** PLEASE VOTE *** What direction do you think the KCBS is heading?

What should KCBS focus on?

  • large contests

    Votes: 14 19.7%

  • small contests

    Votes: 18 25.4%

  • both - explain how

    Votes: 39 54.9%
  • Total voters
    71
  • Poll closed .
I had to go back and read the Welcome page again after your post...Thanks, it was a warm fuzzy moment! In my opinion, there should be plenty of KCBS room for big, small and backyard contests. Big and small educational type events as part of and separate from contests should be accomodated too. Kids are important, too, they are the future.
 
i voted for BOTH, small and Big.

The reasoning is simple.. Small contests turn into bigger contests each year.

The attendance at our Sayville contest increased by 30% each year. Ignore the small contests, and let them die off due to lack of attention and support and all that will be left are the standard established contests with no new blood or growth.
 
I voted both because it is probably the best means for them to achieve their commitment and stated to IRS purpose of education.

Until it is decided to abandon the not for profit status the focus should be on education and the contests should simply be one of the means for fulfillig that purpose.
 
I certainly like to see the big comps for some of the top guns. I also like to attend those to spectate. On the other hand, I would love to see more comps with some smaller buy ins for the poor folk like me that can only afford one or two a year.

Or get the sponsors to do some type of "scholarship" or similar entry fee sponsorship program for teams that don't win a ton of GC or RGC. Drawing the line as to who, and who wouldn't be eligible for help would be tough. Possibly by allowing them to payback the buy ins from any winnings?
 
I think they are heading towards eliminating smaller contests in their entirety. With the TLC show and the mega-mega contests, the smalelr contests are getting the short end of the stick.
 
I voted for both. I think just because you grow your business to th point where you have large customers, doesn't mean you should forget the little people who got you where you are. Like Andy said, subsidise the small contests with the earnings from the large ones. It shouldn't be hard to put a business model together that would do that.
 
I voted for both. The Board would have to be populated by the biggest fools this side of Washington to drop the small contests in favor of the big ones. Every successful, major sports/competition league knows you need a development system to bring in new talent year after year, or the product grows stale quickly.

I do agree with those who have said that we will some day see a circuit of invitation-only, big money contests. I see nothing wrong with that, as long as enough attention is paid to the smaller contests and us peons (who hope someday to be invited to the new big money contests).

Erik
 
A couple of questions...

First off, what is a smaller contest?

What makes people think that KCBS is some how eliminating or even moving towards eliminating "smaller" contests?

Seems like new contests are sanctioned each year, some make it and some dont. I havent seen anything by KCBS that makes it more difficult to be sanctioned or anything else that would hurt someone's chances of becoming sanctioned.

What can KCBS specifically do to support smaller contests?

I am all for helping improve the quality of contests from the bottom up. Providing support and funds to get power and water at every contest would be my top priority.
 
I basically cook just a few comps a year. Last year, I was only able to do two, 1 KCBS,and 1 FBA. I did help out another team with totaled abt 17 in all.

I tend to only do the smaller events only to help my odds of hopefully getting a decent score to be in the middle of the pack, which I have so far been able to do. Now if there were only "larger" comps, lets say the aforementioned 100 teams, most likely I would be in the bottom 20% give or take a few places. Do you think I would continue competing? Most likely not. So that is why I support the smaller comps. It gives us smaller teams that only due a few a year a place to go and at least have room to spread our elbows out, and have a good time. The large ones are nice, don't get me wrong, but I just don't feel all the comfy there when all of the larger teams that win week after week are there which only makes it harder for me to even want to try... give the small events a boost.

And after reading more, yes, get a push on the backyard teams, who will one day most likely move up to the pro division later on.
 
BBQchef33 said:
i voted for BOTH, small and Big.

The reasoning is simple.. Small contests turn into bigger contests each year.

The attendance at our Sayville contest increased by 30% each year. Ignore the small contests, and let them die off due to lack of attention and support and all that will be left are the standard established contests with no new blood or growth.
Click to expand...

Ditto
 
BBQchef33 said:
i voted for BOTH, small and Big.

The reasoning is simple.. Small contests turn into bigger contests each year.

The attendance at our Sayville contest increased by 30% each year. Ignore the small contests, and let them die off due to lack of attention and support and all that will be left are the standard established contests with no new blood or growth.[/QUhappOTE]

I totally agree... I enjoy cooking at small contests that become bigger contests...Because the people involved are listening to the needs of the Quers and public and trying improve each year....meaning it gets better each year....something to look forward to...in the case of Blues, Views and BBQ, Westport CT...sad to say it's not going to happen...it was my favorite...and around the time of my BD...may be going to Harvard this year...

Yours in BBQ,

Cliff
Click to expand...
 
I'm new to the nuances of BBQ politics, but I dont compete for the prize money. In fact, I only compete once per year. If I do well, I'm happy. If I dont, I had a good time. What I have seen is that the KCBS seems to add additional constraints to smaller contests which create a great environment for traveling teams who are shopping for points. Whats lost is the hometown feel of the contests where the teams are competing against others in their neighborhood/city. I think the KCBS should stay out of the small town contests except as a rules guideline and to create excitement for regional contests by inviting the winners to larger events.

OK...I'm ready to get hammered on this. Go for it.
 
KCBS doesn't put on a contest. They have nothing to invite anyone to.
 
lbmksu said:
What I have seen is that the KCBS seems to add additional constraints to smaller contests which create a great environment for traveling teams who are shopping for points. Whats lost is the hometown feel of the contests where the teams are competing against others in their neighborhood/city.

OK...I'm ready to get hammered on this. Go for it.
Click to expand...

Just curious - What you mean by additional constraints ?

Remember - the contest organizer chooses to be KCBS sanctioned, it's not a requirement. If an organizer wants a local feel & local teams only, they don't need to get KCBS support which aside from the rules/scoring also makes the contest known to a broader pool of teams outside the local area.
 
Good point, but the main idea is still valid. The excitement of local competition is lost when the bulk of the competitors are not even from the same state/region. The small local contests were built on just that...local competition. I argue that KCBS is discouraging new competitors by helping to justify traveling troupes who overtake the local contest and make no room for the locals. If the KCBS were to concentrate on the medium and large competitions, this would give the small time guy something to aspire to without being immediately crushed in their local competition by they guys that won the Jack Daniels last year.
 
True, the organizer does not need to have their contest be KCBS sanctioned. However, in today's world, you are not likely to be regarded as a real competition unless you get it. On the other hand, the rules are a great tool on how to run a contest. Additionally, the organizers always want their contest to grow and become a major competition. What I'm saying is that some contests were better in their infancy than they are now, while others have grown so much that they are well-respected regional and national competitions. The KCBS may be inadvertently assisting the organizers in losing sight of their original intent.
 
Respectfully, I don't think the the main idea is valid. What determines the geographic area that is still acceptable to be classified as "local" ? 5 miles ? 10 miles ? 50 miles ? The local teams have the same opportunity to submit an application in a timely manner as anyone else. The small time guy is gonna lose either way if his/her BBQ is not up to par no matter where the teams are from. Most teams who travel are not pulling in with mobile homes.. They are towing the same small to mid size cargo trailers as everyone else.

You're point rest solely with the contest organizer or all the teams who support it.
 
By constraints...
The biggie...If you want to be considered a real contest, you must be KCBS sanctioned.
 
If a contest doesn't reach 50 teams, I don't think it's going to draw many teams that are chasing points.

Second, I think it is up to the organizer how big any contest will become. If they have a good date, location, prize list, make it cooker friendly, and do a good job promoting the event...it's going to grow.

If you want to see a local contest stay small, then I'd suggest talking to the organizer about limiting the # of entries and make sure that your friends in neighbors get their checks in early. I just don't see any role for KCBS in doing that.
 
BBQ competition has grown so much in the past 25 years that I have been involved in it. I'm not saying I know how it all works because I dont have time (or the money) to hit more than one competition per year, even though I wish I could.

I'm posting a theoretical argument that I hope will create conversation to make the competition future better for both those that are the masters of BBQ, and the guy doing his first competition.

My argument is that there needs to be a niche for the first timer to get a glimmer of success by not competing with 100 other teams who may get an 8 because they had a really terrible day.
 
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