Contestant Schedule
Thursday, July 10
Daytime
Contestants arrive at the hotel, check in, get your bearings, and check in with contestant coordinators Rob Napolitano and Phyllis Darcy.
Staff Meeting
7:00pm
Contestant Meeting with producers and den staff
Judge’s Meeting
Friday, July 11
There will be a contestant meeting at which you will receive the exact schedule for the interviews and the exact format for the contest portions on Saturday and Sunday. The exact timing/format of the Saturday and Sunday portions of the contest will not be determined until we know how many contestants are competing within each category (which will be done on Thurs night for presentation to you at this meeting.)
9:30am-8pm Silent Auction of Contestant Baskets
We will have your baskets set up by this time so that our participants can begin to bid on them in anticipation of the live auction on Saturday night.
Contestant Interviews begin, and will continue throughout the day. All contestants for each title will be interviewed in the same block of time - all Leatherman contestants, all Leatherwoman contestants, all Leatherboy contestants and then all Leathergirl contestants, though not necessarily in that order.
12:30pm-6pm Technical Rehearsal
During off time when your group is not being interviewed, you’ll be scheduled for your technical rehearsal. This will be your orientation to the backstage/dressing area, stage, lighting, sound and technical aspects of the contest.
You’ll attend that session with your completed technical forms and cassette tapes/CDs to hand off to the tech crew. The technical crew will also need your props assembled and ready to be used when you arrive for your technical rehearsal. You will also need your fantasy participants there as well. The stage manager will provide you with model release forms for your fantasy participants; you must return these in order for them to be permitted to be in your fantasy.
You’ll meet with the stage manager and tech crew, walk the stage and get your tips on stage presence, using the microphone and exact contest format. You’ll then individually get 10 minutes to run through your fantasy with your fantasy participants. We will try and provide as much privacy during the individual rehearsals as possible. This rehearsal is the final run through. Be sure you have rehearsed with props and people before showing up.
8:00-11:00pm Opening Reception/Contestant Introductions
The weekend’s opening reception will be held at the hotel. This is your opportunity to make lasting first impressions on visiting dignitaries, the press and the audience. Save your very best leathers for the formal dress portion of the contest, but look good!!
Judges will be introduced first; then each category of contestant will be introduced and you will have 90 seconds to introduce yourself. This will be a judged category; we have moved it to this night since we will have four sets of speech, fantasy and hot wear to get through. This will be the judges’ first opportunity to really gauge your stage presence in front of an audience.
Saturday, July 12
The contest will be split so that some of your contestant groups’ categories are on Saturday and some are on Sunday.
For example, it may be that Saturday is men’s and girls’ hot wear and Q&A, formal leather image and speech, and women’s’ and boys’ fantasies, then Sunday would be men’s and girl’s fantasies and women’s’ and boys’ hot wear and Q&A and Formal Leather image and speech.
As stated before, the exact schedule for the contest can not be determined until we know exactly how many contestants we have in each category. You will receive this info on Thursday Night so that your can plan and adjust as necessary. Regardless, the first part of the contest will wrap up by
Besides a beer bust honoring the outgoing American Leatherfamily, there will also be a parade of colors and the Basket Auction. All contestants, judges and the outgoing American Leatherfamily all are asked to put together baskets to be auctioned off with proceeds going to the charities that ABW will be supporting this year. (More information on the baskets is provided later in this packet.)
Sunday, July 13
12:30-2:00pm ABW Brunch
This section of the contest must be concluded and over by
Once the press has had their chance for pictures your obligation is complete for the weekend unless you have won. The new titleholders in which case and you have picked up your prize package you have a titleholder’s orientation on Monday morning.
Later that night
A celebration, location TBD
Monday, July 14
There will be an orientation for those who win the titles. Previous titleholders suggested this meeting to better educate support and prepare our new American Leather family for their year and their responsibilities. You will be introduced to the Titleholder Liaison(s) who will be your guidance counselor/coordinator and your title buddy/mentor for the next year. You will also receive a manual that provides times, some information important to your year of planning and travel, and the forms and protocol necessary to access your travel fund. Your travel fund is the key prize that you win for ABW and is a $2000 award to each winner to be allocated throughout the title year with specific requirements that will be shared during this orientation.