Saturday Sparkle July 31, 2010

Gosh I’m so lazy! It’s been three weeks now and I still haven’t finished off my Sparkle report! In fairness though I have been a little busy. I’m still looking for a ‘proper’ job but for the last three weeks I’ve been doing a work placement which has been full-time so even though I’m not getting paid it certainly feels like a proper job!

Anyway, my last Sparkle related post had me finding my way home on the Friday night and fortunately not finding any unexpected visitors in my bed after losing my card key. On the Saturday I had the TotY to look forward too and so spent most of the day with my tummy bubbling with butterflies. The closer I came to the start of the event the more I wondered if I had maybe made a mistake in entering.

In the morning there was a undressed rehearsal for the event (by that I mean we weren’t dressed, not that we were undressed when we practiced) where the organisers explained to us how we were to get on and off the stage and at what points we were expected to pose and milk the crowd. Not everyone was en-femme already and so it was a little strange to see a few people standing around in general guy clothes and trying to figure out how they would look as a girl. AyCee and Cyndie were also there so it was another nice chance to catch up with them.

The actual event took place later in the evening and so we all started gathering in Sackville Gardens at around 5ish where a big stage had been set up. There had been acts on throughout the afternoon and the TotY was the last thing to take place so I guess you could say that it was the main event. The previous evening we had drawn out our order randomly and I had drawn the number 3. I was quite pleased with this as it meant that I would be one of the first so I would get it over with but I would not be *the* first and have everyone looking at me.

Here is a video that Emma Lovelace took backstage, hopefully she won’t mind me using it as it’s on YouTube already. I’m the little one milling around on the left at the start. The other girls were very friendly for the most part and were quite a diverse group. Most of the young girls had put in a lot of effort and there were some TSs who looked amazing. I felt a bit shy and wondering if I should have done a little more or if it was just nerves. As well as that there were some older girls too, some who had put in a lot of effort but at least one or two who I think had only entered for a bit of attention. We were only meant to be on stage for 30 seconds or so (and I was off and on perhaps a little too rushed due to my nerves) but she milked the crowd for a couple of minutes at least. It takes all types I suppose!

There were prizes in different categories such as ‘Best Deportation’ (walking), ‘Best Outfit’ and ‘Miss Congeniality’ as well as one give for most convincing which Cyndie rightly won. I didn’t get anything but then I hadn’t expected to especially considering how rushed everything was. I wasn’t convinced by my outfit or by how I had done my hair and as you can see from the above vid (which only catches a bit of me at the start) the shrug was a bad idea! Still, I had only entered for the fun of it and as a way of meeting new people and I defiantly achieved that and had a great time. Next year though I’ll try to be a bit more organised and take a smaller digital camera as I wasn’t able to take much with my large SLR.

Top TotY July 18, 2010

AyCee (middle) and me and a girl who I don't know

Today I’m going to continue writing about Sparkle, as I said previously, it’s a pretty big topic and so it’s going to take me more then one post to cover some of the key events of the weekend from my perspective. Sparkle takes place in and around Canal Street on a Friday, Saturday and Sunday normally in July. While there are things happening on all three days, the biggest events take place on the Saturday, and the most popular of these is the Tranny of the Year competition.

I understand that in the early years of Sparkle (the event only began in 2004) the competition had been known as the ‘Miss Sparkle’ pagent but somewhere along the line someone decided to rebrand the event. Personally I feel that Miss Sparkle is a better name than Tranny of the Year however I must admit that ‘TotY’ is a useful acronym. I do feel however that it might blur the edges of who the competition is for as some people might not like to refer to themselves as a ‘tranny’ while others feel that the name implies it should be limited to transvestites. I was chatting to someone after the event who told me that they did not feel it was fair as transsexuals were allowed to enter. From my own perspective I did not mind but I can see where they were coming from.

When I attended Sparkle last year I bumped into my friend Jessica, a girl I knew from chix who had entered the competition. It seemed like a lot of fun and a great way to meet new people (not to mention get a little attention) and so I thought that it would be fun to enter.

I sent in my application a couple of months before the event and swapped some emails with Leah True, tgirl extrodanair and one of the organisers of Sparkle. I received some instructions on things to consider when being marked during the pagent and an invitation to pick up my competition sash from AXM, the bar in Manchester which was hosting the launch party.

AyCee, Cat and me

I arrived by myself on the Friday evening a flittered about as I usually seem to do at these events before catching Leah’s eye and introducing myself. Leah is a lovely person, very friendly and welcoming and we sat down as I registered and received my competition sash. In previous years the sashs had had the entrants name written on them, and I must admit this was one of the attractions of entering, so I was a little sad to see that the sashs were generic, with the name of the sponsor and event as well as an individual number. Leah explained that they had been short of entrants up until quite late and so did not have the two weeks needed in advance to send them to the printers. Also, the cost were a little expensive and it was one expense they perhaps didn’t need. (I should point out that there is no entrance fee for Sparkle or the contest and while I don’t know where they get the money from, the organisers manage to do a fantastic job.

After receiving my sash I had a new key card to use for getting into conversations which after all, was one of the main reasons why I had entered. I met several other girls who were competing and some of them I feel I clicked with very well especially two girls from Birmingham called AyCee and Cyndie. It was also easier to talk to other people and I met a very nice girl from Scotland called Cat and was able to catch up with another few friend who I had not been able to meet before including another Jess, this time from Leeds. Jess was a very cool chick and I had spoken to her off and on for a couple of years so to finally meet her was a high point for my weekend.

For the rest of the night I hung around with Cat, AyCee and Cyndie as well as meeting up with another friend Aleks who I had also been talking to for a couple of years and had met at the previous Indulgence, the BDSM club night in my home town. I was having a really good evening until I discovered that my clutch handbag had popped open and half of the contents had fallen out! someone on the street very kindly tapped me on the shoulder to point it out and I managed to scramble all of the bits lying at my feet back in. It was only later that I realised I had not gathered everything…

One of the great things about Canal Street is that its is the LGBTG heart of Manchester and also a place where many people go on hen and stag nights. Many people there are gay or bi but far from everyone and tgirls are a common site so abuse or negative comments are rare and often outweighed by the positive. I remember being accosted by a girl who was out with her gaggle of girl friends who wanted to pose with me and take photos which I took to be a compliment.

It was about 2am when I next opened my purse to check the contents and realised that I was missing something. Fortunately my money and card were still there but somewhere in Canal Street I had lost my room key! The key was a card that fitted into the door of my room and was pretty generic, but with it I had lost a small card that had come with it which had contained my room number and the name of the hotel. Fearing that some randomer might have found them and was now sleeping in my bed I decided, reluctantly, that I should return to my room.

As no one else was staying in my direction I had a long, lonely walk back but I made it to the hotel unscathed and the nigh porter let me in. I told him I lost my key and he checked my name off the list and issued me with a room key. I asked if I needed to pay anything but he waved me away implying that it was a common occurence. I went back to my room and found it in the same state I had left it a few hours earlier and felt relief but I was also a bit annoyed that my airheadedness had curtailed a good night. Still, it was only Friday and tomorrow was another day.

Back from Sparkle

Just got back from Sparkle earlier today. It’s nice to have a chance to rest my poor feet! I’m normally quite good in heels but I’ve never worn them for two days solid before! Deffinately something else to add to the need-to-buy list: a pair of nice flat shoes!

I have a lot to write about and I doubt very much that it will all fit into one blog post but I’ll try to cover give a general overview of the weekend. As covered in previous entries this year was my second Sparkle, the first being twelve months ago. I was a bit disorganised that time and ended up crashing on people’s floors. It was ok, but I did feel as if I was imposing a little. This time I made sure to book a hotel room early but having not met up with many people who I knew were going I didn’t end up sharing with anyone. I ended up being quite far from other people and this made me feel a little bit isolated as I was often wandering around by myself while waiting for people. I’ll have to make sure to rectify this before I start re-enforcing my image as the resident billy-no-mates of Sparkle.

Hopefully though I met enough people over the weekend that I will be able to arrange to stay closer to people and maybe even share a room. I got a good deal at the hotel and it wasn’t to expensive but if I’d been in a triple instead of a single it would have been cheaper and I wouldn’t have had to share a bathroom. There were at least three people who I met for the first time over the weekend who I’ve actually known for probably two years each and it was nice to finally meet in purpose and see them as real people as opposed to electronic-contacts.

That’s probably the best thing about Sparkle, there are so many people that its the best chance to meet new people. The fact Sparkle is centered around Manchester’s Canal Street as opposed to just a single night club or bar means that you can do a lot more mingling and talk to stranger or friends-of-friends more naturally and without shouting.

Anyway, I’m tired and need to catch up with my sleep so I’ll finish there for tonight but promise to write more when I get half a chance!