Sparks flew (literally) in the Hotel Whitcomb this past weekend as Sirs, boys and bootblacks competed for the titles of International LeatherSir, International Leatherboy and International Community Bootblack. This year marked the return of these contests to San Francisco. At the conclusion of two days and nights of contests, Tony Palazzo of the Eastern Canada region was named International LeatherSir 2009; Brad Hill, also of the Eastern Canada region, was named Leatherboy 2009; and Syr Evan of the Gulf Coast region was named International Community Bootblack 2009. 

The judging of ILSb/ICBB is not for the faint of heart. There were not different judges for ILSb and ICBB. Instead, each judge was charged with judging the Sirs, the boys, and the bootblacks. This meant the judges were "on" from Thursday evening until the conclusion of the contest Saturday evening. The selection of judges indicated that this was a year to honor our past and look to our future. Among the judges were the first "elected" Mr. Drummer Ray Perea, International Mr. Drummer 1981; and the first International Mr. Leather, David Kloss, IML 1979. Joining them were other leather icons (old and new): Master Mike Zuhl, founder of ILSb and ICBB; Daddy Sal Hopkins, co-producer of Leather Traditions; boy jean, International Community Bootblack 2007; Graylin Thornton, International Mr. Drummer 1993; David Carranza, Co-Owner of Leather Masters; Ms. V, International Ms. Bootblack 2007; and pup Sparky, International Leatherboy 2007. Although not present in the flesh, Mr. Marcus Hernandez, B.A.R. Leather Columnist for 37 years, had an honored place at the judges' table.

The ILSb/ICBB festivities began Thursday evening with a kickoff party at Mr. S, followed by a VIP party at Fisherman's Wharf and another kickoff party at Chaps II. The evening reflected the mantra of ILSb/ICBB – we are the players in the leather community.  Suffice it to say, you should have been there. Many of the current leather luminaries were in evidence, including IML Jeffrey Payne, IMsL Lamalani, America

ILSb/ICBB executive producers Olivier Pratt, Mark Frasier, and Randall Kinnear take a breath after a successful contest. Photo: Rich Stadtmiller.

n Leatherman Alex Lindsay, American Leatherboy Johnny Birdsell, International Master Daddy Ken, Mr. San Francisco Leather Brandon Clark, the inimitable Queen Cougar, and, of course, the reigning International LeatherSir, Leatherboy and Community Bootblack: Sir Raul Mendez, boy Bill Hoeppner and Black Jack Pearce.

While the judges began putting the contestants through their paces in private interviews on Friday, the rest of us attended classes on various forms of play, perused the silent auction, had our boots lovingly polished, or took the opportunity to catch up with old friends or meet new ones.

Mistress of Ceremonies Queen Cougar gave us our first official introduction to the contestants Friday evening as she brought them on stage for an introductory line-up, the jock competition, and speeches from the SIRs and boys. One of the memorable moments of the jock competition was when a rather robust Sir came onto the stage with a box of thin mints, slapping his full stomach. It's not about how you look, but how comfortable you are with yourself! A few themes emerged from the step-down speeches of Sir Raul, boy Bill and Black Jack Pearce, as well as the speeches of the competing Sirs and boys: "We are not alone." We are a community of honor, integrity, respect, love and fun.

Before competing for the International LeatherSir/Leatherboy or International Community Bootblack titles, each contestant must have successfully competed in a regional contest in one of 11 regions in the United States and Canada. The candidates for International LeatherSir 2009 were Ray Busby (California Region), Samuel Sampson (Central Plains Region), Tony Palazzo (Eastern Canada Region), Sir Merrill (Great Lakes Region), Sir David (Gulf Coast Region), Ky Eaton (Mid-Atlantic Region), Sir Marco Rosato (Northeast Region), Thom Butts (Northwest Region), Jason Pelky (Southeast Region), and Johnathan Finlayson (Western Canada Region). Competing for the title of International Leatherboy 2009 were pup Sparkie (Central Plains), Brad Hill (Eastern Canada), boy ed (Great Lakes), John DeLorme (Gulf Coast), boy Eddie (Mid-Atlantic), boy Jim Gardner (Northeast), boy Dominic Chevalier (Northwest), boy kirk schwartz (Southeast), boy David (Western Canada), and boy Ryan (California). Andy from the Southeast Leather Fest, Blast from California, boy blu from the Central Plains, Syr Evan from the Gulf Coast, Brandon Riley from the Mid-Atlantic, Kyle Applegate from the Northeast, "Diamond Jack" Shephard from the Northwest, and Chris Landers from the Southeast Region vied for the title of International Community Bootblack 2009.

Saturday evening heated up as the LeatherSir and leatherboy pairs treated the audience to fantasies on a variety of themes, including, among others, blue collar (the auto shop, complete with sparks), rules for the office (or how to break them), the military (or "I'm gonna drill you"), and the Western (save a horse, ride a cowboy). The fantasies demonstrated that these titles are for players in the community.

Interspersed among the fantasies, the bootblack candidates offered their speeches. I was blown away by how articulate each bootblack was. The bootblacks spoke about transcending "roles," going to the boots and earning our leather, "bootsex," and taking care of each other. All the while, Queen Cougar kept it lively as she read the stats on each of the Sir/boy contestants. The women in the audience, myself among them, were certainly amused as she poked good-natured fun at shoe sizes and other "lengths." Speaking of women, this contest was another affirmation of the cohesiveness of our leather community, with nearly 35-40% of the participants women.

All in all, the International LeatherSir/Leatherboy and Community Bootblack contests were a great success. Said contest executive co-producer Randall Kinnear, "How better to spend a Halloween than in San Francisco with a bunch of leathermen and women?" This sentiment was echoed by contestants and participants alike. Well done! Look for ILSb/ICBB next year during Dore Alley Weekend, July 22-25, 2010.