Is winning enough?

[rolfejr]

My first big comp this weekend (Bel Air BBq Bash) and I could not be more excited. I have studied, practiced, and prepared to be the best that I can be. I don't expect to win, but I have prepared my team to be competitive.

I hope to cook well, have fun, and learn how to compete better at the next one.

I also hope I don't set the canopy on fire!:-D

 

[Disconnect]

My first big comp this weekend (Bel Air BBq Bash) and I could not be more excited. I have studied, practiced, and prepared to be the best that I can be. I don't expect to win, but I have prepared my team to be competitive.

I hope to cook well, have fun, and learn how to compete better at the next one.

I also hope I don't set the canopy on fire!:-D

Took the words right out of my mouth. (Especially that last part!) Ours is 2 weeks later (Smokin on the Bay) but we'll be stopping by MD BBQ at least Saturday if not Fri. Maybe I'll tag you after the awards and see if you still agree with all that :becky:

 

[PimpSmoke]

I don't give a chit if I win a GC. If I get calls, I am giggling like a freakin' idiot. Why, because I paid for everything. I got no sponsors to answer to , I got not past titles to defend. I did it by myself on my own (with my team, which is my wife), and hearing my name called is better than any cash amount any day.

There's a lot to be said for pony'in up 5 to 8 hundy to do a comp and hearing your name. Nothing better.

Oh, and the company doesn't hurt any either.

WYCQC!!!??? VS. SMOKEPIMPS!!!???

 

[Plowboy]

I think it all depends on your goals, and those can change over time. At the heart of it all you have to have fun and enjoy it, otherwise you would be better off staying home. But this is "competitive" for a reason. You should always be striving to do better than you did before.

Winning a GC in an amateur contest is a great way to start, but it will likely drive you to try your hand at going "pro". To start you will want to just get all your entries in on time an not be DAL. From there you will want to end up middle of the pack...then top half...then top 10...then an RGC...then your GC.

You will want to improve your ranking and start to see how you do against the "good" teams, and try and start beating them too. You will want to be seen as a team to beat by other teams.

Then you will want to get out to the big contests. Along the way you will want to earn enough money to make your hobby/obsession as affordable as possible so you can do it more and justify the expense.

After doing well at the big contests you will want to just go back to having fun and realize that that was what it was all about from the beginning.

You just summarized my 11 years in comp BBQ. Nice. :thumb:

I won't do non-sanctioned events anymore. Not because I'm above it, but because I don't want to be "that guy". The one that has won the American Royal and a bunch of GC's and RGC's who walks into the backyard to compete. Not that I'm a better cook, but the perception will be that I THINK I'm better than everyone else and am trying to bottom feed for some cash, or whatever. I've learned that people can have whatever perception of you they want... if you let them

As for cash, I love and need to bring home some money to keep my hobby going. However, I don't pick contests based on total purse. I did it once and got nothing. Actually, I avoid knowing what a contest is paying out. Knowing the payouts is like a personal jinx.

However, I know teams that pick contests based on who is there, who is not there, how much it is paying, if it is a qualifier or not, what are the odds to the Jack, how many teams it has, etc... Can't say I haven't thought about most or all of these at one point or the other, and I don't think those are bad things to consider depending on what your goals are. But at one point, none of this was on my radar. It was just to win, whatever that means: GC, category, top 10, top 25%, top half, better than my last contest.

Was just thinking about the old days and thought I'd toss the topic out. Have enjoyed the responses.

 

[JD McGee]

Is being the Grand Champion of a competition enough? Yep!

Does it have to be sanctioned? Nope
Does it have to be a qualifier? Nope
Does it have to have enough money? Nope
Does it have to have electricity? Nope
Does it have to have the right number of teams? Nope
Does it have to have "Big Name Teams"? Nope
Does it have enough potential TOY points? Nope
Does it have to be a World Championship? Nope

 

[Scottie]

Wins, trophies, ribbons and cash are all overated....

I do it for the chicks.

 

[Rich Parker]

My only goal going in to a comp is that i am happy with what i put in the box. If I am happy than the judges HAVE to be happy. :mrgreen:

 

[Plowboy]

Wins, trophies, ribbons and cash are all overated....

I do it for the chicks.

Glad to see you still have goals. Someday, buddy. Someday.


Cash, grass, or ass...

 

[jbrink01]

Our first GC came pretty quickly. 6th contest (blind squirrel and acorn theory). We actually got at least 1 call in every one of the first 14 contests we did. All sanctioned. We then started to cater and lost touch with contest BBQ. We would cook 2 or 3 a year and maybe get a call, so i set out this year to prove to myself that I could hold my own against the best out there and get to the Royal invitational (which i didn't cook after my first invite). We are invited for 2011 and having a pretty good year. May quit after this year, because to me it would mean going out knowing I was capable of competing at the highest level.

Although, I have rediscovered the fun of it, so a bigger more family friendly camper is more likely than quitting.

 

[stan]

For me winning is great but right now it is not everything. This is my first year on my own and I am trying to have fun, learn, meet new people and hopefully win some money (which I have been lucky enough to do so far this year). Do I want a GC you bet, does it matter what contest, no! If you golf like me infrequently you just hope that you can have one good hole and somedays it is one fantastic shot that keeps you going and wanting to come back. For me getting a call is like that one great shot in a round. It keeps you coming back. But it might be that new friendship you made or the fun time you had with your family. This is my hobby not my job! If it was my job I would probably have a little bit different thought process!

 

[Bam Bam]

I just started competing about two months ago, and this weekend will be my third comp. I was lucky enough to place first in pork at both comps, and I took a third in chicken, and a third in brisket. Both contests had some pretty formidable teams. SYD, Rhythm n Que, Sweet Peppers, IAB 30, and Big Poppas to name a few. Im still in the "its new and im just happy to be here stage" Every team that I mentioned has helped me in one way or another and have made me feel totally welcome. Im having a blast! I will say though, that walking has turned this hobby into an addiction, and beating some of those teams in a category or two really helped me feel confident that I deserve to be there. So to sum it up, yes, I want it to be sanctioned, I want to make some dough, and I want to cook against better teams so I have something to shoot for. I know BBQ is not a sport, but for me, whenever I played against a stronger opponent in sports, I played better, and I think the same applies in BBQ. On a side note, I have yet to meet a team that I did not like, from what I have seen so far, the BBQ community is full of good people.

 

[Bam Bam]

One more thing, for you promoters out there. Take ten bucks out of the prize money and get trophies instead of ribbons or medals. I want a big ol plastic gold trophy when I walk! Its like T ball for adults! What is it about those trophies?? LOL!

 

[Big George's BBQ]

I have never won a contest so I can only imagine. That would be really Great. I must admit the few times I have had a call it has been fun. Coming 5th over all at New Holland was fantastic. It was Great hearing yor name and being cheered and congratulated by people you like, consider friends and respect. However the most important thing to me is having fun with my team and family and spending time with people that you have met at other Comps. It is Great listening and learning from other teams. The very idea that almost all will help and teach somome thast they are competing against is to me incredible

 

[kwas68]

I'm an amateur who just won a local rib competition with less than 20 competitors. All I won was a small trophy and my team's name in the local paper. I'm still smiling 3 days later, even after a couple of days of going to work! This is enough for me. I can't wait until the next party to tell my guests that they're eating award-winning BBQ.

So I agree, that it all depends on what your goals are.

 

[moocow]

We started this hobby with a goal of just having fun. We have done that and along the way we have picked up 2 GC and a trip to the Jack. All that was awesome but there is nothing better than going to a small town contest and setting up camp and enjoying the atmosphere! We only do Sanctioned contest but we don't care about how big the pay out is. Don't get me wrong, the money is nice but we don't count on it. We are pretty electricity dependent but its not a deal breaker as we have friends that let us use the generators if they are not using them that weekend. We set a goal this year of all top 10 finnishes and a call at every contest. If we can keep that up everything else will work itself out. Just have FUN and good things will happen for you. Our motto last year was " Worlds Luckiest BBQ Team" and things just worked out. I think some people just take this stuff to serious!

 

[jbrink01]

Shane - WAY tooo serious for some. I think we are all competitive by nature, but it is only BBQ.

 

[chromesporty]

We're in our 5th year of competition and finally won our first GC this year in Jan. Then lighting struck twice and we won a State Championship in March and qualified and are cooking the Royal Invitational this year. The little bit of money along the way helps, but it's not why we're here. I cook mainly for the satisfaction of a job well done and because of the amazing friendships made over the last 5 years. Oh, and I really like cool hardware.

 

[Podge]

I go to every contest with the goal to win. Once I give up wanting to win, I'll pay my $700 to do something else.

 

[Alexa RnQ]

I just lost the battle with my evil twin --

 

[Bourbon Barrel BBQ]

No, the more contest I do the more competitive I get. Don't get me wrong I have fun at every comp but I want to win. I'm relatively new to BBQ and have loved every second but I take a lot of pride in my cooking. I take it personally when we have a bad weekend.