i want to start my own bbq team??

porkingINpublic said:
Friends with $ and a willingness to participate
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Yes. Money and hard work are a MUST. Everyone must be able to equally pull their weight in both work and finances. It takes a bit of both to compete on a regular basis.
 
Go "pit bi@#ch" for a team and get some insight. I just jumped in with a friend, first comp my turn in boxes were horrendous. Had a great time, still having a great time. There are some truly genuine and wonderful people in this game. Met a lot of great friends in the last few years doing this thing. You'll enjoy it.
 
Exactly....befriend and offer to help a team for a weekend at an upcoming comp. That will be invaluable. Expect to wash dishes, clean etc.; but, you may get to help with more. Regardless, what you will learn will help alot.
 
That first Pro trophy is going to cost you about $10,000, minimum. Make sure you have the cash or a well-heeled backer before you start down that road. Otherwise, stick to backyard where the learning curve and costs are less steep.
 
I saw in the KCBS Bullsheet where you can send in your location and info and they will place it in the paper that you are looking for a team.
I kind of suckered my best friend into it. Sold it to him as just hanging out and drinking beer all night. He took over the chicken after the first year and we have been together ever since. You may be surprised how many of your friends and/or family would be interested.
One word of caution. Choose wisely. There are those who seem like they really will be OK, but are looking for more of a party. The best way to figure out just how into it they will be is to practice pretty often and tell them they have to be there for the practices and not just the competitions.
 
Pack-A-Smokes said:
One word of caution. Choose wisely. There are those who seem like they really will be OK, but are looking for more of a party. The best way to figure out just how into it they will be is to practice pretty often and tell them they have to be there for the practices and not just the competitions.
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Can't agree with this more. My so-called teammate never came out for practices, or if he did it was only for an hour or so. The day of my practice before our first comp this year he didn't show up until the very end, AFTER the food was already out and was being eaten. For the comps, he shows up after the set up is done, and at our local event, he never came back to help clean up, even though he lived right across the street!
 
Get a clean up crew for when you are done cooking and your dog tired....
 
Being a rookie competitor myself, it is hard to start out. I wound up starting off by going to 2 KCBS comps and a backyard and just walking around asking questions. Be respectful of finish line times and if someone looks like they are doing something team secretive, let them finish and come back. For me, starting off with a rib competition and a rib and chicken comp helped calm my nerves. I was able to get a taste of the competition world without getting overwhelmed. Read, read, read the brethren and practice, practice, practice. I too wound up helping two different teams so that I could learn what a competition was like. Help where they want help, hide when they want you to hide, and don't be lazy. The teams put a lot of money into these competitions, so make sure for their time and knowledge, you take care of them. I still til this day am grateful for the two teams that let me help them out that when I see them setting up will still walk over and help. I competed in one KCBS event and have more on the way. IT IS EXPENSIVE...and addicting. Have fun with it and don't be afraid to ask questions.
 
Pelkster said:
Can't agree with this more. My so-called teammate never came out for practices, or if he did it was only for an hour or so. The day of my practice before our first comp this year he didn't show up until the very end, AFTER the food was already out and was being eaten. For the comps, he shows up after the set up is done, and at our local event, he never came back to help clean up, even though he lived right across the street!
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Yep, best to have your expectations out there. When I first started it was all about the fun of it, still is, but I wanted to win. Another teammate showed up late to the comp, didn't help do anything, pitch in financially or help with the workload at all, just brought a half rack of beer. I guess I may have been a bit stern in my requirements and expectations as we moved forward, after not asking him back I found that what I wanted out of it was different from my teammates, so I left that team and started my own.

Just showing up to cook at a comp is not the way you want to do it, the fun is getting better at it, learning, sharing ideas, practicing and collecting paychecks. Competing is a lot of fun, you'll love it. Just make sure you choose wisely. I have one other guy on my team, we like it that way. I am not a fan of doing it alone, done did that already.
 
GreenDrake said:
Just showing up to cook at a comp is not the way you want to do it, the fun is getting better at it, learning, sharing ideas, practicing and collecting paychecks. Competing is a lot of fun, you'll love it. Just make sure you choose wisely. I have one other guy on my team, we like it that way. I am not a fan of doing it alone, done did that already.
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AGREED 100%.

I'm not a well seasoned competitor or anything, but for ME, the fun has been in the whole process, which includes the satisfaction of doing all the hard work as WELL as the successes and meeting new folks. We are a 2 man team and we like it that way. We've become very much in-synch and know what the next step is. This has come with many competitions so far this season and we truly improve more and more each time. The entire ride is the pay off for me, not just the awards ceremony.
 
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