[bover]

I agree completely that a few jacka$$ judges do not make all judges suspect, but I also firmly believe that allowing coolers opens the door for impropriety. We can sit here and debate whether or not coolers are OK (yet again), but the chances of that debate actually changing anybody's mind are virtually nil. The one thing that nobody can argue however is that the simple fact that they are allowed in the first place is a source of contention. If it wasn't, this thread wouldn't exist.

As a judge first and a competitor second, I'm in the camp that coolers shouldn't be allowed for the above stated reason. In my mind all of the arguments about wasting food, inadequate judging, etc. would be irrelevant if the opportunity for impropriety were to be removed.