Too many competitions???

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Chodempole

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So this year will be my first year doing pro competitions. I did 3 amateur comps last year to get my feet wet. This year I'm deciding on whether I should jump right in and do as many as I can, or if I should take it slow and only do a handful. I understand the expense, so that aside. My thinking for loading up my comp schedule is to simply gain experience quicker.

Anyone ever do too many or not enough?
 
We were more consistent when we did more. Our max was 16 and we did that for 3 to 4 years, but a job change and less vacation time has us back down to 10 or 11. This year the schedule is heavily front loaded. It looks like we’ll be doing 10 KCBS and 4 SCA (some are tied into KCBS competitions) in just May and June!

So, if you can afford it and have the time, I say do all that you can! It is great experience and a lot of fun!
 
All is good ifin your winin, opposite that it's a cash hole with new friends.
Ed
 
All depends on your free time and budget truthfully. I did 2 pro comps last year to get my feet wet and see if it was something I would truly enjoy...got a call in ribs both comps so now I'm hooked lol. This year I am planning on doing 4 comps...mainly due to budget. But any and all winnings will go towards a 5th comp if it's possible. I would love to do a comp every other weekend but there's no way that's possible right now!
 
The more you do the luckier you will get, it takes experience and practice to be consistent and to learn how to make a fair product great and that all comes from time spent honing your skills.


Jump in, the water is still!!
 
I never do enough. Not enough time off or enough money to support the habit more than a couple times a year.
I was looking at all comps that would work possibly. Total $6,000. 10 comps. Not all sanctioned either. We are not doing this many. I wish we could but it just is way over extending our budget. Couple more years and when we are debt free we will really be upping the amount of comps we do.
I say do what you can and don't over extend yourself.

I think we may be doing more SCA than kcbs this year. Easier for us to travel and spend less and not take time off work. Still fun but the cost hurts less.
 
You have to look at the variables in you life at any given time.
Do you have the money to spend?
Do you have help, or are you doing it alone?
How flexible is your job?
How is your physical ability?
How is your enthusiasm level?
Are you disciplined and organized?
What are your other family obligations to spouse, kids, your parents, friends?

All of the above aside, I would take a GOOD comp class from a currently competing team that preferably cooks on the same type of gear that you plan to. That will help you get better faster, rather than relying solely on learning from the school of hard knocks.

When I was starting, I would ask myself how dejected I would be sitting at home knowing there was a comp I could be at. If you are going to be more depressed sitting at home and moping that your not there cooking, then you better plan on cooking it.
 
didisea said:
When I was starting, I would ask myself how dejected I would be sitting at home knowing there was a comp I could be at. If you are going to be more depressed sitting at home and moping that your not there cooking, then you better plan on cooking it.
Click to expand...

Bingo.
 
If the cost of contests isn't a concern, if you have the time, if you have the equipment, if you have an agreeable wife and family, if you love the environment, I would do as many as I could. Not many would be in this situation.

I would suggest you take a comp class or two so you are better prepared.

I hope to do a few more this year but those tuition bills for the kids are a killer.

Good luck and if you ever need help I'm sure there will be a bunch of us willing to give you a hand.
 
BBQ_MAFIA said:
If the cost of contests isn't a concern, if you have the time, if you have the equipment, if you have an agreeable wife and family, if you love the environment, I would do as many as I could. Not many would be in this situation.

I would suggest you take a comp class or two so you are better prepared.

I hope to do a few more this year but those tuition bills for the kids are a killer.

Good luck and if you ever need help I'm sure there will be a bunch of us willing to give you a hand.
Click to expand...

I appreciate that! Yea no kids for me yet and a wife who loves it! I guess I have no excuse. I will be taking a class a few weeks before my first comp this year
 
I only got in 50 last year. I’m hoping that time & budget will allow for a few more this year.

All kidding aside, the more you do the better you’ll get. Take a class if you can as well.
 
gettinbasted said:
I only got in 50 last year. I’m hoping that time & budget will allow for a few more this year.

All kidding aside, the more you do the better you’ll get. Take a class if you can as well.
Click to expand...

Lol always good to hear from the best of the best! Yea I actually had saw you did 50 comps from bbqdata and couldn’t believe it. But it makes sense as with anything you do. You just can’t replace good old experience.
 
seeing as how you said "cost aside" I would say do as many as you can while still enjoying yourself. Once you get to where you're not really excited it's time to slow down. That being said consistency is much easier to accomplish the more you do. Good Luck in 2019!
 
Chodempole said:
Anyone ever do too many or not enough?
Click to expand...

Depends on when you ask my wife :becky:

What's your goal?

If you want to have fun, any amount you are comfortable with is OK. A lot of casual teams do 5 and enjoy it.

If you have a competitive streak and want to improve, I've always felt that teams need to do at least 10 in order to gain enough experience for it to be meaningful.

If you are trying for a KCBS Team of the Year ranking, you are cooking at least 15, and probably in the 20-30 range if you are a top 25 team.

Winning it all takes a lot more than that, as Brad pointed out.

A lot of teams that cook 10 contests think the people that do 25+ are crazy :crazy: but in a weird way I find that contests are easier when you are doing them back-to-back. Cook, unload, reset, go again. It's harder when you take long breaks between contests, at least for me.

For the first year though...stay under 10. Figure out what works, what doesn't, and if you like doing it before you commit more time and money.
 
I would say it all depends on your setup, more specifically the ease of setup. If you are popping up tents and packing and unloading a trailer every weekend it might get old fast. However if you have a dedicated trailer setup just for BBQ and you just pull into a spot and are ready to go it will be a lot less stressful for you.



Cooking in the dead of summer outside with very little shelter can really take it out of you as well, even in the North East. So you may have to give up cooking comps in July / August (unless you don't mind the heat).
 
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