Contest Results Hudson Valley Ribfest New Paltz, NY

[Cue's Your Daddy]

I really loved this contest and its disappointing to hear this. I have not been able to attend the last 2 years but was there every other year. I did notice exactly what everyone is saying tho. With that being said, I will be back because my family enjoys the contest, and we make a week out of it by camping in the area. And I love Stephanie from the rotary club.
And the best deal on ice I ever had was Que for the Troops in PA, 7 bucks for 50 lb bag.

 

[TheJackal]

And the best deal on ice I ever had was Que for the Troops in PA, 7 bucks for 50 lb bag.

At HVR it was $8 for a 25 lb bag. I spent $24 on ice at the contest.

I do agree on the bathroom and trash comments as well. There was actually an empty Ranger driving by with 2 people in it. One was yelling 'Trash'. I brought my trash over to him. He said, 'Oh, we're not collecting trash, just wanted to know if anyone needed extra trash bags." I asked I he could still take it since his cart was empty. He told me 'no'.

Also, payouts were light but we are certainly not in this to make money. Any bit helps though. I've had a single 3rd place check at other contests rival the sum of the two 2nd place checks we received at HVR.

 

[dr pearl]

I must have missed when they handed out the pissy pills. I looked at my packet and saw the breakfast tickets. Ice cost, whatever. Porta-potty's are always nasty, everywhere. You new the payouts before you arrived. It's a beautiful venue. Rolf is great. I will be back next year.

 

[Dan - 3eyzbbq]

We as competitors need to take some responsibility and clean up after ourselves. That is until your name is Myron Mixon or Johnny Trigg.

What makes them so special in your eyes?

 

[Icekub]

I'll use my experience @ the Madison, IN Ribberfest to show an alternative: I visited this contest to help another team and maybe learn a few things. Bathrooms were prevalent, not locked (what did you guys do who had to drop a deuce?) Since space did not really allow for all cars for the team to be parked onsite, they made exceptions for pickup and dropoff of larger items that couldn't be carried that far and had an ample supply of free ice that they passed out to the teams. They did have a free breakfast that was first come, first serve.

I was not @ the HVR, but there are some really good comps out there that really try to take into consideration the needs of the teams, especially when things are restricted for the teams for the logistics of the comp. Based on the comments of some respected members on here, it doesn't sound like HVR is one of them. I have never organized a comp and I can only imagine the 1000's of things that need to be addressed. Important things to teams, like those mentioned in this thread, should be considered a top priority I believe.

 

[Jacked UP BBQ]

Third time here and twice was to cook for someone else. I remember there was a waiting list to get in this comp and they were on their way to one hundred teams. Most of the organizers are nice, but walk around all day with a worried look on their faces. But most rotary clubs are tight asses. If there were nicer hotels in the area, it wouldn't be that bad of a comp, because I could go hang in my room until duties called. From the outside looking in, it seems like two completely different venues between the comp and the festival, I remember my first year there they actually encouraged people to go through the competition area, now its almost like they discourage it. Its a bbq comp, low entrance fee, inflated ice, ****ty access, stupid penny pinching, nice park, disgusting porta potties, nothing special to bring in teams. Different strokes for different folks, just not my cup of tea.

 

[HVRibFest]

OK, here we go…

First of all THANK YOU to all the teams that participated!
We always appreciate any comments on the comp and encourage you to please email your feedback to contest@hudsonvalleyribfest.org so we can track and take them into consideration and try to make changes for next year.
The Hudson Valley RibFest is an event that takes lots of planning, months in advance to make things happen. The Highland Rotary Club consists of just over 30 members and only about 10 of them are the actual hands on Rotarians to pull this of.
For the competition portion of RibFest it’s just Stephanie and I and we both love the BBQ competition. I’m always staying onsite during the weekend, available to address any issues / needs that may come up at any time.
The majority of our Rotarians don’t understand BBQ competition and some don’t even care for it. It’s always an internal battle during planning.

I would like to respond to a few items…
Trash; We had 2 large dumpsters located by the porta-potty’s for the teams to drop their trash. The guys with the Ranger and trailer are instructed to collect from the barrels only. It might seem short sighted that they won’t pick up bags while driving by but if they do it for one team they would have to do it for all to be fair. It would also take considerable more time to serve the contest area. Hence the reason we have the dumpsters near by.

Porta-potty’s; The Fairground restroom facilities are on a septic system and the county requires us to have restroom attendants to keep them operational and they’re only open during the day. The porta-potty’s got cleaned and pumped every morning by 10 AM. If we need more (we had 1 handicap and 4 regular and a hand wash station) we can do that for next year.

Payout; The total purse is $8.500 for the weekend. If my research is correct that‘s the 2nd largest in the ESBC after Rock City and our entry fee for KCBS is the lowest at $190. As we all know if you’re into competition to make money,… After collecting all the entry fees and paying all contest costs (payout, electric, water, trophies, porta-potty’s, dumpsters, KCBS, judging, etc.) there is usually less than $3K left that goes into the general fundraising fund. There have been years in the past where the contest came up short and it was questioned to even have the contest as part of RibFest. That’s when Stephanie and I took of the gloves and started fighting.

We (Stephanie and I) are always trying to make things better for future events. It takes lots of dedication, coordination and time on our side and we appreciate all of you.

Please don’t forget to email your feedback contest@hudsonvalleyribfest.org

Thanks again,
Stephanie and Rolf

 

[Muzzlebrake]

Like I said this is far from the most team friendly event I have done. Once you do a contest where the organizer goes out of their way to put the teams first you will understand it.

No offense but many of the people that think this is a great event, I don't think you really have much of a basis for comparison. While there may be teams with a lot more success than I have, there are few that have done it longer or are as well traveled our team. This year alone i will have done more than 13 contests in 9 different states so i think i have a good cross section of data to use. It seems that teams in a similar situation as me have a similar opinion aboutthis one. This contest used to draw not only more teams but many of the best teams in the Northeast. That is no longer tha case and hasn't been for a number of years.

Here are some of the observations I have seen in my travels and what separates a team friendly contest from one that isn't.

Most contests I have done pick up your trash, very few ask you to lug it a central location to get rid of. Even fewer have people drive by in rangers and refuse to pick it up.

Some provide free ice, many sell it at a discount to teams, this is the only one I have ever been to where they charge a premium. They all to the best of my memory deliver when you need it not when it is convienent for them.

Many contest have portajons or bathrooms set aside for team use only, which typically don't get nearly as nasty the public one. If real bathrooms are available they are made accessible to the teams early in the AM.

Power sucked. I had a hard time starting a flourescent light using contest power at one point.

Most contests give you a gift bag with something other than a pin and a set of rules.

Most contests allow returning teams to stay in the same spot, this one has a different map every year. One year they even assigned the returning GC a different space.

Vehicles are allowed as long as they are within your space. Considering many of us sleep there, or use our trucks in our setup this is a huge PIA.

Breakfast is always an issue here. Last year it was a 30 minute wait for a terrible egg sandwich, this year it was tickets. I have never need a ticket for breakfast at any other contest, including Mimosas and eggs @ Roc City.

Prize pools less than 100% of entry fees can be understood if the contest is open to the public and the are a lack of major sponsors. That is not the case here. They advertise an $8.5k pool but that is the pool for the KCBS and NEBS combined. I'm not sure what NEBS paid out but the KCBS is very low. If I'm not mistaken, the side bets in each category were worth more than the first place check. This contest makes a boatload of money for the organizers and I understand that is their goal but if you are using the teams as the draw there should be a little more equity. Start doing the math and you can see what I mean. They had almost $15k in entry fees alone.

So for those of you that think this is a "great" contest I hope you get to take part in one where the organizer puts the teams first so you can see the difference first hand. There are plenty out there.

 

[deez butts]

Granted I haven’t done many contests but I thought it was good. I love having real bathrooms, plus there were showers we could use and a pool we could use. I thought that was great and will be using the pool next year when I bring my kids. I usually like to keep a few things in the car and have slept in the car before but the parking wasn’t far from the comp area and I didn’t think it was a big deal, plus people brought cars in at night. I also usually bring an extra cooler full of ice so the ice wasn’t a big deal either. I did buy one bag but I just went over paid for it and carried it back, no biggie. I also liked that they had so many ash containers, that seems to be lacking at a lot of contests and they had them set up all over the place. I had one right at my site and I just dumped my ash no problem. The garbage, yeah I’d like them to pick it up but it wasn’t that bad. One of my bags ripped and all the garbage dumped out on the way to the dumpster. I think someone from Handsome Devil helped me with it, thanks! As for the closing of the bathroom and the breakfast ticket, they told us about the bathroom closing and opening times and that we should make sure we had breakfast tickets at the cooks meeting so I don’t know why that’s an issue. I was doing this comp solo and told them about it and they put me in a spot right near the turnins, I thought that was great. I also really liked that they were collecting the leftovers for a food bank, I think more comps should do things like that. With the side bets they also put up some of their own stuff, I thought that was great.

As far as the payouts, they are doing this to raise money for charity, I don’t understand why they would pay out 100% of the take from the teams. Honestly, I don’t see how the teams are really a draw for the crowd. We aren’t doing demo’s, handing out food or selling food to the public. If we were required to do a people’s choice entry sure, but we didn’t have to do anything like that. The public comes around and maybe asks a question or two and that’s about it. Then of course there are the complaints that they can’t buy our food and stuff so I don’t see how we draw public. If a non-profit or service organization isn’t going to make money off of it why would they deal with the hassle? Do I think they should be stingy like Merrimack NH…heck no…but I think looking for a 100% payout is asking too much. Also if a team has been to a comp before they know what the payouts are like, if they have a problem with it then why did they go?

Like I said, I haven’t done too many different comps so I might be totally out in the weeds but I thought it was good and I will be back.

 

[Sledneck]

at $8 a bag it should be delivered to my site!

 

[Meat@Slim's]

Whoa! I was wondering why this thread keeps bouncing back to the top like a Long Island thread would.

This is my fourth year and it doesn't seem any different to me other than the last three except for less flies.

Yes it's smaller...seems to me the year they were expanding it with a third rep that they flew in from KC they got less teams. It seemed to me all the comps were down in attendance that year because so many teams were having trouble making ends meet at home because of the economy. Except Roc City of course...but I look at that as an "out of the winter" thing.

I'm sorry so many of you that I care about did not have a good experience this weekend...I'm disappointed that you were disappointed.

Ultimately teams that have been scorned usually follow through with the action of protest. I fall into this category with Staten Island first year and NH last year. To SI's credit they tried to improve their event from what I understand and they reached out to me personally which I really appreciate. As for NH I will never go back but I don't wish it to die...it is a great opportunity for new teams and for old teams wishing to bottom feed! Do remember that Karma is a bitch. LOL.

As for New Paltz nothing happened that I was not made aware of in advance or experienced there from previous years. I will be back.

From an organizer point of view the first two years of my event I went out of my way to schedule toilet cleanings saturday evening. By miscommunication that did not happen this year and I almost got burned even worse when the company was not planning on a Sunday morning stop.

Smokin' Hoggz and Three Eyez...congratulations and thanks for keeping the bar high. I always want to know where I'm aiming.

I don't know about the prize money...I did not see a dime of it. But I had a great time just the same.

 

[Pelkster]

If you want a competition where the teams come first, look at Boston Hills and the job that Giggler does. Free ice, good payouts, real bathrooms, showers, free beer, garbage pick up, AND he's grown the event every year since it's inception. This is the pinnacle of a team friendly event, one that I use as a basis of comparison for all other comps I go to.

I did the HVR last year, and it was the first time I had traveled across state to compete. Outside of the teams, I remember there being power issues on Friday night, and I was really disappointed with the lack of payouts, or even ribbons for 10 and up for that matter. They had the pool last year (was it available again this year?) and I remember taking my kids over there on Saturday to a mild look of "oh, you're one of those bbq people". I would consider going back, but I'll really have to think twice if the "local" teams are saying they won't go back. Also, the traffic getting into and out of town was terrible as it was move in weekend for the college. I know that traffic isn't the organizers fault, but it is something that I would have to consider.

Now since I"m not one to post about problems without offering solutions...if there are trucks going by, why can't they grab the trash for the teams? I can't think that the teams are creating that much extra trash where this cannot be accommodated.

There should be someone dedicated to making rounds for ice. If a cart is available, bring the ice with you so its right there, that way special trips are not needed. Once every two or three hours are good. Also, keep it at cost. The organizers have a virtual monopoly on the ice sales, so that doesn't mean that you have to overcharge for it.

Give at least a ribbon for 10th on up. There is no reason why this can't be done. While cash is nice, its nicer to have something to show for your hard work. Every comp I've been to has done at least this. There is one that is still growing that calls the top 10 and gives awards to the top 7. I'm OK with that as its still getting bigger, but with 50 teams, there's no excuse.

If the bathrooms cannot be accessed over night because of the attendant situation, then have an additional porta-potty or two available for teams only, and schedule a clean up as early as possible for the others. Most teams are going full bore by 6 or 630am, and waiting 3 1/2 hours for the johns to be cleaned out can be torture.

Last thing, if the comp is in the same location each year, then returning teams should be given preference on their site location. If they want the same site, then they should be able to get it. If one opens up, and they want to move, so be it. Obviously, the RV's are a different animal, but it shouldn't be that big of a deal. You have the map of teams from the previous year, just copy the returning teams over.

Use this, ignore it, slam it, support it. I'm not an organizer and I won't pretend to be one, but these sound like simple solutions to the problems, which would alleviate some of the grumblings.

Thanks for reading.

 

[CBQ]

There are three Rotary run contests in NY/New England that I attend or have attended. HVRF is better than either of those other two, though one is new and trying hard and one doesn't give a chit if the teams show up or not. (You have to show proof of insurance to cook? Really?)

Compared across all 17 we do a year, I'd put it in the top 1/3.

• Yes, ice should be closer to cost. $5 is more standard. Make money off the public, not the teams.
• Trash should be picked up by staff, most contests do that.
• At least one power panel had power problems throughout. Should have a certified electrician on call.

On the other hand:

• They locked the real bathrooms at night. OK. Most contests don't even HAVE real bathrooms. They still had porta potties 7x24, which is normally all you get anyway.
• Yea, the ticket guy was bit uptight about the breakfast tickets, but most contests don't have a breakfast at all.
• The pool? Really? How many other contests have free pools for people?
• Hardly any flies this year. Awesome.

I would cook it again.

 

[rookiedad]

[*]Hardly any flies this year. Awesome.


yes! it must have been hard for them to find a fly bouncer to post at every entrance! a few still got through though... they must have had fake IDs!

 

[TheJackal]

[*]At least one power panel had power problems throughout. Should have a certified electrician on call.

They did. Actually, he wasn't 'on call'. He was there all day both Saturday and Sunday. His name is Vito and he was awesome. Good electrician and one of the nicest guys. We had electrical problems from the start and he fixed us up good. Sent him home with a whole pan full of food on Sunday.

He must have been in his late 70's (his mom is 101). But that didn't slow him down any. We got a thank you email from him at 10:16pm Sunday night thanking us for the food. In his signature was "sent from my iPad". He was great!