This past Wednesday, April 7th,  at the Broward County Young Republican monthly meeting, history was made. The Broward County Young Republicans showed their embrace of both old and new ways by integrating technology directly into their meeting. The topic was slated to be Sports & Politics directed by former FSU Football Quarterback, Drew Weatherford. However, recently Weatherford had been picked up to play in Arena Football out in Tampa which makes speaking at a meeting in Fort Lauderdale on week day, somewhat complicated.

“Drew was great and everyone, even our Gator fans, enjoyed his talk. The decision to use Skype to connect with him was a little risky but I think our organization just set a precedent. We lifted every speaker barrier and made it possible to bring in a guest from anywhere in the world. The sky is the limit now in terms of speakers”, Sheela Venero, president of the Broward County Young Republicans stated.

Not only did the Broward County Young Republicans put their speaker up on the big screen, they were able to openly discuss the Sports & Politics topic.  Weatherford discussed how politics affects athletes; from buying an individual a drink to the tossed around idea of paying college athletes to play. Attendees were also able to ask questions  through the use of a web cam. One member asked if Weatherford plans to follow in his brothers footsteps and run for office one day; another was interested in what leadership training is available, if any, for athletes.

After the meeting concluded many members had positive remarks to add in reference to both the meeting and to their speaker. David Gobeo, the club’s General Counsel talked about Weatherford; “I thought it was great to hear a national sports figure recognize the importance of his responsibility as a role model”. Jarrod VanHoose, Administrative Vice President to the organization talked about the integration of technology into the meeting; “It was a perfect example of the ingenuity and ability to think outside of the box that the Young Republicans can and should be utilizing”.

What will the Young Republicans think of next?