Rules for Team of the Year competition

1.  Award objective

The objective of the cbbqa 'Team of the Year' Awards is to recognize the cbbqa team accomplishments during each contest year (January 1 through December 31) and thereby further promote the mission of cbbqa.

2.  Eligible contests

Eligible contests are contests for which cbbqa teams are may receive Team of the Year points.  An eligible contest for each year includes any contest which complies with all the following requirements:

(a)  The contest must be held between January 1 and the following December  31;  and

(b)  The contest must be sanctioned by KCBS and/or approved as an eligible contest by cbbqa.

3.  Eligible teams

(a)  cbbqa teams

Any team whose chief cook is an cbbqa member on the day before a contest and whose chief cook or assistant cook is actually present at the contest is eligible to receive points for the team's finish at that contest.  

For the purpose of this rule, "the day before a contest" means that the individual may join no later than Friday night to be considered an cbbqa member for a contest which will be judged the following day.

Note also that, for a team to be eligible to earn points at a contest, at least one of the cooks must be an cbbqa member.  However, this person does not have to be the chief cook.

Example:  Cook X is the chief cook and Cook Y is the assistant cook of Team A.  At 3 contests, Cook X but not Cook Y is physically present, and at 2 contests, Cook Y but not Cook X is physically present.  If Cook X and Cook Y are cbbqa members during all five contests, then Team A may earn points at all five contests.  However, the result would be different if Cook Y was not an cbbqa member.

In order to be eligible to win a 'Team of the Year' award, the team must have competed as an cbbqa team in at least three contests within California which are KCBS-sanctioned and/or cbbqa-approved. 

(b)  Team name change

A teams which changes its name will receive the points earned under any other name. 

Example:  "Team A" competes in 2 contests, then changes its name to "Team B" and competes in 3 contests.  "Team B" would receive all points earned by both "Team A" and "Team B".  In this example, "Team A" and "Team B" are the same team and do just represent a name change.

Note that a team which changes its name and its chief cook will not be considered the same team for purposes of this rule.  The Example above assumes that the only change is a simple name change.

(c)  Team cook change

Teams which have different chief cooks are different teams, and their points will not be combined.  A merger of separate teams will not be recognized or effective for Team of the Year purposes.  

Example:  Cook X competes as an assistant cook for Team A in two contests, then competes as a chief cook on Team B for one contest, then competes again as an assistant cook on Team A for two contests.  Team A will receive all points earned by Team A for the four contests, and Team B will receive points for the one contest.  The points earned by Team A and the points earned by Team B will not be combined.  In this example, Team A and Team B are separate teams.

Note that KCBS Rule 2 provides that no chief cook or assistant cook may compete on more than one team during a single contest.

Example:  Team A, whose chief cook is Cook A, and Team B, whose chief cook is Cook B, compete at several contests.  Then Team A mergers with Team B.  Irrespective of whatever name is given to the merged team (Team A, Team B or Team C), and irrespective of the chief cook of the merged team (Cook A, Cook B or Cook C), the points previously earned by Team A and Team B will not be combined.

4.  Five categories

There will be five Team of the Year categories, as follows:  

Best Chicken of the Year
Best Ribs of the Year
Best Pork of the Year
Best Brisket of the Year
Best Team of the Year

Each of these five categories corresponds to the four individual meat categories plus the overall championship, which is determined in each eligible contest.  

The winner of each of the five Team of the Year awards will be the team which accumulates the most points earned by the team in eligible contests.

5.  Calculation of points

Each eligible team will receive points for its finish in each of the five categories in each eligible contest.  The number of points which the team receives depends on the number of contestants in the contest and the team's finish, as shown in the following chart:

1 to 25 contestants in a competition:
1st	5 points
2nd	4 points
3rd	3 points
4th	2 points
5th	1 points
26 to 49 contestants in a competition:
1st	10 points
2nd	8 points
3rd	6 points
4th	4 points
5th	2 points
50 or more contestants in a competition:
1st	15 points
2nd	12 points
3rd	9 points
4th	6 points
5th	3 points

From this table, each team will be awarded the number of points that corresponds to its finish in the categories of chicken, ribs, pork, brisket and overall.  

For example, suppose that Team A is an eligible team and competes in an eligible contest which has 30 competitors.  Suppose that Team A finishes as follows:  4th in Chicken, 3rd in Ribs, 2nd in Pork, 1st in Brisket, and Reserve Champion -- 2nd overall.  Team A would earn the following points toward the Team of the Year awards:  4 points for chicken, 6 points for ribs, 8 points for pork, 10 points for brisket, and 8 points for overall.  In addition, these points will be summed, so Team A would receive 36 points, which is the point total which counts toward the overall Team of the Year award.

Note that, as described below in the Points for the Overall Category, the points awarded to a team at a contest in the overall category is not simply its overall points but is instead the total of the points awarded for (chicken plus ribs plus pork plus brisket plus overall).  This is not "double counting".  

For example, suppose that Team B also competes in an eligible contest which has 30 competitors.  Suppose that Team B finishes as follows:  2nd in Chicken, 3rd in Ribs, 5th in Pork, 10th in Brisket, and 6th overall.  Team B would earn the following points toward the Team of the Year awards:  8 points for chicken, 6 points for ribs, 2 points for pork, 0 points for brisket, and 0 points for overall.  However, Team B would earn 16 points for the overall (= 8 + 6 + 2 + 0 + 0).  As a result, even though Team B did not finish in the top five overall for the contest, Team B does receive points toward the overall, based on its finishes in all categories.  Thus, this is not "double counting".

The cbbqa will calculate and maintain a journal of the points earned by each eligible team at each eligible contest in each of the five categories.  

6.  Selection of finishes

(a)  Five best finishes

At the end of the contest year, the cbbqa will survey the points earned in each of the five categories by each eligible team in each eligible contest.  The cbbqa will select the points earned each team with the points earned in its five best finishes in each of the five categories (i.e. the five highest points earned in each category) for purposes of determining the winners of the Team of the Year awards.

(b)  Points for chicken category

The points earned by each team in its five best finishes in the chicken category will be summed, and this will be its total points in the Best Chicken of the Year contest.  Note that the team's five best finishes in this category may be different from its five best finishes in the other categories.

(c)  Points for ribs category

The points earned by each team in its five best finishes in the ribs category will be summed, and this will be its total points in the Best Ribs of the Year contest.  Note that the team's five best finishes in this category may be different from its five best finishes in the other categories.

(d)  Points for pork category

The points earned by each team in its five best finishes in the pork category will be summed, and this will be its total points in the Best Pork of the Year contest.  Note that the team's five best finishes in this category may be different from its five best finishes in the other categories.

(e)  Points for brisket category

The points earned by each team in its five best finishes in the brisket category will be summed, and this will be its total points in the Best Brisket of the Year contest.  Note that the team's five best finishes in this category may be different from its five best finishes in the other categories.

(f)  Points for overall category

The points earned by each team in its five best finishes, which is equal to the total points in each of the five categories (chicken + ribs + pork + brisket + overall), will be summed, and this will be its total points in the Team of the Year contest.  Note that the team's five best finishes in this category may be different from its five best finishes in the other categories.

(g)  Fewer than five contests

If a team does not compete in five or more contests, then the total points it earns in each of the five categories from the contests in which it does compete will be summed, and these will be its total points in the five categories.

Note that, although a team which competes in fewer than five eligible contests will be at a disadvantage compared with other teams, it had the same opportunity as the other teams to compete in more contests but failed to do so.

7.  Winners

(a)  Winners in each category

The winner of the Best Chicken of the Year will be the team which has the most points in the Best Chicken of the Year contest.  Similarly, the winner of the Best Ribs, Best Pork, Best Brisket and Best Team of the Year will be the team which has the most points in such contest. 

(b)  Ties in a category

Any tie in the total points earned by a team for any of the four meat categories or for the Team of the Year award will not be broken.  Each such team will share the award.

Note: This rule on ties conforms with the KCBS Rule

8.  Trophies and prizes

(a)  Perpetual trophies

The cbbqa will award the winner of each of the Team of the Year awards with a Perpetual Trophy, a Permanent Trophy, and such other cash and other prizes as the cbbqa may decide from time to time.

The Permanent Trophy which the cbbqa awards to the winning teams each year shall remain the legal property of the cbbqa.  Each winning team agrees and acknowledges, by its acceptance of the Permanent Trophy, that such trophy remains the property of cbbqa and agrees to return possession of the trophy, without damage, to cbbqa at the end of the contest year (by August 31 of each year), so that such trophy may be inscribed with the name of the subsequent year's winner and be presented thereto.  Each winning team agrees to maintain the Perpetual Trophy in original condition and agrees to reimburse cbbqa for any loss or damage thereto.  

(b)  Permanent trophies

Upon return of the Perpetual Trophy by the winning team as hereinabove set forth, cbbqa shall present to such team a Permanent Trophy, which shall represent the Team of the Year award and shall be the legal property of such winning team, but the Permanent Trophy shall not be required to be as valuable as the Perpetual Trophy.

(c)  Other prizes and awards

cbbqa shall award to the winners and runners up of the Team of the Year awards such other prizes, which may include cash, trophies, ribbons, and other prizes, as cbbqa may decide from time to time.

Related information:

• Current standings (not available)
• Overview of the Team of the Year competition
• Rule changes for this year's Team of the Year competition