January 23-26, 2003 culminated nearly two years of planning by the Virginia Tech chapter to host the 83rd National Block and Bridle Convention in Washington, D.C. Although the original Committee Co-chairs, Gwen Gilmore and Bart Kite, carried the torch for the initial year of planning, a mammoth amount of work was done by the two individuals to whom the torch was passed: Stephanie Smith and Abbe Jacobs. The slogan for convention was "From the Mountains to the Sea". It was fitting that the slogan represented not only the diversity of Virginia, but also the 540 attendees from 44 chapters representing 33 states.
To kick off the convention on Thursday evening was the business meeting, conducted by the National Officers. Virginia Tech is proud to be represented by Dr. Cindy Wood as National Secretary-Treasurer. Following the business meeting was the first of two dances.
Friday morning started with an early breakfast, followed by the educational segment of the convention. That session was kicked off with a welcome by Dr. Mark McCann, Department Head of Animal and Poultry Sciences. Students next learned about making money through an energetic tag-team presentation by Drs. Dave Kohl and Alex White. The keynote address for the convention dealt with current political issues in agriculture, and was presented by Dr. H. Dean Sutphin, Associate Dean of Academic Affairs in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Virginia Tech. Breakout sessions were then conducted for the remainder of the morning. They focused on a variety of issues facing agriculture today – from lobbying, to bioterrorism, to niche marketing. The highlight of the morning for many attendees was the presentation that Dr. Bill Beal gave on what makes cows tick. Friday afternoon and evening gave attendees the opportunity to meet their congressional delegations and/or to sightsee in D.C.
Saturday morning arrived early for everyone as buses departed between 6 AM and 8:15 AM for eight different tours. Students had the opportunity to choose among tours visiting farms centered around Lancaster or Gettysburg, Pennsylvania; a Maryland tour that visited the Wye plantation; tours in Virginia that traveled to Winchester, Middleburg, and Harrisonburg, and a research tour in the D.C. area. When all tours arrived back after a whirlwind day, the awards banquet commenced. The finale for the evening was the second dance of the convention, and the following a morning a Cowboy Church was held for all those who wished to attend, with the message presented by Matt Hickey, a Virginia Tech Block and Bridle member.
The 84th National Convention will be in San Antonio, Texas next year. With the very positive response that Virginia Tech received from our efforts this year, there will undoubtedly be another convention in the years to come that this Chapter will host. Until then, however, we can be thankful that this experience was completed with an exclamation point, and look forward to chapter life returning to its normal self.
