How soon is too soon to try a competition?

[BabelBBQ]

I love this site, great to have a place to learn, and specifically on the device I own. I was checking out the competition section and it got me wondering how soon is too soon? Memorial Day Weekend next year for an amateur ribs competition?
It is at the Red White and Blue BBQ in the town I grew up in, the amateur rib competition on the Saturday, and the actual competition and demonstrations on Sunday. I imagine you can learn a lot in the from the 9:00 a.m. start to the 4:00 p.m. turn in time talking to others participants. I'm only loosely thinking about the amateur comp.

 

[Big Poppa]

practice a bunch when you can comfortably hit the time lines go for it

 

[scooter]

Become a judge and learn what constitutes competition BBQ first. As a judge I get quite a few entries each contest I judge from pitmasters who have no idea what the judges are looking for. As a judge you'll get to talk to other judges and pick their brains as to what they look for. Along the way you will make judge friends and pitmaster friends who will mentor you to a certain extent.
As a competitor, you'll not be able to please all judges in the tent but your aim is to please the widest percentage of them. Then like BP said, practice, practice, practice. A comp cooking class is not necessary but will flatten out that learning curve quite a bit and help you to be competitive quicker.

 

[Will the Grill]

I started out doing a grilling contest 1st and I was hooked immediately. I went to a few events talked to some of the teams and took the leap to KCBS. You will find that most if not all teams are more than willing to help out. At our 1st event it rained all night. We huddled under the smoker to try and stay warm through the night and the only thought that came through my mind was why did I wait till I was 40 to start doing it. Good luck with what ever you decide.

 

[BabelBBQ]

Practicing sounds fun. I think I will definitely participate in the Memorial Day 2014 event. I told my son about it and he liked the idea.

It just an amateur event so really, it should be fun regardless.