It is that CBJ review, or the threat of being reviewed, causing the overall higher scoring. Judges do not want to be relegated (using an English soccer term) for being a low scoring judge and having to go through retraining.
I am in favor of putting a hold on CBJ classes simply so current judges will have the opportunity to judge more frequently. Better judges come from judging more contests, not from sitting in a class learning about red leaf lettuce. Classes cannot teach taste and with only one or two cooks at a class, it is very hard to teach tenderness. Only by being able to judge will people gain that necessary experience.
It will not however change the high scoring. That went out the window when Reps. started warning judges about being sent to retraining for scoring lower.
Excellent points, thanks for the wisdom.
The misstep by KCBS was not so much changes in training over the years, although that was certainly not ideal, but the bigger problem was the information given to judges about how and why they are tracking scoring. It was poorly explained and raised more questions than it answered. The minute I heard it, all I could think was, uh-oh, this is going to be bad. I knew it was going to narrow scores into a tighter range and would be at the expense of objectivity.
Judges should be knowledgeable, fair, and fearless. Judges should never be afraid to give a 9 or a 4 if an entry deserves it (and the 4 better come with a comment card obviously).
Regarding the differences in training over the years and the issue of the "starting point" score, this can be dealt with. Decertifying judges is a gross overreaction, and requiring judges to take another training class is not necessary. The in-person class with the initial training is a must because that's when you're taught fine points of appearance, taste and tenderness. Teaching how to score is a different matter. That can be easily taught, and re-taught, online. Just require each CBJ to take an online test which instills the current approach to scoring. Also, change the recording played before each competition. Then, don't change it again every three years. I'm up for that online test as well as any other online training they offer. Most judges I know want to learn as much as they can about bbq because we take our responsibility seriously.
One last thought while I'm up on the soapbox... Scoring ranges have narrowed for the reasons mentioned above, but you know what, bbq entries have also become more homogenized. I've seen it over many years as a judge and for whatever reason...cooking classes, online training, or cooks sharing successful practices...it is not unusual to get 6 chicken boxes at one table that all look and taste fairly similar. I have no problem with that and it's also true that overall quality of entries has gone up. But, don't be shocked by less variation in scores when there is less variation in the entries. It's the subtle differences that separate the 8's and 9's.