View source for Golden Boot Award

[[Category:Awards]][[Category:Glossary]]
[[File:Dangle-GoldenBoot round.jpg||right]]
[[File:George Gosselin.jpg|right|300px|thumb|George Gosselin, AKA Georgia Peach, designer of the [[Golden Boot Award]] and the [[Honky Tonk Queen]] crown]]

The Golden Boot is awarded each year to a person or group in our community that has made significant and sustained contributions to the LGBTQ* square dance community. 

Few moments at the annual [[IAGSDC]] [[convention]] are more dramatic than the presentation of the Golden Boot Award. Carefully chosen by the past year's recipient, each awardee has advanced LGBTQ* square dancing in ways that have earned our community's recognition, respect, and gratitude. Past recipients have described an overwhelming flood of emotions when their names were announced. Most also tell of a difficult and sometimes painful process of picking their successor.

Anyone who has attended a convention knows the significance of the Golden Boot Award. Some can even recall each year's recipient. So with all of its honor, prestige, and recognition, it may be easy to forget the award's humble origin.

===Origin of the Golden Boot Award===

On May 1st, 1983 [[Art Smith]] was presented with the first Golden Boot Award at [[Puddletown Squares]]' graduation ceremony. As founder of the club, Art received a gilded trophy worth its weight in glue and spray paint. The award was designed by [[George Gosselin]], crafted from a used western boot that had been sprayed gold and embellished with gold chains and rhinestones. What it lacked in charm and sophistication, it made up in feeling. (The other half of that pair of boots became part of the crown for the [[Honky Tonk Queen]].)

After the first convention in 1984, Art was so moved by the spirit of the event that he decided his Golden Boot Award should be passed on to future generations. After receiving green lights from [[Puddletown Dancers]] and the president of the [[IAGSDC]], Art prepared to pass on his award at the [[Promenade Along The Rockies|1985 convention]]. At Denver, Art presented an engraved plaque to gay and lesbian square dancing's first club, the [[South Florida Mustangs]].

Each year since 1985, recipients have been announced at the annual [[IAGSDC]] convention. It is an honored tradition that the person or group that receives the award selects the next recipient. The selection is kept secret until presentation at convention, and at that time an appropriate token (gift of acknowledgment) is given, along with a golden boot dangle.

The dangles were initially provided by [[Freeman Stamper]], who eventually handed off Golden Boot duties to [[Andy Shore]], the present Golden Boot [[Stepmother]].

In the words of [[Art Smith]]: <blockquote>''"The spirit of the Golden Boot Award belongs to everyone. For it is all of us contributing together, sharing our energy, our dedication and most of all our love that is truly the spirit that is honored. When any one of us gives 100% of the best of what and who we are, that is the finest example of the essence of what the Golden Boot Award exemplifies."''</blockquote>

===Selection Process===

The Golden Boot Award is not an official [[IAGSDC]] award, but instead is a tradition of recognition handed down each year from one recipient to the next.  There are no fixed criteria for selecting the next recipient, but factors include longevity in the activity and the [[IAGSDC]], contribution and dedication to the [[IAGSDC]], member clubs, and square dancing as a whole.  [[Freeman Stamper|Freeman "Steffany" Stamper]] wrote: <blockquote>''"Making the decision about the next recipient is very difficult.You have to work through your personal grief that you cannot recognize many people-you must choose "one." You must sort through all the politics surrounding your considerations and make a decision with unswerving determination. You must spend many waking hours ruminating and toiling with your emotions. You will have moments of regret and moments of feeling overwhelming demands. You will eventually come to peace with yourself and your decision, sleep will come, and you will focus on only the one person. That, then, is the right person."''</blockquote>

===List of Golden Boot Award Recipients===

{| class="wikitable sortable" border="1"
|-
!scope="col" | Recipient
!scope="col" | Year
!scope="col" | City
!scope="col" | Convention
!scope="col" | Notes
|-
|[[Art Smith]]||[[1983]]||[[Seattle]]||([[Puddletown Dancers]])
|-
|(none)||[[1984]]|| || ||no award given
|-
|[[South Florida Mustangs]]||[[1985]]||[[Denver]]||[[Promenade Along The Rockies]]||[[Golden Boot 1985|notes]]
|-
|[[Dave "Happy" New Year]]||[[1986]]||[[San Francisco]]||[[Star Thru The Golden Gate]]
|-
|[[Scott Carey]]||[[1987]]||[[Portland]]||[[Explode The Rose]]
|-
|[[Ken Pollack]]||[[1988]]||[[Phoenix]]||[[Cross Trails In The Desert]]
|-
|[[Freeman Stamper]]||[[1989]]||[[New York]]||[[Peel The Apple]]||[[Golden Boot 1989|presentation]]
|-
|[[Karl Jaeckel]]||[[1990]]||[[Vancouver]]||[[Northstar Promenade]]||[[Golden Boot 1990|presentation]]
|-
|[[Harlan Kerr]]||[[1991]]||[[Miami]]||[[Cast A Shadow In The Sun]]||[[Golden Boot 1991|presentation]]
|-
|[[Keith Snowdon]]||[[1992]]||[[Albuquerque]]||[[Diamonds In The Desert]]||[[Golden Boot 1992|presentation]]
|-
|[[Anna Damiani]], [[Stan Boyden]], [[Bill St. John]]||[[1993]]||[[Seattle]]||[[Remake The Circle]]||[[Golden Boot 1993|presentation]]
|-
|[[Luis Torres]], [[Bill Eyler]]||[[1994]]||[[Washington, DC]]||[[Stars & Squares Forever]]||[[Golden Boot 1994|presentation]]
|-
|[[Anne Uebelacker]]||[[1995]]||[[Chicago]]||[[Track II Chicago]]||[[Golden Boot 1995|presentation]]
|-
|[[Carol Van Camp]]||[[1996]]||[[San Francisco]]||[[Stars, Thars & Cable Cars]]||[[Golden Boot 1996|presentation]]
|-
|[[Kris Jensen]]||[[1997]]||[[Las Vegas]]||[[Wheel & Deal]]||[[Golden Boot 1997|presentation]]
|-
|[[Mike Staples]], [[Ric Gonzalez]]||[[1998]]||[[Portland]]||[[Weave The Rose]]||[[Golden Boot 1998|presentation]]
|-
|[[Paul Waters]]||[[1999]]||[[Los Angeles]]||[[Lights, Camera, Linear Action]]||[[Golden Boot 1999|presentation]]
|-
|xxxx xxxxx||[[2000]]||[[Baltimore]]||[[Crack The Crab]]||[[Golden Boot 2000|presentation]]
|-
|[[Betsy Gotta]]||[[2001]]||[[Vancouver]]||[[Make Magic]]||[[Golden Boot 2001|presentation]]
|-
|[[Andy Shore]]||[[2002]]||[[Toronto]]||[[Cloverleafs & Maple Leafs]]||[[Golden Boot 2002|presentation]]
|-
|[[Rick Hawes]]||[[2003]]||[[San Diego]]||[[Anchors Aweigh With a Half-Sashay]]||[[Golden Boot 2003|presentation]]
|-
|[[Ett McAtee]]||[[2004]]||[[Phoenix]]||[[Remake The Heatwave]]||[[Golden Boot 2004|presentation]]
|-
|[[Seth Levine]]||[[2005]]||[[Santa Clara]]||[[Star Thru The Silicon Galaxy]]||[[Golden Boot 2005|presentation]]
|-
|[[All Join Hands (Foundation)|All Join Hands Foundation]]||[[2006]]||[[Anaheim]]||[[Wish Upon A Thar]]||[[Golden Boot 2006|presentation]]
|-
|[[Scott Philips]]||[[2007]]|||[[Denver]]||[[Red Rocks and Purple Mountains]]||[[Golden Boot 2007|presentation]]
|-
|[[John Mckinstry]]||[[2008]]||[[Cleveland]]||[[Touch A Quarter Century]]||[[Golden Boot 2008|presentation]]
|-
|[[Bob Young]]||[[2009]]||[[Washington, DC]]||[[DC Diamond Circulate]]||[[Golden Boot 2009|presentation]]
|-
|[[John Faulds]]||[[2010]]||[[Chicago]]||[[Chi-Town Shakedown]]||[[Golden Boot 2010|presentation]]
|-
|[[Mary Jane Wood]]||[[2011]]||[[Atlanta]]||[[Gone With The Windmill]]||[[Golden Boot 2011|presentation]]
|-
|[[Sandie Bryant]]||[[2012]]||[[Vancouver]]||[[Dance Up A Storm]]||[[Golden Boot 2012|presentation]]
|-
|[[JW Paulson]]||[[2013]]||[[San Francisco]]||[[Weave Your Heart in San Francisco]]||[[Golden Boot 2013|presentation]]
|-
|[[Phil Davis]]||[[2014]]||[[Salt Lake City]]||[[Squeeze the Hive]]||[[Golden Boot 2014|presentation]]
|-
|[[John O'Grady]] and [[Leo Champagne]]||[[2015]]||[[St. Louis]]||[[Swing Me in St. Louis]]||[[Golden Boot 2015|presentation]]
|-
|[[Keith Gehrig]]||[[2016]]||[[Toronto]]||[[Maple Leafs Regroup]]||[[Golden Boot 2016|presentation]]
|-
|[[Justin Crawshaw-Lopton]] and [[Ross Crawshaw-Lopton]]||[[2017]]||[[Palm Springs]]||[[Palm Springs Swing & Mix 2017]]||[[Golden Boot 2017|presentation]]
|-
|[[Barry Clasper]] and [[Pam Clasper]]||[[2018]]||[[Seattle]]||[[Circle Back to Seattle]]||[[Golden Boot 2018|presentation]]
|-
|[[Allan Hurst]]||[[2019]]||[[Philadelphia]]||[[Belles Run Philadelphia 2019]]||[[Golden Boot 2019|presentation]]
|}

===Group Photos===
<gallery>
File:2013GoldenBootGroupPhotoSF.jpg|At [[Weave Your Heart in San Francisco]], 2013
File:Boots on Bed 2014.jpg|At [[Squeeze The Hive]], 2014
File:2016GoldenBootsonBedToronto.jpg|At [[Maple Leafs Regroup]], 2016
File:2017 Golden Boot History.jpg|At [[Palm Springs Swing & Mix 2017]], 2017
File:2018 Golden Boot CBTS.jpg|500px]]|At [[Circle Back to Seattle]] 2018
File:GoldenBoot2019.jpg|500px]]|At [[Belles Run Philadelphia 2019]], 2019
</gallery>

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===Sources===
Original Sources: [[SquareUp!]] issue 8 - citing input from 1990 [[Northstar Promenade]] convention program, with additional contributions by [[Karl Jaeckel]] and [[Freeman Stamper]].