Totally agree, Todd.

Getting kids interested and keeping them interested is the job of the parent. A kids Q event is all about them getting some recognition for their hard work.

I would hate to see folks dragging their kids around the country to make them perform for the crowds. They are kids, not circus monkeys.

I'm afraid it would turn out to be the same thing as those beauty pageants for kids. More about the parents pride than letting them have fun.

I agree that cooking classes for kids are a great idea. I even suggest taking kids to farms to see first-hand where their food comes from (no, it doesn't come from a drive-thru window).

Also, how are 7 year olds going to cook BBQ safely without a lot of adult help? I could easily see entries at that age level becoming dad's cooking turned in by his kid.

I'm biased -- when I was a kid, we played baseball and football in the empty lot up the street, and hockey on the lake behind my house when it froze. There were no prizes -- half the time we didn't know what the score was.

I think kids should have the opportunity to learn that cooking good food is it's own reward, then if they want to take it to a competitive level, go for it.

Just my two cents.

CD

I couldn't agree with you more Todd. :clap::clap::clap:

To me, this is a if it works, why fix it?

Casey Dog- like your idea of classes and field trips.

I have both watched and last year was a judge at the Kids Q at the Royal. Parents are monitored to make sure it is the kids product that hits the presentation box. And as a judge I was blown away by the quality of the entries, especially the youngest class.

They may have had a lot of help at home, but they had to do it themselves at the contest.

La Stephy will fix all this in 2013. Woot, woot.

Viva la Stephy 2013!!!!

I was open to the ideas as presented... until reading this thread. Some VERY good ideas are presented here and from parents of kids who do Kids Q too. As I represent the members and not my own beliefs, I can see a shift of opinion starting here. And that's only MY opinion that I'm speaking for, not any other board members'.

El Jeffy!

I'm going to have to chime in on the negative side of this one as well, because I'm thinking about the number of kids involved for the money spent. Certainly KidsQ is a terrific idea, but it seems to me that a larger number of kids would be reached if KCBS were to invest $10K in expanding the program at a grassroots level rather than a construct that by it's very nature will be exclusive.

Perhaps a better investment would be for KCBS to produce KidsQ materials (guides, judging materials, awards, etc.) to be provided free of charge to any organizer who would be willing to add KidsQ to their sanctioned event. This could dramatically increase particpation which is more in keeping with the education goal. As stated above, Tana's proposed plan is essentially for establishing a "Junior Pro" competition division, which has little to do with education.

My dear departed daddy used to say, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it!"

As a parent, I have been involved with KidsQ contests for over fifteen years. I have also mentored some of my 3 childrens friends in contests as well. Fifteen years ago, it was not unusual to see a parent carry their child up to the stage to accept their ribbon. People would scratch their heads and wonder who really cooked that award winning entry. Rules back then were fairly lax. I guess enough complaints were filed that the KCBS did come up with the guidelines they now have in place and these "rules" seem to work just fine.

My kids loved cooking in the KidsQ contests and our team scheduled our contests to those BBQ contests that featured a contest for the kids. My boys did quite well winning several contests. My middle son would always rag on me on the way home when he had better ribbons than I did and especially if I happened to get shutout. His line was always, "Dad, you gotta cook what the judges like, not what you like." Thanks a lot, son..........

IMHO, adding BIG money to these friendly contests for kids will ruin what is a fun time for them. Helicopter parents will really have their rotors running when big money is on the line. Children have enough pressure on them these days and if big money is on the line, the pressure to win will be even greater.

Lager,

Juggy

I can't say I've ever worried about how much cooking a kid did versus their parents helping. Each kid has their own ability, especially flipping burgers, wings, etc. The amount of help is going to vary, and to me, that's okay.

We were at a contest a few years ago when Michael was just 5 years old. He couldn't flip a chicken wing to save his life. One was about to fall off the grill and I pushed it back onto the grate with my finger. A contest official threatened to disqualify us because the kid must do all of the cooking. A little too far, IMHO.

On the other end of the spectrum, if you are going to do all of the cooking for your kid, then that's between you and God.

I've seen kids win adult categories and people complain that dad (on another team) cooked it for them. People are gonna bitch. I tend to worry more about me and mine than others.

Yep, saw that same dynamic played out at a lot of cub scout pinewood derbys!:tsk:
Supposed to be fun for the kids, not competition for the parents!

I agree with you Todd!

Why make this like the adults? Let them be kids and have fun for as long as they can. In many ways kids have to grow up too fast these days anyway.

There is a reason our girls are not in the "soccer comps", they don't want to be in a parent driven sport. We give them the choice of cooking and they have up to the time of signing up to change their mind. Once they are signed up it is their responsibility to follow through.

I think it would be a great idea to provide some cooking classes for kids. There could be so many great things in those classes. Beginning (the basics), intermediate (teaching some big meats), and advance (all the comp meats); are just some examples. I think this would be awesome!! I know sometimes learning from your parent/s may not be the best situation (anyone who know my redhead understands this comment, lol), this would be an excellent option. There are SO MANY options for this!

I wouldn't have your kids in a cooking class I was teaching under any circumstances! I wouldn't want to be shown up by more knowledgeable people than I am! :-)

Christian won his third kid's que this weekend. Our pattern is, I give them limited options, they choose what they want to do. I've got way too much going on at a contest to have two kids doing a bunch of crazy crap. Both boys often have similar entries to make it easier for me to manage and buy for. The difference this weekend was Christian wanted avocado on his burger and Michael didn't. Otherwise, they made similar choices in the options we gave them. Oh, and Michael put the top on his burger and Christian presented the bun on the side to show the burger more. Again, their choices.

I did help them flip a couple of burgers when the smoke or heat was getting to them. Showed each of them to form a burger, which we've done before, but they still need coaching. I formed one, they formed five others. In the end, I think they ended up using one that they formed, but I can't be sure after they were cooked.

So, did I help, you bet. Did I cook their entries, hell no. Again, the biggest thing we do is make sure they are directing their entries. Audrey and I may offer suggestions, but sometimes they do something different. It is their entry, so we let them do what they want, even if we think it is wrong. It is only Kids Q. I want the kids to learn and enjoy. I don't care if they win. Between BBQ and BMX, we have enough trophies in our house.