Colorado Master/slave Contest

About one week after we came back to Denver with the ITPC titles, I attended the Denver Danse of Life. It's a hook pull event with live drumming held in sacred space - bliss.
Afterward, one of the organizers, Master Trent, asked if I'd consider serving on the judging panel of the Colorado Master/slave Contest he was organizing. I looked at him and cocked my head. "You know how I feel about that track, right? I don't really get it." Yes, he knows. We've had many discussions before. He asked me to bring my Leather viewpoint to the panel and contribute that way. I agreed.

Friday night, March 29th, we met at the Denver Eagle for the introductory Meet & Greet with the contestants, judges, and general public. There were two contestant pairs, and both represented well. I sent a "mystery person" who was not dressed very leather-y to visit with the contestant pairs and report back to me later, and I made sure to spend some time visiting with each pair as well. It was a fun night and the turnout was great.

Saturday the 30th rolled around, and the judges and contestant sat down for Interviews at 2pm. That is always an interesting dance, and this one was open to the public. I was honored to sit on a panel of highly respectable judges from the local community, and I learned a great deal from them over the weekend. The interviews were fun, spirited, and intense. Afterwards, we broke for a snack/meal, and returned at 5 to begin the contest. When it was all done, Lady Marquetta and Slave Leonis carried the patches home with them and will represent their community for the next year. We all wish them the best.

While I don't "get" the entire Master/slave dynamic, I'm always learning more. This weekend exposed me to people who are willing to educate and share their lifestyle in a very public way. I appreciate their dedication and thoughtful discussions. They listened to me as I expressed some of my perceptions and opinions based on personal interactions; we laughed about some really funny bad examples of how NOT to approach this lifestyle, and they opened up their hearts to me so I could better understand a dynamic I haven't yet grasped. I am grateful and blessed. Thank you all.

Contest Prep

Last night I was honored to join a panel of local Leatherfolk to help prepare our local contestants for the regional Master/slave competition. We started with a mock interview session, where the four of us seated on a judging panel took turns asking them questions. We stumped them a few times, and got to dig a little deeper into their application paperwork. Next they gave a 10 minute joint presentation and then fielded questions from the 16+ people in the audience, and the judges did not ask anything this time. Then came each of their two minute speeches, followed by a volley of pop questions submitted in writing by everyone in the room. Those questions turned out to be more serious than funny, and mine did not get pulled from the hat to answer. Kinda bummed, because I wanted to see what kind of three-way scene they would concoct with JarJar Binks or William Shatner. Everyone filled out evaluation sheets through the night, and handed those in for constructive feedback. After 2.5 hours, most everyone left, and the “judges” were left with the contestants to review the evening for another half hour.

I really enjoyed the time we spent and I feel like I know them better. Did they do well? They did a great job. Were they perfect? Nope. Can they improve? Yes. I believe they will take the verbal feedback we provided, along with the stack of written evaluations and find ways to improve their overall presentation. Thanks, Master Trent, for inviting me to participate!