I had forgotten that the podcasts were available....I think I'll be listening to those a lot more closely in the future. Just sent this email to KCBS for what it's worth...
To the BOD
I just wanted to write to express disappointment over an article in the latest Bullsheet, which I just received today.
On page 12, there is an article about the judges code of conduct. What isn’t mentioned, is that at least one of the authors of the article, who have what amounts to a monthly column in the Bullsheet, was recently DQ’d as a judge at an event in St. Joseph, for breaking rule 2 of the code of conduct, consuming alcohol before judging.
He then further proceeded to break rule 6, by acting in a disparaging manner toward the woman who reported him for drinking. This second infraction got almost no mention in the board meeting!
It seems that at least one of the authors should have admitted his misconduct, instead of just re-posting the rules and hiding by the excuse that “he has been judging for 28 years and his experience actually goes back before the formation of KCBS”, and not even acknowledging that it happened.
So what!? Does that mean he is exempt from the rules because of some perceived grandfather clause? Did he forget that disparaging remarks were not only crass and rude, but also against the rules? Having now listened to the BOD discuss the issue, it’s clear that the judges involved could have chosen to explain to the contest organizer that they were not allowed to imbibe the morning of an event. Instead, they made a conscious decision to go ahead and violate rule #2. And the violation of rule 6 is almost completely ignored in the meeting!
I listened to the podcast of the 5/25 BOD meeting with great interest. I heard some actually trying to excuse it by saying it isn’t a well known rule? Bull! “It’s the first time I heard of this” Really?
Then someone says “why do we allow cooks to drink?” Because, the rules say that cooks can, as long as they don’t get out of hand. And secondly, because the cooks have paid an average of probably 500.00 to compete in that event. It is their responsibility to keep their palates in good enough shape to ensure the food they present tastes the way they want it to. And if you try to tell them they can’t drink, you’ll lose a whole bunch of cooks! Another member of the BOD who won’t be getting my vote next time.
The reps and judges however, are a different story. Reps, I believe, are paid a stipend for their time and effort. And judges owe it to the cooks to keep their palates sharp. In my opinion, smoking should also not be allowed between tasting, but that’s another story altogether!
There isn’t a rule that says cooks can’t drink. There IS a rule in the judges code of conduct, and it’s been there at least as long as I’ve been a KCBS member. Good for the BOD member that pointed that out, and for understanding the difference. Good also, for the person (whose name I didn’t catch) for pointing out that a suspension was in order. Rules are rules people! It is your DUTY as members of the BOD to enforce the rules! And anyone who argued against that will not be getting my vote next time. Later in the conversation, it’s said, “we’re on shaky ground here” What’s shaky? Rules are rules are rules! And …”we don’t have a rule in place”… WTF? There IS a rule in place. Rule 2 of the judges code of conduct! Stop dancing around the matter and issue a suspension! Some kind of probation? What a crock! The rule isn’t “buried pretty deep. It’s at the bottom of the downloads page. And the judges code of conduct is also in the judges certification booklet, So if there was any judge there looking to get their master judge sheet signed, I’d venture a guess that there were multiple copies of that booklet in the judges tent.
I have been a certified judge for over 5 years, a certified table captain for over 4, and a competitor for 4. As such, I’m a relative rookie I suppose. Nonetheless, one of the reasons I became involved, was because of the high standards held by KCBS, and while I may not agree all the time, I follow the rules, because they are just that, rules. Not suggestions that someone can overlook using an excuse of “I didn’t know”
If a team gets caught deliberately breaking a rule, there is often a suspension invoked. Shouldn’t the same rule apply to a judge or table captain?
It is my belief that the right thing to do would have been to acknowledge the infraction, perhaps tell his side of the story, and at the very least, issue a public apology to the person who rightfully reported the infraction. Instead, by not addressing it, he expresses no regret, shows no remorse, and completely sidesteps the issue
To anyone aware of the story, the “article” on page 12 is little more than a whitewash, and probably would have been put to better use as ad space. As a dues paying member, I feel it’s not only my right, but my responsibility to register my disappointment with this situation and the way it was (or wasn’t) reported to the membership. There seems to be no problem enforcing rules pertaining to cooks, who pay large sums of money to compete. How can there be so much disagreement over a written rule?
I can guarantee there will be many members who will not get my vote after the pathetic way this was handled. I can almost see the smug smile on the face of the “flying Barbecue judge” while reading his posting of the very rules he violated. Way to put teeth in the rules guys and gals!:tsk:
Regards,
Dann Boland
#17139
Team 2 Skinny Cooks
