I think the new system will be a good thing as long as KCBS uses it to re-educate (if needed) judges on what the rules are.
As for me, the last comp Hoggin Up in Winchester, VA, it would have been great to have this in place as far as our chicken goes.
Our scores were:
999
998
999
987
778
978
And yes, we used that "chicken style" that everyone seems to shy away from. I think you know what I mean. But to get 9's across the board for appearance except for 1 judge, I ain't sure about that. And the reason I say that is last year when we judged Smokin' On The Bay, as we were leaving the judging tent area, I overheard a couple of the judges talking about the certain "chicken style". One said to the other, "If I ever see another chicken ball again, I swear I will give it the lowest score I can! I hate that crap"
I wish I had more balls (not chicken balls
) at the time and told him he was messed up (although I would have used a few different words). That was bull crap as he was not giving everyone a fair shot. Preconceived bias about what was being presented is farked!
No excuses for my scores; they are what they are and I'll take what I get. I just hope that the new system will help weed-out some of this. But like most things in my life, reality is what it is: Schit in one hand and wish in the other; see which one fills up first.
I look forward to our next comp.
wallace