As promised, I am going to write about my MIR experience so that I can perhaps give some insight into the contest for those thinking about entering. I will add some photos highlighting the different parts a bit later on.
Before I get into all of the details of the weekend, I have to say that the MIR experience is a fantastic one. It seems big, but being well prepared makes all of the difference. I was very lucky to have my partner there with me to support me. As it turned out, he was very helpful with everyone. I think that, if you can, it is nice to have a friend with you for support. For me, a major part of the MIR experience was to have fun and to get to know the other contestants as we shared this weekend adventure. Had EricPierre and I kept to ourselves and not socialized with the group, I (we) would have missed out on something very special. The camaraderie that you can develop with the other contestants will last a lifetime. So, before you decide to have someone come along to help you out, make sure that this person realizes why you are there so that he can help you attain that goal. Winning is only one part of the weekend; it is the journey that makes the weekend memorable and a positive experience.
Before heading to Chicago, I looked at all of the different events and planned my gear. I am the king of procrastination. (You can see this by the date of this entry…it should have been done last December!) It is important to have it all planned out so that you don’t panic. You don't want to decide at the last minute what you are going to wear. Travelling with rubber is a costly business with gas prices soaring and rubber being very heavy in your airplane luggage.
I think that the best thing about rubber competitions is that you can really be yourself. If you have ever thought of entering MIR, then you should go for it. Rubber really has no rules, except no sharp objects…but that goes for a lot of things.
Friday's Greet the Meat Cocktail Party at the Chicago Cell Block is a lot of fun. The bar was full of hot, sexy rubbermen. I met the judges and the other contestants and we drew numbers for our order in the competition. This is the first time that I met the other contestants. It was nice to get to know them as we all embarked on this wild journey.
Phil, the contestant wrangler, was really nice and helpful. He made sure that everyone was where he was supposed to be throughout the weekend. If ever we needed anything, Phil was there to help us out.
I have to say that having my partner with me was great. EricPierre was very supportive and helpful, not only for me, but for the other contestants as well. He helped me get organized and always had my gear ready to go.
The Friday night, I did my best to get to bed as early as possible after meeting tons of nice people at the bar. I wanted to be in top shape for the interviews on Saturday morning.
EricPierre and I had a nice brunch at the Kit Kat Club before I headed over to the Center on Halsted for the interviews. It was a bit stressful waiting for my turn in front of the judges.
Again, Phil did his best to keep everyone relaxed while we waited. It was a nice time to chat with the other contestants and get to know them. An atmosphere of camaraderie was growing as we supported each other.
The judges were very nice and they put me at ease right away. It was very casual. They asked me all sorts of questions to try and get to know me as a regular person and as a rubberman. They wanted to know what I represented, and of course, why I wanted to become MIR2008. It was relaxed and a lot of fun. I have used this experience to guide me when judging other competitions. It makes it nice for everyone.
That evening, there was the Wet Rubber Competition. I have to say that that was the most difficult part for me. Wearing rubber and sweating profusely go hand in hand. I love that. The water aspect, and the fact that I was to be alone on the stage, were very intimidating. I have never really had a water fantasy before and didn't know how I could make that exciting for the judges and the people watching.
In the end, I tried to incorporate things that I like doing and the cleanup in the shower that always feels so good. Eddie, the sexy MC, read my text excruciatingly slow. In my planning, I read it quite quickly. Keep that in mind when you are putting together your show. I guess that it was a success. You can see my "performance" on Rubber Zone in the videos section. Oh, by the way, be ready for some drastic water temperature variations. It is shocking, but all good fun just the same. No matter what happens, just have fun. That is what the judges want to see. Once again, the Cell Block was packed with hot rubbermen. There was a noticeable smell of rubber and testosterone in the air.
After that part of the competition, I decided to go back to the hotel to get some rest, resisting the temptation of continuing on to the play party with the men that EricPierre and I had met. Apparently it was a terrific party, but one has to make choices. . .EricPierre made it easier for me by being the voice of reason and
forcing me to bed. It took the edge off. :-D
The Sunday morning rolled around and I was still exhausted from Friday's and Saturday's events. The competition was held at the Circuit Nightclub. We were all excited about the competition. EricPierre helped us getting in and out of gear and shining each other up before we got on stage. We all had a terrific time on stage and off. The pop questions were funny and the grab-bag part of the competition was hilarious. We were all stressed about what could possibly be in each bag. We were to take these basic items and use them in a safe and kinky way on our sexy Guiney pig. Check out all of the grab-bag videos on Rubber Zone. It was a lot of fun.
The contest, spread out over 3 days, is quite taxing. It was the longest competition that I have ever entered. I was happy to be well-rested before heading into it.
When the judges had tallied up the scores and it was all over, I couldn't believe that my name was announced as the winner. I had a gut feeling that I had done well, but I had the same feeling about the other contestants. I had really gone into the competition to have fun and meet some fun people. Of course, I wanted to win, but I think that reminding myself that I was there to have fun no matter what was a key factor in my success. Of course, having my partner there, keeping me grounded, helped a little bit, . . .ok, a lot. I can happily say that it was a great experience that we shared and lived together.
BJ
MIRubber2008@videotron.ca
