Honoured Judges, Ladies & Gentlemen, Sirs, fellow boys and bootblacks,
i once considered myself a self-made man.  After all i had taught myself a number of life lessons growing up without an alpha male figure in my life.

Imagine my surprise when I first saw the dynamic between Master Chuck and his first cub at Toronto’s notorious Toolbox in 1998.  i was hungry for what they had, i didn’t know what it was, and i felt a deep shame, that, some how, i was broken.  i was an undisciplined man in some respects, exclusively a top, afraid to bottom let alone submit to anyone out of fear.

Five years later, i would earn the honour and privilege of having that guidance in my life, in addition to being involved in many hot scenes honing in on some of my deepest fantasies:

• drinking Sir’s piss, knowing i had passed judgement on others a few years earlier
• being on the receiving end of Sir’s flogger and bending His first spreader bar,
• to having my scrotum butterflied with six needles,
• and co-topping with Sir,

i also cannot forget the aspects of service i have learned from Sir as well:

• Teaching and mentoring, passing on the knowledge of what i have learned from Sir
• Using risk mitigation strategies to empower men who have sex with men to choose better choices their sex play and sexual health

And people at work wonder about my great customer service skills. *GRIN*

i stand before you, 12 years later, a confident boy, with a new outlook courtesy of not just Master Chuck, but also the men and women around the world who have helped me to grow –  many of whom are here tonight.  i have learned much over the past 7 years of service to Master Chuck, and it’s the culmination of those experiences that i hope to share with all of you as your International Leatherboy.