron Rodeo Grounds.

Gay Rodeo History

  • First gay rodeo was in 1976 in Reno, Nevada to raise money for muscular dystrophy.
  • The International Gay Rodeo Association was formed in 1985.
  • There are 28 gay rodeo associations through the United States and Canada.
  • Approximately 30 gay rodeos are held each year with contestants earning points so they can invited to IGRA Finals Rodeo.
  • Finals Rodeo will be held in Fort Worth, TX in October of this year.
  • Gay Rodeo is professional rodeo and uses certified judges and other officials to insure consistency and safety. A seventy six page rule book is used and each rodeo is audited with a checklist to insure quality and compliance.

Florida Gay Rodeo Association

  • FGRA is a member association of the International Gay Rodeo Association (IGRA).
  • The Florida Gay Rodeo Association was formed in 2005.
  • We are a 501(C)(3) charity organization.
  • We have more than 200 volunteer members across Florida.
  • Our primary mission is to raise funds for charities.
  • We conduct educational outreach to our members and the public.
  • Most of our members do not live on ranches, ride horses, or compete in rodeos.

Sunshine Stampede Rodeo

  • Saturday, April 21st and Sunday, April 22nd.
  • Bergeron Rodeo Arena in Davie.
  • This is our seventh year putting on a rodeo.
  • The rodeo costs about $100,000 to produce.
  • It is our largest fund raising event each year.
  • Our rodeo has been one of the largest gay rodeos in the Country (as measured by spectator attendance).
  • We have between 4,000 and 6,000 spectators during our rodeo and event weekend.
  • Our rodeo will start at about 9:00 a.m. and end at about 5:00 p.m. on both Saturday and Sunday.
  • Approximately 80 contestants from all over the United States will compete at our rodeo, including a team coming down from Canada. Contestants also come from the greater Fort Lauderdale area.
  • On Friday at 6:00 p.m., contestant registration will be taking place at the Hilton Fort Lauderdale Airport Hotel. Media opportunities are available at this event.
  • On Sunday, at 8:00 P.M., FGRA will hold an Awards Ceremony, where winners will be announced and contestants will receive ribbons, buckles and cash. This event is open to the public.

Events

  • Gay Rodeo has all of the events you would see in a traditional rodeo.
  • Rodeo events are in four groups:
    • Speed: Barrel Racing, Flag Racing, and Pole Bending.
    • Roping: Calf Roping on Foot, Mounted Break-a-way, Roping and Team Roping.
    • Rough Stock: Bull Riding, Steer Riding, and Bareback Bronc Riding.
    • Camp: Goat Dressing, Steer Decorating, and Wild Drag Race.
  • Complete description of all events can be found on the IGRA Events page.
  • Women compete against women and men compete against men.
  • A contestant competes on Saturday and then competes again on Sunday. They may win on either day and the contestant who does the best over the weekend wins the "buckle" for that event.

Differences in Gay Rodeo

There are some significant differences with gay rodeo.

  • Women can compete in all events in gay rodeo. They are blocked from most rough stock events by traditional rodeo associations. In gay rodeo, women will do bull riding, steer riding and bareback bronc riding.
  • IGRA has the strongest animal welfare and protection rules of any rodeo association. Contestants may be removed from the rodeo, forfeit their winnings and lose their points for abusing any animal. IGRA prohibits the use of shock sticks on animals to enhance their performance. Some rodeo events have been modified to provide more protections to the animal (i.e. mounted breakaway roping and chute dogging).
  • There are three "camp" events that are exclusive to gay rodeo. They are designed to allow anyone to compete, including those without any rodeo experience.
    • Goat Dressing.
    • Steer Decorating.
    • Wild Drag Race.