2021 Seminar Series Preview

The CAC Seminar Series was launched by the late Bob Leonard as an avenue to connect wrestling’s present generation with its past and to create a forum for careerminded rising stars to propel their careers forward. Check out this incredible line-up for the 2021 reunion!

Those Crazy Canucks! Ice Road Wrestlers and Northern Death Tours It’s come to be considered a rite of passage for aspiring wrestlers - a campaign across the northern Canadian wilderness to perform in the most remote aboriginal communities in the country. Braving temperatures plunging to minus 25 degrees Celsius (-13 Fahrenheit) and colder, waist-deep snow drifts, and miles of travel across ice-covered frozen lakes, it’s hard to believe anyone would subject themselves to this - let alone sign up to be booked the following year.

Among the alumni of these tours, which have been discussed on the WWE network and other podcasts and biographies include Edge, Chris Jericho, Lance Storm, Christian, Kerry Brown and dozens more. The experience they get is invaluable. The tales, shared by survivors of these tours will have you shaking your head in both disbelief and laughter.

This year, for the first time ever, the Cauliflower Alley Club is pleased to present stories from the Ice Roads. It’s a 2021 Learning Series event that you certainly won’t want to miss!

Panelists: Massive Damage Alumni of 13 Ice Road Tours 2014 CAC Jason Sanderson Humanitarian Honoree Bobby Sharp Alumni of 10 Ice Road Tours 2013 CAC Rising Star Award Honoree Vance Nevada Alumni of 6 Ice Road Tours 2010 CAC James C. Melby Honoree Steve Rivers Alumni of 6 Ice Road Tours 29-year ring veteran, long-time CAC member Kat Von Heez Her first tour was on the ice roads 8-year ring veteran, long-time CAC member

Maddison Miles

2020 CAC Rising Star Award Honoree Catch-as-Catch-Can Wrestling Bridging the Past & Present of Pro Wrestling First done for side-bets in the fields and coal pits of Lancashire, England after a grueling day of labor, and later brought across the Atlantic after the Civil War, professional wrestling in North America traces its origins most directly to the art of catch-as-catch-can wrestling and its competitive champions like Evan “Strangler” Lewis, Tom Jenkins, and Frank Gotch.

While showmanship always played a part in the wrestling business, the art was built upon a bedrock of real technical wrestling know-how (characterized by riding, pinning, escapes, and submissions). Professional wrestlers took their craft seriously, and despite the rise in prominence of showmanship, the most skilled competitors were still held in high esteem among their peers.

The recent evolution of “sports entertainment” to focus on never-ending high spots and false finishes resulted in the near-disappearance of the foundations of professional wrestling. However, the rise in popularity of mixed martial arts is seeing increased attention to provide a more realistic product.

This Scientific Wrestling catch-as-catch-can learning seminar will revivify the heart and soul of what it once meant to be a professional wrestler by introducing attendees to the history, techniques, and sport of professional catchas-catch-can wrestling. For older CAC members, it may be a trip down memory lane, but it is also our hope to light a passion within younger members for the sport’s past by bringing real catch-as-catch-can wrestling into the future.

Presenters: Jake Shannon, Head Coach at Scientific Wrestling Jake launched the first catch-as-catch-can competitions in nearly 100 years with his King of Catch Wrestling open tournaments in 2006. He apprenticed in coaching under Billy Robinson, helping ghost-write Billy’s autobiography “Physical Chess”. Prior, he trained in American carnival style catch-as-catch-can with Pacific Northwest hooker Dick Cardinal. Jake is a proud lifetime CAC member.

Dr. C. Nathan Hatton is a professional historian who holds a PhD in History from the University of Waterloo. He is the author of two books and numerous academic and popular articles on the history of wrestling.

Pacific Northwest Wrestling Vancouver Wrestling Then and Now As a follow-up to our very popular Portland Wrestling seminar of 2018 the Cauliflower Alley Club continues with the Pacific Northwest theme this year and presents a Learning Series event devoted to the wrestling action on Canada’s west coast, specifically the province of British Colombia and the province’s biggest city Vancouver.

Touching on the earliest days of professional wrestling in BC promoted by Rod Fenton under the banner of Big Time Wrestling and continuing on through the famed All Star Wrestling era of Sandor Kovacs, Gene Kiniski and Al Tomko up to the present day incarnation of All Star Wrestling under the direction of CAC lifetime member Michelle Starr this is a learning series event that is bound to be both informative and entertaining.

Our panelists for this group chat have a wealth of knowledge of everything that is British Columbia wrestling. They’ve lived it. They’ve loved it, and they’re ready to share their stories and experiences for all CAC members.

Panelists: Bobby Bass: Worked the territory from 1977 - 1979. Kevin Jefferies: Referee, wrestler, and agent since 1977. Greg Lake: Worked the territory in 1979. Fidel Sierra: Worked the territory in the early 1980’s Michelle Starr: Worked the territory from 1988 - 2017.He has promoted in British Columbia since 1991. Stuart Kemp: Announcer, referee, wrestler 1986-2003 Raven Lake: Wrestler, referee 1993 - present Adam Ryder: Current headliner, active from 2009 - present Moderated by Vance Nevada Tracy Smothers: Wild-Eyed Southern Boy My Life Inside & Outside of Wrestling and How You Can Learn From It! Joining us for the first time in 2021 Tracy Smothers is a ring vet from the Southern United States that has pretty much seen it all and done it all as well. From being the first person in Springfield, Tennessee high school history to go to the state championship in amateur wrestling to competing in Memphis Wrestling, Florida Championship Wrestling, World Championship Wrestling, World Wrestling Federation, Extreme Championship Wrestling, Smoky Mountain Wrestling and all points in between the “wild eyed Southern boy” can teach you a lot of things, including how to wrestle a real live unmuzzled bear, and live to tell about it!

CAC radio co-host Jim Valley will delve into the mind of Tracy in what should be a very interesting and entertaining chit chat. Tracy will dish the dirt on everything from why the airports are a bigger work then pro-wrestling to his thoughts on strong style wrestling, old school wrestling versus modern day wrestling and even getting hired and fired by World Wrestling Entertainment’s Bruce Prichard, aka Brother Love.

No topic will be off limits and Tracy will shoot from the hip. He’s a straight talker, no nonsense, old school professional wrestler and the Cauliflower Alley Club is delighted to present Tracy Smothers as part of our 2020 Learning Series at our 55th annual reunion.

SEMINAR SCHEDULE: Tuesday, April 27

11:00 am Those Crazy Canucks! 1:00 pm Catch-as-Catch-Can Wrestling

Wednesday, April 28

11:00 am Pacific Northwest Wrestling 1:00 pm Tracy Smothers: Wild-Eyed Southern Boy

*Admittance to all seminars requires a 55th annual reunion banquet lanyard. Have your lanyard visible at all times. *Audio and/or video recording of CAC Seminar Series events is strictly prohibited without the expressed written consent of the Cauliflower Alley Club. *Please note seminar and panelists/presenters are subject to change and/or cancellation without notice.