Andrew Love, Mr. International Olympus Leather 2008 will be teaching two classes at DomCon Atlanta (Oct 9-13 in Atlanta, GA). His first class is on Blood Play. I personally can attest to the passion Andrew has for this form of power exchange. I hesitate to call what this man does "play" as the both of us view it with some sincere reverence. After having attended his piercing class in Las Vegas, NV last June I am eagerly awaiting to attend this class. Andrew enjoys educating members of the community how to be as safe as possible while participating in what is undoubtedly one of the most dangerous forms of bdsm "play". His passion for medical and blood play is definitely the communitys benefit this year in Atlanta, surely a class not to be missed.

The second class he will be instructing is Building a Better Flogger. Again, having the honor of getting to know this man has allowed me the opportunity to throw some of his floggers and they are not only beautifully constructed, they have a wonderful balance and swing. This class is sure to be of interest to anyone who is interested in construction of their own floggers.

Andrew will also be sitting in on the Male Dom Discussion Group panel.

Andrew's counterpart, Mistress Sabrae Michaels, Ms. International Olympus Leather 2008, will also be teaching Mummification and Corseting classes this year at DomCon Atlanta.

Andrew Love, 2008 West Coast Olympus Leather Titleholder competed and won this years International Olympus Leather Competition held during the 2008 Pantheon of Leather in Chicago, Il. His competition was tough, with competitors who came from all over the U.s. and Canada.

Andrew has put his own business Sin Crafters, on hold this year to make time for his planned travel schedule including, SLC Pride, Classes in Las Vegas and DomCon Atlanta in October.

Congratulations Andrew!

Ms. Mina de Sade Fatale, 2008 Ms. West Coast Olympus Leather Titleholder competed in this years International Olympus Leather Competition held during the 2008 Pantheon of Leather in Chicago, Il. Coming in first runner up to Mistress Sabrae Michaels of Alabama. This was an amazing showing for Mina as it was her first international competition.

Mina continues her educational and travel schedule throughout the US, making appearences at Long Beach and Los Angeles Pride festivals as well as teaching medical play safety at Dungeon Servitus in San Diego, CA. Mina Fatale will be at DomCon Atlanta, along with Andrew and Mistress Sabrae.

Well done Mina!

I believe in Leather. I believe in Magic. I believe in the Power of BDSM and the incredible beauty that comes with it. I believe that Leather can change people's lives in a moment. I believe it because I have experienced it. I will never forget that night. An amazing man handed me a flogger and suddenly¸ everything changed for me. A new world opened up. An incredible¸ magical world. It was electric. Raw. Instinctual. I was given a tremendous sense of peace that the world was how it should be for me. I felt an acceptance of Self and of others in ways that I had never experienced before¸ tapping into a deep Power. I was thrilled and awed by this Power and at the same time¸ deeply humbled by it. The man who handed me that flogger looked at me and said¸ "Welcome Home" and indeed¸ at that moment¸ I knew that I was Home. I believe. I believe in Magic. I believe in Leather.

I believe in Community. I believe in Community because I have experienced true Community firsthand and continue to experience it. I believe in Community because I have found Home here. I believe that it is possible to have a community that supports its members and stands together. I have met people in this community who I view as family. Words such as integrity and honor are not just words¸ meant to just be casually thrown around. They are words that are truly meant to be lived by. To be a member of such a community that is so accepting¸ open¸ and genuine is an incredible gift and I encourage others to both celebrate and to continue to support Community. I believe. I believe in Community. I believe in Leather.

I believe in education. Education is a gift. It is a gift that¸ when passed on with an open heart and mind¸ gives you¸ the educator¸ the opportunity to open up a new world to another human being. Knowledge¸ the sharing of ideas¸ when given back to others openly and with joy¸ heightens the Magic of Leather. It is contagious! Although I had discovered the beauty of BDSM and the power behind it¸ I could not imagine where I would be today without the support and knowledge of the educators and mentors who have had such a profound impact on my life. Education is something that I am deeply passionate about and I encourage others to share what they have in order to build a stronger Community. I believe. I believe in education. I believe in Leather.

I believe. I believe that I have received an amazing gift. I have been given the opportunity to give back to a Community that has given me so much. To receive the honor of being Mr. West Coast Olympus Leather 2008 means that I will be of service to a Community that has welcomed me Home. It is an incredible honor and a privilege and one that I am both excited as well as humbled by. I believe. I believe in Magic. I believe in Community. I believe in education and the sharing of ideas. I believe in the passing of knowledge to others with an open heart and mind. I believe in all of these things. I believe. I believe in Leather.

The First West Coast Olympus Leather Title holders were named at this years DomCon LA Event on Saturday evening after a fun filled competition filled with fantasy's from each of the contestants that spand an emotional gamit. Three contestants made us laugh, shocked us with hate and anger then quickly saved us with an embrace and just made us hot and bothered! IMHO. :)

Andrew this years Mr. Title Winner performed a “coming of age” enactment that embraced acceptance, growth and education. Andrew is from Salt Lake City, Utah and was supported by a sizeable contingent from the region that made this girl smile to see the support of a brother from such a small leather community.

Mina Fatale our Ms. Title winner, the only female entrant this year, performed a rubber clad fetish fantasy filled with military precision and bdsm goodness, with her girl hypatia that left our MC's speachless but for the "I don't even like girls, but that was hot". Mina is from the Echo Park area of Los Angeles and is quite involved in the education of her community on topics such as Safe Scening, Medical Play, Mummification and puppy play. She is a devout Leather Daddi with a small growing poly family in Southern California.

IMHO these two will take the Olympus Leather message back to their communities and do their best to spread the word of acceptance, love and education. Congratulations Mina and Andrew!

DomCon LA is proud to present The Mr. and Ms. West Coast Olympus Leather Contest. The Mr. and Ms. West Coast Olympus Leather contest is a feeder contest to The International Mr. and Ms. Olympus Leather contest held at The Pantheon of Leather Awards in Chicago which shares the same ideals for our contest and contestants. That shared ideal is to promote a positive image of the leather lifestyle. It is our belief that the leather community is comprised of an extremely diverse group of people ranging from the motorcycle and leather/levi clubs to the heaviest SM edge player and all of the leatherfolk in between. The Mr. and Ms. West Coast Olympus Leather title seeks to make all leatherfolk feel good about themselves regardless of race, religion, political beliefs, nationality, gender, sexual orientation, age, size, handicap, or health condition. It is the goal of Mr. and Ms. Olympus Leather to make all those who wish to be a part of the leather community feel welcome in doing so. The West Coast Olympus Leather contest is open to all biological AND transgender men and women.