2018 Ego Clash Invitational

Putting Egos in Check at the Ego Clash Invitational

What happens when 27 men judge 27 dabs? I found out at the 2018 Ego Clash Invitational!

Sebastian from BA Botanicals invited me to attend this Mendocino County event. Ego Clash Invitational is invite-only for the industry’s leading producers and processors. What sets this event apart from others is the judging. Every person who enters becomes a judge, then you judge everyone’s product along with your own.

Sebastian entered the solventless category with the impression it would be teams of two, but since only entrants got to judge, it meant I could relax and shoot photos. We realized early on judging logistics hadn’t been clearly defined. The event’s founder came in, shouted the rules, then told everyone to get dabbing.

So like I said above, what happens when 27 men judge 27 dabs? Well for starters, it wouldn’t have been possible without the help of a woman. I watched as everyone debated the best way to complete judging. As an outsider, and probably one of five women in the room, I found the courage to speak up. “Why don’t we pass each jar around the table,” I said, “then move on to the next product?”

Everyone agreed this sounds like the best solution. However, after the first two or three dabs we realized this process took forever. And I mean forever. I watched as guys slowly passed the product, carrying on conversations like it’s a chill dab session. A quick calculation based on the first few entires, and we realized at our current rate it would take almost seven hours to complete judging.

Once again, I found the courage to speak up. I suggested to the lead judge I physically carry product to each of the entrants to keep the ball rolling. This worked, but some men (in my opinion) didn’t like being rushed, especially by a woman. Another judge suggested I use a timer, then gave me his. Alright guys, you’ve got 16 seconds to get your dab and pass it down the line!

Eventually we got into the groove of things, with myself and another woman passing product around the table. Around dab 21 or 22, guys felt like they’d gotten things under control and they no longer needed my assistance. Or did they?

The next two jars passed around the table got mixed up, lids got lost, and it became evident a woman really is needed to get the job done. One guy jokingly said, “Oh well it’s because Bess isn’t passing the jars anymore,” to which I replied, “Typical man, blame the woman!”

I’ve never seen so many shocked, pale male faces. Can someone say triggered? I said, “No, no, no — I’m joking!” but let’s be honest. It’s true.

Attending the Ego Clash Invitational helped me realize the importance of women in this industry. Men and women can differ in our problem-solving abilities. The receptivity, kindness and support from men judging the solventless concentrates showed me we really are needed. Moreover, women must feel confident speaking up, even if we’re outnumbered ten to one.

Thank you again Sebastian for the invite, and thank you to Ego Clash for allowing me to assist with (and sample) the solventless concentrates. Lastly, a huge congrats to the solventless winners Heads that Roll, Hash Engineers and Splash Solventless! Now maybe next year we can get a few female extractors entered as well!?