competition judging question

[rookiedad]

how would all those who compete feel about a contest where turn ins were spread out throughout the competition, rather than just at the end?

phil

[Sledneck]

i dont know about spread out, i like the fact that in florida their is one hour in between. On the other hand everything should be turned in all at once....at 1:30!

[MilitantSquatter]

I don't think entries spread out over an event is feasible for all involved... With the current timelines of most contests, there is not that much free time as it is after setting up and prepping. I think the grilling categories serve this purpose which is usually held the day before. With a two day contest, briskets and butts need to be turned in on day 2 for most who cook long and not fast.

Part of the fun of the contest is the free time between prepping and turn ins where teams get to hang out with other teams.

Would also need to consider where would the judges stay the whole time ?

[rookiedad]

the competition i'm thinking of would have some kind of small stuff like wings turned in first on the first day, followed by chicken and ribs at about five hour intervals, and pork and brisket turned in on the second day also seperated by about five hours, followed by an awards ceromony where an overall catagory would be judged(perhaps a full plate with one catagory as the main course, with sides).

phil

[ThomEmery]

Judges dont always like to sit around waiting
Your asking the CBJs to do a lot of sitting

[cmcadams]

I agree with Thom. From a cook's perspective, it sounds like it would draw things out quite a bit (the 5 hours between pork and brisket would not be fun). From a judge's perspective, I don't want my whole weekend spend in isolation from the teams, etc. As it is, 4 or more categories on Saturday make a long day; spreading it out more means it's that much longer. And once the judges meeting happens, I can't spend any time wandering around, talking to the teams.

[Pig Headed]

I agree with Curt. Since judges are not allowed to fraternize with teams before turn ins, it would be a long day. Most of the judges either compete sometimes or know some of the teams and like to visit them.

[Plowboy]

That would be interesting if the results were distributed as well. You would know where you sit after each category. I can see strategy adjustments for sauce, no sauce, more salt, more sweet, more heat, etc. as the categories went on and you saw how your last entry was judged.

Personally, 30 minutes between entries seems about right to me.

[Bigmista]

The hour between entries in IBCA contests is kinda nice. You get to catch your breathe before the next entry. Of course there are only 3 categories...

[scottyd]

you know a hour might be nice it is a lot of food to eat when judging and at every half hour, man to give the teams a real good look you need to eat and taste, an hour would be OK, I just judged in NKC and I think as a judge you need to slow down eat taste savor and do your job.

We as cooks as I usually do cook. spend lots of cash to go to a contest. I will not rush to judge. I will not rush to cook, if I do that I might as well stay home. to many people depend on your impartial judging. With that said I saw some stuff that pissed me off. I wont go on about that as it is just no good. so lets just be happy and move on to the next one.

Scotty D

[rookiedad]

Originally Posted by Plowboy

That would be interesting if the results were distributed as well. You would know where you sit after each category. I can see strategy adjustments for sauce, no sauce, more salt, more sweet, more heat, etc. as the categories went on and you saw how your last entry was judged.

Personally, 30 minutes between entries seems about right to me.

i think that more seperated call times combined with a running score might make competitive bbq a more viewable sport, drawing fans, more media coverage, sponsors, and higher pay days as a result. i have recently read a few articles on the rise of pro bass fishing and was trying to think of possible ways for bbq to do the same. is this something that any competitors would like to see and if so are there any more suggestions?

maybe turn ins every two hours on the second day beginning with an appetizer catagory and ending with a full plate catagory.

phil

[cmcadams]

Originally Posted by rookiedad

i think that more seperated call times combined with a running score might make competitive bbq a more viewable sport, drawing fans, more media coverage, sponsors, and higher pay days as a result. i have recently read a few articles on the rise of pro bass fishing and was trying to think of possible ways for bbq to do the same. is this something that any competitors would like to see and if so are there any more suggestions?

maybe turn ins every two hours on the second day beginning with an appetizer catagory and ending with a full plate catagory.

phil

As a judge, that's an awful lot to eat... the 4 plus categories with dessert and other stuff thrown in is an awful lot already. A full plate at the end would make someone's stomach explode! It's tough enough to get judges as it is. With 6 categories, I'm there for a solid 3 1/2 hours at least, with being there for the judges meeting and all the categories. Taking it to 2 hours, that means I get there at least an hour before the first category, let's say 10 am. At 11:00, I judge the first thing, then 1:00pm, 3:00 pm, 5:00, just for the 4 main categories. I've been in the judges' tent or building for 7 hours plus. Add more categories, and it's even longer. And a lot of comps have judging in hot tents. All of a sudden, fewer judges want to be involved as it makes for a pretty tedious day. What do they do in the 2 hours between, when it only takes a fourth of that to judge? And taking longer isn't really viable; the food would have sat around too long, gotten cold, etc.

[parrothead]

I like it just the way it is.

[The_Kapn]

Originally Posted by parrothead

I like it just the way it is.

Me too.
KCBS-1/2 hour, FBA 1 hour--they both work fine for teams and judges.

TIM

[voodoobbqIL]

I am one of the producers for the biggest Bass fishing tournament out there (ESPN Bassmaster Classic) I can tell you that that makes for a long day, our shows go for 5 hours on a great day with no hold ups. I think if you try to change the interval you are telling people how long they should cook. Maybe there is someone out there who cooks their ribs 7 - 8 hours. The way it is now you can set you start times and make it all finish close. I don't know that this will ever become a more watchable sport unless you do like what VS network has done but that's on a small scale and would be very tricky to expand on. I think there are some ideas in the works to make a different way to do it for TV but I think live competitions are what they are. I know I will certainly think about ways it could change.