It has been a rather unremarkable competition year for me to date. The only contest that I was satisfied with my results was the one in Sebring, where I finished Reserve Grand Champ with a 1st in Ribs. The weather at awards was brutally cold, in the low 30’s with a damp north blow. That was my first contest of the year, and it has been a challenge ever since.
Following that we had the FBA “Celebrate Last Year” party which was fun. The whole team came along and we had a great time in Lake City, where we received the coveted FBA Team of the Year award for the second year in a row. This is a very tough award to win, as it takes a lot of time and commitment to be able to cook enough contests, and do well enough in them to win. While it would be nice to take aim at a third TOTY in 2010, I’m not sure I’m up for it. I missed out on a lot of family stuff in 2009, which I don’t want to do again. There will always be more bbq contests, but you only get one chance with your children. Good luck to you guys!