[motoeric]

I think that it is extremely important to continually emphasize that apocryphal stories of horrible judges and judging experiences are anecdotal at best.

It strikes me as very odd that while I hear stories more often than I would like about judges that are less than optimal, I never heard the reciprocal. I am in fairly regular contact with many, many judges. Although a judge will certainly discuss the food that they have judged, I have never heard them speak negatively about a team. I have never heard any derision, any attempt to lessening of the importance of their contribution, any degradation of the energy they put in or any claim that teams don't appreciate what judges go through.

For the upcoming Battle of the BBQ Brethren, there are numerous judges who are traveling hundreds of miles, paying for gas/tolls and staying in hotels in order to participate in the event. These are clearly not people who 'just want a free lunch'. They are passionate about our hobby and deserve a seat at the table (no pun intended).

Eric