CBJ Class--My Thoughts

[drbbq]

I'm also not a fan of telling judges how hard we work and how much we spend. What does that have to do with the quality of my entry?
Falsely high scores are a big part of the problem but nobody wants to hear that. We have a 9 point system but any judge who dares use anything more that 9876 is chastised immediately and he better not use too many 6s. So we really have a or 4 point system and I don't have to be a math genius to know that using the whole scale would be a better idea..

 

[4uweque]

I'm just glad there are some sort of standards to judge by, it's so much better than getting the guy parking cars to come be a judge. That still happens so be thankful for the ones that at least try to learn what to look for.

 

[Lake Dogs]

^^^ +! While we'd all love 100% judges who REALLY know barbecue, the truth is that 99.9% of the populous have no clue. Training, certification if you will, is really necessary. Thanks Bunny for all you do.

Like most of this discussion, there are 2 sides to every coin. Ray, I agree about explaining the money and effort required. Any real competitor doesn't want to be glad-handed 9's by the newby judge who's just darned glad to be here. I cant speak for everyone behind a smoker, but I always wanted to be judged honestly and critically. However, for every judge that's just darned glad to be here, there's another judge, even new ones, who come in with the "make my day" attitude with no clue (and certainly no appreciation) as to the efforts that went into the product that came across the table that day... I think they (the 2nd judge in my example) could really stand to have some comprehension of what goes into it. So, on those days when all 5 entries coming across the table aren't the best he's ever had, at least he knows that there were 5 groups of people busting their butts to present the best they could on that day and that they have a vested stake in it.

Either way, it shouldn't prevent a true 4 scoring entry from getting the 3's, 4's, and 5's... Again, hopefully that seasoned judge will not only know the difference (between an 8 entry and a 4 entry) but will also not be afraid to score a 4 and explain why.

 

[Bunny]

What makes you a great barbecue judge, Ray, is because of your knowledge. I'd rather you judge my rib than someone newer to the game. I'd be honored to receive a high score from you.