"State Championship" A NOOB Question

[Stacks]

I noticed on the KCBS website when looking at upcoming events; about 7 out of every 10 competitions are "State Championships."
What does State Championship mean to me as a competitor or even a spectator? Are there special rules? Perks? extra money or bragging rights for the winners?

[thillin]

In TX they're proclaimed state championships by the governor. And gets you into the Royal, Great American BBQ and into the Jack drawing.

[carlyle]

Also in Minnesota, the gov proclaims state championships at the request of the contest.

Grand Champ in a state championship automatically is invited to the invitational

portion of the American Royal, and the GAB.

Each of the grand champs from all the state championship contests in that state
gets a "bung" put into the hat. One team is drawn from the hat and that team
represents that state at the Jack.

Having your contest proclaimed a state championship makes the contest more attractive to potential teams because of the extras attached to winning a state championship.

Hope that helps.

[gmholler]

Check out this page for more information on why a contest might want to get a state championship proclamation:

http://www.labbq.org/proclamation.htm

Yes, they can be proclaimed by the governor, or by the state legislature. Many states, like LA for example, allow an organizer to file for one online, usually no more than about 45 days before the event.

As a cook, you don't have to do anything when it comes to a "State Championship" proclamation - that is up to the contest organizer. When a contest has such a designation, the winners of the contest receive several perks, such as their names being entered into the drawing for the Jack Daniels World BBQ Championship and entry into the American Royal. Various sanctioning bodies often include other perks to the winners. Generally, being proclaimed a "State Championship" gives a contest a more "desirable" flavor; I know of several teams who won't cook at a contest unless it's a state championship!

Lynn H.

[Stacks]

Thanks for the information and the link. I have a lot of similar questions i.e "CBJ 80%" I assume that means at least 80% of the judging will be done by certified judges. "Prize money $10,000" refers to the total amount awarded to the winning teams and not the prize for the GC.
I'm just trying to figure out what everything means. Since I will probably only enter a couple of contests this first year I want to make sure I understand the contest before I sign up.
Again Thanks for the help.
Stacks

[ThomEmery]

Stacks take the CBJ class and see the contest from the judges tent
It will be a huge help to you

[Babyboomerboy]

Originally Posted by ThomEmery

Stacks take the CBJ class and see the contest from the judges tent
It will be a huge help to you

Stacks, Thom is exactly right. You won't really know what the judges are looking for if you don't take a class. Like many people will tell you, its not back yard bbq that wins the contest. It just so happens that on April 14th, Yates Center is holding a Certified BBQ Judging Class. All you would have to do is go south on highway 13 to Highway 54 and straight west. If you are interested, call 620-625-2118 and ask for Becky

[Capn Kev]

Originally Posted by Stacks

Thanks for the information and the link. I have a lot of similar questions i.e "CBJ 80%" I assume that means at least 80% of the judging will be done by certified judges. "Prize money $10,000" refers to the total amount awarded to the winning teams and not the prize for the GC.
I'm just trying to figure out what everything means. Since I will probably only enter a couple of contests this first year I want to make sure I understand the contest before I sign up.
Again Thanks for the help.
Stacks

CBJ% is the percentage of judges that went through the CBJ class and were certified by KCBS. In some cases, the organizers cannot get enough CBJs, and are forced to fill remaining spots with non-certified judges. The other thing that can happen is that the organizer purposely fills some of the judging slots with "celebrity" judging spots, to entice sponsors.

As far as the the prize money, that amount is the total purse which is split among all the meat categories and the overall category. For a contest with a $10,000 purse, the GC might be around $2000 or so.

The "State Championship" designation has been pretty much explained above. Bottom line is, most teams are looking to compete in events that have the chance to qualify them for the large prestigious contests like the Jack and American Royal. If a contest does not get the State Championship tag, they lose some of the appeal they otherwise would have.

[Stacks]

Originally Posted by Babyboomerboy

Stacks, Thom is exactly right. You won't really know what the judges are looking for if you don't take a class. Like many people will tell you, its not back yard bbq that wins the contest. It just so happens that on April 14th, Yates Center is holding a Certified BBQ Judging Class. All you would have to do is go south on highway 13 to Highway 54 and straight west. If you are interested, call 620-625-2118 and ask for Becky

Thanks BBB. I'll give her a call this afternoon.

[carlyle]

The only thing I will add about the cbj percentage is that it is what that contest had
at the last years contest. Does not mean what the contest coming up will be.

I really like the idea of taking the cbj class. You won't be sorry.

Good luck to you.