Mr International Rubber (MIR) Weekend
A Karnival of Kink
Chicago, November 8-10, 2013
by Rick ‘RankInSF’ Holte
The rubber community has a reputation for stepping out of the box. The gear, the protocols, the play and now the contests. Rubber Will (William Schendel) and the staff of Mr International Rubber (MIR) raised the bar and set a new standard. Karnival of Kink was the theme this year and the weekend was more than another community gathering centered around a title contest.
For those who arrived early things started Thursday with the MIR Brothers and Friends Dinner which was a rubber invasion of a popular Chicago burger joint (Hamburger Mary’s) conceived last year by Collin Wood, Mr Midwest Rubber 2012. The dinner is destined to be a favorite tradition that is attended by MIR regulars and newbies as an unofficial meet and greet.
Things started rolling early Friday morning at the Center on Halsted as vendors prepared booths with the sexiest new rubber gear and staff put the final touches on the demo area which is center ring for action at the Kink Market. Doors opened and hot rubbermen from all over poured in making a rush for the Gear Swap hosted by Chicago Rubbermen who donate their portion of the proceeds raised from the sale of used gear back to MIR to help fund the event. SeriousMaleBondage.com was featured in the demo ring where hot rubber gimps were forced to submit to “The Bishop Device” for exhibit and torment by yours truly, RankInSF. While all of this was going on there were “Inside The Kinkster Studio” workshops going on where Topher interviewed rubbermen on topics like pup play and club building.
Just about the time guests were getting into the swing of things there was an announcement that “THE SHOW” would be starting at 9pm following the cocktail meet and greet. Show? what happened to the contest?
Seated in the theater something was different. The stage was in the middle of the room, and all the MIR guys looked like they had just stepped out of a circus sideshow. The lights went down, music started and a ringmaster in stiletto boots and a cartoonish plastic grin took the stage as circus performers surrounded the floor. With a stunning light que attention was pulled to the back of the stage where the contestants for MIR17 were lined up in their “rubber personality” gear.
Each contestant made his way around showing off the rubber gear that defines his fetish for him and as a finale they paired off in risque tableau poses. THIS is different and WOW! What’s next? The contestants then had the opportunity to take the mic for introductions and some banter with MC and local drag personality Teri Yaki. After intermission each contestant had 3 mins to share his rubber fantasy with everyone. Scenes ranged from superhero battles to bosses in bondage.
If you’ve ever been to a title contest this is usually the point where people are fidgeting in their seats and asking how much longer till it’s over. Not this time. Guests were captivated and when it was over the lobby was buzzing with chatter about what was in store for part 2 and they weren’t disappointed.
Day 2 kicked off in the Kink Mart with the contestants taking center ring to showcase their talents in the playroom followed by the ever popular Rubber Pup Rumpus and we wrapped things up by layering a Kinky Canuck in 7 heavy layers of rubber as he explored the mart. Anticipation at the cocktail party was high with guests eager to get a good seat for part 2 of The Show.
Teri Yaki brought our contestants out one by one with a pop question to entertain with replies to “What would you wear to represent your region in a Mr Rubber Universe Contest?” and “What would the tagline be for your kinky airline?” Favorite replies were Mr New England Rubber, Justin Lissom’s description of his rubber fisherman gear and Mr West Coast Rubber, BouncerPup’s airline tagline for Gimptastic Galactic Weightless Bondage Airline, “wanna get away, too fuckin bad”.
Of course MIR wouldn’t be complete without a grab bag segment. The volunteer gunge pigs were abused with bouncy balls and marinara sauce one at a time by all 10 contestants. As a special surprise the bonus bag this year was presented to MIR producer and well known rubber trailblazer John Jacobs aka Kinkrubber.
After being hosed down backstage the contestants came out one last time while Rubber Will thanked everyone who made the contest possible and paid posthumous tribute to MIR16, Jason Lynch whose husband Stephen Perry stood in giving a touching stepdown speech in full rubber sending a message to Jason that he is “A Mogel No More!”
All of this was so much fun that it seemed almost unnecessary to announce a title winner. The contestants really put all of their talent and energy into being part of a show to entertain and inspire. During intermission the buzz was all about how much fun the show was and a newcomer to the rubber scene Thib Guicherd-Callin ,1st Runner UP IML35 commented at how fun the event was compared to traditional contests. But alas there can be only one MIR17 and the sash went to Andy Cosmic Roo from Toronto Canada!
After a victory playparty at SteamWorks till early into the hours of Sunday morning the rubbermen were back at it. Some gathered for an informal brunch to trade info about upcoming events and discuss the Global Brotherhood of Rubbermen Network (GloBroRub.org) an online directory created by Jason Lynch and Rick Holte. The afternoon at the Kink Mart was filled with last minute shopping and lube wrestling then off to Shiny Guys and Show Tunes at Sidetrack the traditional closing ceremony for MIR.
Things are definitely evolving in the kink event realm and MIR has already announced that next year will be a Halloween themed weekend so get the Batman and Spiderman gear out and be ready for MIR18!
