Steak Cook of the Year Rules

  1. MABA will recognize Steak Cook of the Year eligibility for throughout the competition season.  The competition season is defined as a calendar year from January 1st through December 31st.  STEAK COOKS must meet the definition of a MABA Steak Cook and declare that they wish to compete in this program for the respective season.
    1. A MABA Steak Cook is defined as a team who
      • Is a current MABA member in good standing
      • Meets the definition of a Steak Cook as defined by the latest SCA or KCBS rules
    2. A STEAK COOK application must be electronically submitted via the Team of the Year tab on the mabbqa.com website.  This MUST be done prior to receiving any Steak Cook of the Year points.  MABA strongly encourages teams to apply for Steak Cook of the Year as soon as possible.  All applications must be vetted and approved for eligibility before being included in the points chase.  This process can take up to 30 days. 
  2. Approved body/contest information
    1. Sanctioning bodies approved for MABA Steak Cook of the Year points accumulation: 
      • SCA
      • KCBS
    2. MABA Approved Steak Contest: (for a contest to be awarded MABA Steak Cook of the Year points, the contest must meet all of the following criteria)
      • Must be a contest in the approved sanctioning bodies
      • The contest must be conducted in one of the MABA region states: MD, DC, DE, VA, WV, PA, NY, NJ and NC
      • The contest must be an “Open” contest that allows all teams to join. Invitational or other contests that require a team to meet criteria outside of normal will not count.
  3. Accumulating points for teams
    1. Scores from the team’s top 8 or LESS best MABA backyard approved sanctioned competitions as defined above.
    2. Only the allotted number of individuals per MABA Membership type are eligible to accumulate Steak Cook of the Year points. That individual MUST be designated BEFORE the beginning of the season.
    3. Points for Overall Event Rankings
      • 1st place = 125 points
      • 2nd place = 100 points
      • 3rd place = 80 points
      • 4th place = 70 points
      • 5th place = 60 points
      • 6th place = 50 points
      • 7th place = 45 points
      • 8th place = 40 points
      • 9th place = 35 points
      • 10th place = 30 points
      • 11th place and below = 5 points
    4. Points bonus multiplier
      • Take the total number of teams at the event, divide it by 2 then express it as a percentage + 1
      • i.e. a 50 team event; 50 / 2 = 25 / 100 = .25 + 1 = 1.25 or a 25% point bonus. Points will be carried out to 4 decimal places. (.0000)
  4. Recognition of Steak Cook of the Year standings will be by the individual STEAK COOK name attached to a membership’s names. MABA TEAM NAMES in the current MABA membership database will NOT be affiliated with designated individual STEAK COOK names. The database is created from information listed on membership applications and/or annual renewals.
  5. Steak Cook of the Year points will only be awarded to individuals whose current STEAK COOK is a MABA member in good standing.
    1. To accrue Steak Cook of the Year points for an event, the STEAK COOK MUST apply or have already applied and paid for membership prior to steak turn in on the day of the competition.
    2. STEAK COOKS cannot accrue points during any lapsed membership period.
    3. STEAK COOKS can start to accrue Steak Cook of the Year points again upon renewal of membership status.
  6. Steak Cook of the Year Tiebreakers – In the event of a tie, the following tie breaking procedure will be used:
    1. 1st Tiebreaker – The STEAK COOK with the greater number of 1st place finishes in that category
    2. 2nd Tiebreaker – The STEAK COOK with the greater number of 2nd place finishes in that category
    3. 3rd Tiebreaker – The STEAK COOK with the greater number of 3rd place finishes in that category
    4. If no resolution after the above tiebreaker a coin flip will determine the outcome
  7. STEAK COOKS may accrue Steak Cook of the Year points for multiple events on the same contest date such as double or triple contests.
  8. Only valid individual STEAK COOKS that have earned the top Steak Cook of the Year standings will be officially recognized in writing by the MABA Board of Directors for representing MABA in any national events or promotions. Any recognition declared or made without the written consent of the MABA Board of Directors will result in that team’s name and any MABA member documented to be affiliated with that team being banned from any MABA Steak Cook of the Year points chases for one year.
  9. The MABA Board of Directors reserves the rights to alter any points/eligibility if it determines that something is falling outside the spirit of the rules as intended. We expect and trust all members to compete in a good faith manor.
  10. MABA Board of Directors will recognize top STEAK COOKS based on the number of individuals participating in the Steak Cook of the Year points chase and reserves the right at anytime to update the recognition structure. Teams will be recognized at minimum as follows:
    1. <20 Participating STEAK COOK Individuals
      • OKLAHOMA JOE’S Overall – 1st Place (Grand Champion)
      • Overall – 2nd Place (Reserve Grand Champion)
      • Overall – 3rd Place
    2. 20 to 29 Participating STEAK COOK Individuals
      • OKLAHOMA JOE’S Overall – 1st Place (Grand Champion)
      • Overall – 2nd Place (Reserve Grand Champion)
      • Overall – 3rd Place
      • Overall – 4th Place
      • Overall – 5th Place
    3. 30 or More Participating STEAK COOK Individuals
      • OKLAHOMA JOE’S Overall – 1st Place (Grand Champion)
      • Overall – 2nd Place (Reserve Grand Champion)
      • Overall – 3rd Place
      • Overall – 4th Place
      • Overall – 5th Place
      • Overall – 6th Place
      • Overall – 7th Place
      • Overall – 8th Place
      • Overall – 9th Place
      • Overall – 10th Place