The History of IGBO
The History of the International Gay Bowling Organization, or IGBO as it is
known around the globe, is rich and diverse, reflecting the organizations
ideals of Unity, Fellowship and Communication. From it's original 6 member
cities in 1980, to over 200 member leagues and tournaments worldwide, IGBO
has grown into the largest International Gay and Lesbian sports organization
in existence today. The amazing growth of Gay bowling is not surprising, as
it is one sport that truly does not discriminate among its participants. Whether
young or old, male or female, wheelchair bound or deaf, strong or weak, tall
or short, bowling is a sport that virtually any living person can enjoy whether
recreationally or as a member of a league. Gay and Lesbian leagues began emerging
in the United States in the '70's, primarily as a social outlet for men and
women who wished to fraternize with their "family" members in a
non-bar atmosphere. IGBO was created out of a desire to unify all of the gay
leagues, and open lines of communications between them, as well as promote
the sport through league and tournament participation. Over the past twenty
years, the organization has dealt with topical issues such as increasing participation
by women, memorializing members who have succumbed to AIDS, raising funds
for charitable organizations and the ongoing pursuit of increasing membership
worldwide.
Below is a brief history of the organization, from its humble beginnings to
it's shining present state. Whether a current member or just interested in
the organization, we hope you enjoy our story, and hope you are also considering
joining in one of the most entertaining gay and lesbian organizations that
exists today!
The Beginning
The International Gay Bowling Organization, or "IGBO", began as
a simple idea in 1980 by league bowlers in North America. The "seed"
was laid on August 29th, 1980 when representatives from six cities met in
Los Angeles CA to participate in a joint bowling/softball tournament hosted
by the Inter-City Athletic Union of Los Angeles. The representatives from
Houston, Los Angeles, Milwaukee, New York City, San Diego and Toronto agreed
that there was a strong need for an organization to help unify a growing gay
and lesbian bowling community. At this meeting, the representatives agreed
to contact other cities that might be interested in joining, and selected
Milwaukee Wisconsin as the site for the first organizational meeting. The
foundation was set.
In Milwaukee, in addition to the original six cities, Atlanta, Chicago, Minneapolis,
St. Paul and Seattle also attended, bringing the total number of cities present
to 11. The first Board of Directors was elected, and preliminary sets of By-Laws
were adopted. It was also agreed that Memorial Day weekend would be designated
as the time for an annual IGBO bowling tournament. The six original cities
all bid for the first ever IGBO Annual, with Houston Texas eventually being
selected. The tournament would be open to league members of the participating
cities, and a format of three games in singles, doubles and 5-person team
event was adopted.
1981
In May of 1981, Houston's Montrose Sports Association hosted the first ever
IGBO Annual bowling tournament and meeting, with bowlers from sixteen cities
attending. At this meeting, the first IGBO Committee was created, the Bylaws
Committee, to draft Bylaws to be presented and approved at the next meeting.
The next meeting was held in November of 1981 during the Holiday Invitational
Tournament in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. At that time, Dallas Texas was selected
as the host of the 1982 Annual tournament and meetings.
1982
In May of 1982, Dallas hosted the IGBO Annual, which achieved recognition
for hosting the largest indoor gay and lesbian sports event of all time. More
than 400 bowlers from 27 cities attended the tournament. At the meetings,
Chicago was awarded the bid for the 1983 annual tournament.
1983
In May of 1983, the annual meeting in Chicago proved that IGBO was here to
stay, as thirteen new cities were approved as members, and IGBO petitioned
the American Bowling Congress to amend it's rules on all-events competitions.
The organization petitioned to allow more than one all-events category per
tournament, and to include both individual all-events and team all-events.
Later in the year, ABC approved the proposal, an important step for IGBO to
establish its legitimacy with ABC. Seattle Washington was selected as the
site for the fourth annual tournament and meetings.
1984
The 1984 Seattle tournament was important, as IGBO unveiled the Fellowship
Award, which recognized individuals who upheld and promoted IGBO's ideals
of Unity, Communication and Fellowship. The first stages of incorporation
also occurred, and Louisville Kentucky was selected as the site of the 1985
tournament and meetings.
1985
IGBO Inc. became a legally incorporated non-profit organization at the 1985
meeting in Louisville. Washington was chosen as the state of incorporation,
and an attorney was hired to oversee legal matters. The IGBO Midyear tournament
also achieved permanency, and Dallas was chosen as the site for the 1985 Midyear
meetings. Las Vegas Nevada was selected to host the 1986 annual tournament.
With a new two-year procedure to determine the site of the IGBO Annual in
place, New Orleans was also selected as the site of the 1987 Annual tournament.
New Bylaws were being created to deal with IGBO's new incorporated non-profit
status.
In Dallas in November of 1985, the new set of Bylaws was accepted, and a plan
to reach gay bowling communities outside of North America was unveiled.
1986
In May of 1986, Las Vegas hosted the largest tournament in IGBO history.
Over 1,000 bowlers participated in the event, a record that still stands to
this day. As a result of numerous protests that occurred during the tournament,
the IGBO Rules Committee was created to ensure that ABC/WIBC rules, and those
of IGBO would be followed. The Board of Directors was also expanded to eleven
members. The position of IGBO statistician was created to begin developing
a system of collecting bowling averages and tournament scores from the members.
Washington D.C. was selected the site of the 1988 meeting and tournament.
1987
The New Orleans Kocktail Bunch hosted the 1987 Annual tournament, and set
a new standard, as a female was selected to host the IGBO Annual event. The
Rules Committee found five violations of ABC rules, all involving bowlers
who had not reported winnings of $300 or more, as required. The violations
highlighted the need for more direct control over the Annual and Midyear tournaments,
and an improved method of verifying bowlers' averages and past winnings. The
IGBO Archives Committee was created, to preserve the history of the organization.
Cincinnati Ohio was selected as the site of the 1989 Annual tournament. Later
that year San Francisco hosted the IGBO Midyear meetings at it's annual tournament.
At the close of 1987, IGBO membership had swelled to 57 member cities from
the United States and Canada.
1988
1988 proved to be quite a busy year for the organization. IGBO became committed
to moving in new directions, and initiated several new agendas. The agendas
included providing information and education to members regarding AIDS and
HIV infection, encouraging more participation by women, creating a new system
to help develop new IGBO leaders, and to build the IGBO Newsletter into a
premium communication vehicle. Emphasis on controlling costs of Annual and
Midyear attendance for the members was also stressed.
The first-ever formal Board of Directors "Special Meeting" also
occurred in Kansas City Missouri, devoted to organizing and streamlining the
ever-growing meetings. It recognized the need for additional meetings of the
board to deal with expanding business issues.
In May of 1988, Washington D.C. held the Annual tournament and meetings. The
IGBO Marketing committee was established, as well as the Women's Advisory
Board, in an effort to get more women bowlers involved in both the tournaments
and the board and committees. Los Angeles was awarded the IGBO 10th anniversary
tournament and meetings, and Dallas was selected as the site of the Midyear
meetings. Miami Florida hosted the Midyear meetings in the fall of 1988.
1989
Calgary, Canada was the site of the 1989 Board of Directors "Special
Meeting", the first official meeting place outside of the United States.
A formal bidding procedure was developed, creating standardized guidelines
for all potential biding cities to use in building a bid package.
Cincinnati Ohio hosted the 1989 Annual tournament. It was the first time a
three-bowling house system was used. IGBO also signed its first corporate
contract with American Airlines, who would become the official IGBO airline.
American offered favorable discounts for bowlers traveling to IGBO affiliated
tournaments, as well as the Annual and Midyear events.
Dallas hosted the 1989 Midyear meetings. At the meeting, a plan was unveiled
for IGBO to sponsor a series of panels for the International Aids Quilt, to
honor IGBO members who had died of AIDS. Volunteers were sought to participate
in the names gathering and panel preparations. Coordinators were assigned
to regions to gather the names. Eventually more than 450 names were gathered.
1990
St. Louis, Missouri hosted the 1990 Board of Directors "Special Meeting",
to prepare for the Annual in Los Angeles in May.
Los Angeles hosted IGBO's 10th Anniversary tournament. The highlight was the
first AIDS Memorial Service, which included the unveiling of the first 12'x12'
section of the organizations contribution to the Aids Quilt. IGBO also appealed
to the membership to contribute money to pay for the Quilt, including a donation
to the Names project. Over $3500 was donated by leagues, tournaments and individuals.
A new dues structure was implemented, based upon the number of bowlers in
the leagues, and a major change in the voting structure was approved by the
membership. Four classifications of membership were defined: Regular, Tournament,
Organization and Associate. Only Regular members were given voting authority.
Dallas/Fort Worth was selected as the site of the 1992 Annual meeting. Once
again, the tournament chose a female as its director.
Later that year, at the Midyear meeting in Milwaukee, the IGBO Handbook was
published and distributed to the members.
1991
Toronto Canada hosted the first ever IGBO Annual outside of the United States,
over the Memorial Day Weekend in 1991. The Quilt Committee reported that seven
panels of the Aids Quilt were completed, and the panels were unveiled at the
Memorial Service on that Sunday. The first ever Canadian president of the
organization was elected at the membership meeting, and a woman was elected
for only the second time ever to the Board of Directors. Atlanta Georgia was
selected as the site of the 1993 Annual tournament.
In November, Tampa Florida hosted a very successful Midyear tournament. Detroit
was selected as the site for the 1992 Midyear. Tampa concluded the weekend
events with the first ever IGBABE competition. IGBABE (International Gay Bowling
Amateur Best Entertainer) was devised as a fundraiser for AIDS organizations.
Entertainers from Dallas, Detroit, Seattle, Chicago, Orlando, Vancouver and
Atlanta competed. The event has become a staple of the modern IGBO Midyear
event.
1992
Dallas Texas hosted the Annual event. At the membership meeting, Oklahoma
City, Oklahoma was selected as the site of the 1994 annual tournament. The
discussion of tournament averages led to approval of a system to report and
enforce tournament averages for fairness and consistency in IGBO tournaments.
At the Midyear in Detroit, membership cards were distributed for the first
time. The members also decided to contribute $1000 annually to the Names Project
in San Francisco for upkeep and maintenance of the Quilt panels in their care.
San Antonio was selected as the site for the Midyear 1993 tournament. The
number of member leagues continued to rise, surpassing 100 leagues at 105.
1993
The 13th Annual tournament celebrated by being the second largest ever attended
in IGBO history. Atlanta capitalized on it's own tournaments reputation and
rewarded bowlers with a truly unforgettable weekend. With 936 registered bowlers
and over 50 guests, the tournament was filled with glamour excitement and
entertainment. The membership meeting set a record with 93 of the 105 member
leagues present. The first ever non-North American Board of Director was elected,
from Auckland New Zealand, and the third ever female Board of Director was
elected. The weekend concluded with a fabulous banquet at the host hotel.
Special entertainment of the evening was the legendary Jimmy James, who enthralled
the audience of 1050 with his renditions of famous performers such as Judy
Garland and Marilyn Monroe. Vancouver was selected as the site of the 1995
Annual event.
San Antonio hosted the 1993 Midyear tournament, and the membership approved
a redistribution of regions from six to seven. The IGBO Newsletter began a
transformation in the way it was organized, produced and distributed. Tucson
Arizona was selected as the site of the 1994 Midyear event.
1994
The 1994 IGBO tournament was held in Oklahoma City. A somber announcement
was made indicating that the IGBO AIDS Quilt was continuing to grow. As of
the meeting, over 900 names were listed on the completed panels, with enough
on hand to complete two more panels. Nine new leagues joined, bringing the
total up to 125 leagues. Philadelphia Pennsylvania was selected as the site
for the 1996 Annual tournament. The 1994 Annual event also marked a new cooperative
opportunity for IGBO. Working with the International Gay Rodeo Association,
a co-sponsored event was held on Saturday night. The "Boots and Balls"
party was held at the rodeo host hotel, and IGBO was offered the opportunity
to earn money for the Quilt by sponsoring a "Martha Washington Race"
at the Sunday afternoon rodeo events.
Over Halloween weekend, Tucson hosted the IGBO Midyear tournament and meetings.
Due to a change in the law in the state of Washington, the use of the term
"IGBO Inc." was amended to simply "IGBO". At the meetings,
the membership agreed to continue pursuing tax-exempt status. (This had been
under consideration for several years). A record 18 new leagues were added
to the ranks, bringing the number to over 140.
1995
For the second time in IGBO history, the Annual meeting and tournament were
held outside of the United States, as Vancouver British Columbia hosted the
events, and welcomed over 800 bowlers to their city. The Board of Directors
spent a great deal of time reviewing and reorganizing the Bylaws and Policy
and Procedures, and began investigating items such as Archive storage and
online access for the members, and selected an apparel company to market a
line of IGBO merchandise at the tournaments. At the membership meeting, it
was reported that IGBO had eleven panels completed in the IGBO AIDS Quilt,
and enough names to fill four more panels. Nashville Tennessee was selected
as the site of the 1997 Annual, and thirteen new leagues were added, bringing
the total number to 152.
During the year, IGBO was granted 501(c)(3) (non-profit) status in the United
States.
The 1995 Midyear tournament and meetings were held in Lexington Kentucky.
Discussions revolved around ways to ensure IGBO's non-profit status beyond
the five year provisional term granted by the U.S. Internal Revenue Service.
The Online/Website committee demonstrated the capabilities and usefulness
of the Internet, giving the membership one of its first glimpses of a communication
medium that promised to take IGBO into the twenty-first century. Orlando Florida
was selected as the site of the 1996 Midyear tournament. Ten new leagues joined,
bringing the number of members to almost 160.
1996
IGBO's 1996 Annual tournament was held in Philadelphia. The Online Website
Committee officially announced the creation of an IGBO website on the Internet
(at www.igbo.org), and a Canadian woman was appointed Web Master. Cleveland
Ohio was selected as the site for IGBO's 18th tournament in 1998.
Midyear 1996 was held in Orlando Florida. The Board discussed the need to
"re-engineer" the organization and begin examining what IGBO does
and how it does it. A special Board meeting was scheduled for January of 1997
to address this issue. The Board also approved a new bid application format
designed to assist bidding cities by reducing the costs associated with developing
bid packages and presenting bids to host IGBO tournaments. The Marketing and
Finance Committee was re-activated, primarily to run the organization-wide
raffles and mail-in tournaments, which had become regular IGBO fundraising
activities for Annual and Midyear tournaments.
1997
In January of 1997, the IGBO Board met in Las Vegas for a special meeting
to begin a long process of examining the services the organization provides
to its members, and re-aligning organization services to meet members' needs.
One of the first products of the re-engineering meeting was the development
of a Mission Statement, which was approved by the membership at the 1997 Annual
tournament in Nashville. The Mission Statement is as follows:
"IGBO, an international gay bowling organization, provides educational
services, communication avenues and social opportunities to promote the sport
of bowling and to enrich the lives of individuals through leagues and tournaments
worldwide".
Also at the membership meeting, IGBO's first "official" corporate
sponsor was approved. Coors Brewing Company was designated official sponsor
of IGBO tournaments in 1998, in exchange for a $20,000 contribution to the
organization. Half of this contribution was designated for the Annual and
Midyear tournaments, with the other designated for improving IGBO's educational
and communication activities.
The organizations Policies and Procedures were tested in Nashville, where
the Board and membership found it necessary to seek a substitution for the
Cleveland Tournament Committee, which had won the bid for the 1998 Annual
tournament. A new roster of committee members from Cleveland appeared before
the Board and offered to step in and run the tournament. A very grateful Board
and membership approved the substitution.
In Nashville, forums were also held to consider proposals submitted by the
Board that pertained to the relationship between IGBO and the IGBO-affiliated
tournaments. Those attending were encouraged to discuss what their expectations
were for IGBO, with regard to providing support to, and deriving support from
the tournaments.
A second Special Board Meeting was held in late summer in Cleveland, with
invited guests to continue with the re-engineering process as it related to
the tournaments.
Midyear 1997 was held in Toronto, Ontario. The Board voted to hold a third
Special Board Meeting in early 1998 in Phoenix Arizona to continue the re-engineering
process, this time to focus on IGBO's relationship with its member leagues.
Los Angeles was selected to host IGBO Midyear 1998.
1998
Cleveland Ohio hosted the 1998 Annual tournament. At the top of the membership
meeting agenda was a proposal to encourage tournaments to join the organization
as voting members, similar to the league members. The proposal was approved,
reflecting one of the most significant outcomes of the re-engineering process,
which had been going on for almost two years to date. Denver was selected
to host IGBO Annual 2000.
IGBO Midyear 1998 was held in Long Beach CA, hosted by the Los Angeles tournament
committee. The Board approved a new merchandiser to develop and market IGBO
apparel. "Breakout" sessions were introduced for the first time
at the membership meetings, moving the organization closer to a convention-type
format. Honolulu Hawaii was selected to host IGBO Midyear 1999. Five new leagues
were approved as members, and for the first time, fifteen tournaments were
brought into the organization as voting members. Los Angeles also set a new
standard in 1998: the inclusion of the optional "Scratch Masters"
event, held after the regular tournament had ended. The Scratch Masters event
had been widely successful in the Southwest for years, and its inclusion greatly
raised the awareness of the membership about this very competitive scratch
event, which has since spread to tournaments throughout the organization,
as well as future IGBO Annual and Midyears.
Two special Board meetings were held during the year relating to the ongoing
"reengineering" of IGBO. The first took place in February in Phoenix,
Arizona, and the second in August in Washington DC.
1999
The 1999 IGBO Annual Tournament took place in Washington DC, with a tremendous
turnout of almost 700 bowlers. During the General Membership Meeting, Columbus
Ohio was chosen as the site of IGBO Annual 2001 Tournament. Six new leagues
and 19 tournaments were welcomed into the organization by the membership,
reflecting the eagerness of tournaments to officially join the organization
as voting members. The DC Committee ran an exceptional event, yet again raising
the standard for IGBO Events.
The 1999 IGBO Midyear Tournament was held in Honolulu Hawaii in November.
The event was spectacular, as it attracted 460 bowlers and 90 non-bowling
participants from all over the globe to participate. The tournament was hosted
by one of the smallest Committees in IGBO history, and proved that "quality,
not quantity" prevailed, as the event was a major success in every way.
The famous IGBABE event was held in Waikiki Harbor on a dinner cruise, and
was even visited by "The Queen" of England, who delighted the crowd
of hundreds during an impromptu a capella performance in light of some technical
difficulties during the show! At the General Membership Meeting on Friday,
3 new league and an additional 14 tournaments were added as members, bring
the total number of members to almost 200!
The Board held two special meetings during the year, in Houston Texas in February,
and In Los Angeles California in August. These meeting signaled the near completion
of the reengineering that had begun in January of 1997.
2000
The 20th Anniversary of IGBO was celebrated in Denver Colorado with IGBO
Annual 2000. The event was meticulously run by an extremely professional and
dedicated committee, and included a special 20th Anniversary party to celebrate
two decades of the IGBO organization. At the General Membership Meeting a
woman was elected to the Board of Directors, for the third time ever in IGBO
history, as IGBO Vice-President. The membership selected Fort Lauderdale Florida
as the site of IGBO Annual 2002, and approved the addition of five new leagues
and two tournaments, breaking the 200 barrier for total number of members!
The sixteenth Aids Quilt was also completed and displayed with the others
during the event. The first ever "league advertising" campaign was
unveiled, as a benefit of membership and to help increase league participation
throughout the organization. The Board also took a serious look at the IGBO
website, and agreed that its importance mandated an overhaul of the existing
site, to better serve the members.
The IGBO Midyear event was held in Minneapolis Minnesota in November. The
chilly weather kept most of the almost 400 bowlers in the hotel for most of
the weekend, aside from bowling, and created a frenzy of activity with the
multiple hospitality suites working overtime to accommodate everyone! The
committee added a silent auction of celebrity signed tee shirts, which was
a hugely successful event, raising thousands of dollars for charity. At the
General Membership meeting, a total of fourteen new leagues and tournaments
were voted into membership, bringing the total number of members to a record
209.
A special Meeting of the Board was held in Denver in February, and concluded
the original reengineering: a process that had covered almost four years.
2001
Columbus, Ohio was the site of IGBO Annual 2001. Two cities vied to host the 2003 Annual event, and the membership chose Phoenix, Arizona over Chicago, Illinois. The event was a huge success, with over eight hundred bowlers participating, and a record prize fund.
Six Associates, eight Leagues and one Tournament were approved by the membership as new IGBO members. The IGBO Mid Year event was held in Houston, Texas. At the General Membership Meeting, San Diego, California was chosen by the membership to host IGBO Mid Year 2003.
At the Meetings, IGBO was proud to introduce its first ever bowling ball, bag and equipment Sponsor, STORM to the membership. A one-year contract was signed, and benefits to IGBO affiliated tournaments were added as well.
2002
Ft. Lauderdale Florida was the site of IGBO Annual 2002, being hosted by the South Florida Committee.
To be continued...
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