A Bit Of History : ADBA ’ s First Convention of Club Officers and APBT Fanciers January 1984
The First ADBA Convention was held in response to the request of Ralph Greenwood , president of the American Dog Breeders Association .
I remember the call to myself and husband , Joe Burford - then president of the Golden State Pit Bull Club - to our home in Long Beach , California . There had been hashing and rehashing of the weight pull rules in effect by the clubs holding them . Tensions were high , and Ralph felt that a face-to-face sit down with all involved would go a long way to help iron out the differences and come up with workable rules for all .
Looking at a date and place , it was decided that the convention would be held in Denver , CO , just three weeks away in the month of January . Even with the short notice , representatives of 36 ADBA sanctioned show and pulling clubs were in attendance from every corner of the USA . This , I feel , was a true display of the dedication to the breed that fanciers felt at the time .
The weather was brutal , with storms and temperature dipping to 9 degrees F . The three Colorado clubs hosted the event which included the conference room for two days and a full buffet dinner for all to enjoy .
Those in attendance did not allow the weather to hamper their spirits . An enthusiastic snowball fight served as the icebreaker and soon everyone was on a first name basis . Tales of driving through mountain snowstorms , on icy roads , landing on icy runways , delays and more delays were shared as friendships were renewed and new associations were made ,
After a welcome from Ralph , and a sharing of the agenda , the podium was turned over to Orval Sneed from Oklahoma . Orval led the discussion of the ADBA weight pull rules . They were reviewed , clarified and revised . After much discussion , and yes - some very loud discussion , the new revisions were unanimously agreed upon by the floor .
Richard Stratton was in attendance , representing the Endangered Breed Association . He explained the goals of this organization and the battles that they had undertaken on behalf of APBT fanciers and their dogs . Renewed support was given by every club in attendance which again showed the dedication of everyone there to the future and well-being of our dogs . The meetings finally ended late into the evening .
Sunday ’ s meetings came to order early and the agenda focused on club concerns . The rules to forming new ADBA sanctioned clubs , insurance liability , dealing with new laws and ordinances , judge issues , etc . came out of this session . All clubs displayed unanimous support for the ADBA ’ s continuance in their role for sponsorship of their point shows and weight pulls .
As the first ADBA Convention of Clubs and Fanciers ended , a definite mood of success and accomplishment prevailed . The proposal for an annual ADBA Convention was introduced . It was voted an overwhelming YES and so this meeting of the minds was committed to continue . It was in the spirit of compromise for the good of the whole that we continued on for the benefit of our APBT ’ s and those sportsmen that love them .
Conventions were held each year , alternating to the clubs that wished to host them . I remember Oklahoma , Chicago , New Orleans , and Marina Del Rey to name a few . I am not sure when the permanent location of Las Vegas came into being , but I remember that it was an attempt to find a place with the best fares for flights for most of the attendees .
Due to financial issues , and in order to keep club costs at a minimum , the annual convention was changed to biennially in 2011 . But , nevertheless , the purpose of the ADBA Convention has not changed . It is our chance to refresh , renew , and put our heads together to solve club issues . We also have a whole lot of fun and build relationships that go a long way to ensure our ability to own and compete with our dogs at ADBA Club events .
I hope to see you in February in Las Vegas at the ADBA Convention of Club Officers and Fanciers .
Amy Greenwood-Dudar / ADBA Inc . * Historical reference from the pages of the ADBA American Pit Bull Gazette Feb 1984
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