My view as a candidate as far as what's positive that should be built upon starts with the willingness of the Board to discuss issues like adults and leave out the yelling, threats, etc. It was not productive for the organization and much of that has quieted down now and I think we're seeing some positive results. Although I believe it should have been done differently as far as the bid process and possibly opening the job up to membership (there's a lot of people struggling financially out there and maybe helping even one member with a project would have been nice), it's good to see we're finally getting into the current century with the scoring software. This is something that's WAY past due. As the software is developed, I hope the board can take a look at how we can better utilize technology to improve all of our systems. That might be Webcasts of board meetings and forums for not just reps but also one for organizers, judges, etc. There are definitely changes that can be added to the KCBS Web site that would make it more user friendly. Maybe we get an app for smartphones? How about better database systems so that anyone can log on any week throughout the year and see where they rank in KCBS standings?
Another area that needs improvement but has not yet been addressed much is training of organizers. Many are great at what they do but there are just as many that put on a contest because they think it sounds like a fun idea but they don't understand the culture. What does it REALLY take to put on a successful contest? I know. I put one on and I'm not too shy to say it's one of the best (mostly because of the volunteers Stan and I have). We cook so we do understand the culture and what cooks want. I also know what judges want to see and we try to make it just as much fun for them as we do for the cooks. We include them in everything we do as a contest. The incident in St. Louis a few weeks ago never should have happened and probably wouldn't if there had been a more thorough training process in place for organizers and a mentoring program. Hanging out at a competition to see what's done before you can put one on by yourself is nowhere good enough! Sure, St Louis is an extreme example. But how many times do you sign up for a contest with 30 or 40 teams, pay $250 to enter and find out the prize pool is only $4 or $5 thousand? How many do you go to where you don't get many of the services you sometimes take for granted because you are cooking some other really good ones? We have to make it a priority to educate organizers, especially with all of the new contests coming on the schedule these days.
I also like what's been done with the Sam's Club series but there need to be some big tweeks to the system before it launches next year. I would like to see the organization of each contest being opened up to an application process so that some of our great KCBS organizers have a shot at the job, not just board members. I know there were a couple involved but as an example, around KC, we have LOTS of really good organizers and I know two who were interested. Neither were given the opportunity and instead, Mike Lake, a board member, was brought in to do the job. I think board members should be excluded from the ability to apply for or be considered for those kind of roles, be it Sam's Club series or anything similar. Addidtionally, let's try to make the scheduling a little more weather-friendly! Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas in July were bad ideas! :-D I was one of the teams that suffered through that ordeal!
While all of this is going on, let's never forget what makes up the roots AND the backbone of KCBS - the smaller contests. We need to take a look at ways we can help promote and support these contests so that the norm is NOT Sam's Club, Smoke on the Water, the Royal, etc. Too many teams get their start at small events and to let them go without better support is a disservice to the entire organization.
