Force, thanks for the reply. I think we'll need to take a wait and see approach to determine if this event is economically feasible for us to participate in.
Follow up: I decided to add to my original post and add a more detailed explanation of my position. It's not that I'm just a raging, heartless capitalist who has no time for charities but rather an honest assessment of the economics of the event. As many of you know, competition barbeque is an expensive hobby and perhaps even more so for those of us who are self employed as we have to factor in lost wages from time spent not working as well as all of the other costs associated with competing. Just looking at the basic costs of this particular event, the numbers go something like this:
Entry Fee................................$200
Electricity.................................$25
Meat........................................$100
Other Supplies.........................$25
Trailer Rental (2 days).............$65
Total..........................................$415 (This obviously does not include lost wages from missing work)
With payouts at this event being what they are, we would have to have one heck of a successful competition just to break even on the basic costs let alone begin to compensate for lost wages. The ratio of cost to return on investment is so narrow that it makes the very act of competing damn near a charitable one. If the barbeque competition is the draw for the event then the competitors need a better chance to cover their costs. Most teams only have so much money to spend each year on events and it has to be spent as wisely as possible.
I hope this helps to better explain my hesitation in signing up to compete in this event.