Man, I don't relish making this post, but I have to disagree with most of you. In my opinion, you should never assume being 3' too long is going to be okay. I like the idea presented here of informing the contest organizer well before hand and including that information on your entry form. However, most of the time that one organizer has so many irons in the fire, remembering one entrant is over length will slip the mind of all but the best contest organizers. Also, I feel like a contestant should never assume it's going to be okay to encroach on a fellow contestants space 3', let alone 6". It's not right, plain and simple. I can't tell you how many events we've cooked where we arrive and the team next to us "just needed a couple extra feet." Well, guess what, we fit in a 20' x 20', not an 18' x 20' and now that team has screwed up our site by being inconsiderate. And don't even get me started about the guys that line up the pits right on the line adjacent to other teams so at least a couple feet of that team's space is unusable.
Be considerate of others. Most teams are friendly and will give the space they need if they can. But when in doubt, buy the extra space.
Wow, that was kind of therapeutic. Thnx for letting me rant. I read all of the posts, and I know my response isn't exactly completely on point. However, as competition barbecue continues to grow, so does the need to squeeze more teams into the same areas. All contest organizers can do is cram us all together. . . . .
Rod
