Girl Down…

Last week, we jumped into the cauldron that is known as the Sam’s Club National BBQ Tour.  Sam’s Club has a tournament that basically runs all year long.  There are five regions with five local qualifiers in each region.  To advance to the regional, you have to finish in the top 6 of your local qualifier.

Last weekend was our local qualifier at Sam’s Club in Laurel, MD.   The goal…a top six finish so that we could cook the very next weekend at the regional in Richmond, VA.  It would not be easy.

Usually one or the other of the locals in our area get slammed with the majority of the great teams from the mid Atlantic.  Laurel was that local this year.  It seemed like everyone was going to be there.  Including Tuffy Stone from Cool Smoke.  

We got there early and got to see our great friends Mike and Michelle from Hog It Up BBQ.  We got to hang out for a while.  Then Mr. Bob arrived.   Bob cooked with us in Fredericksburg, VA, and is going with us to the American Royal in October, so he wanted some reps in with the team and volunteered to come to Laurel.

Bob was, in no fewer words, a machine.  He helped with all manner of set up items and we were ready to go around noon time. 

The girls would show up around dinner time and we would head over to a pot luck hosted by Rockin Robyn’s.   Great food, and we even broke out the guitars for a bit of pickin’ and singing.

The weather was amazing, and everything went according to plan for the most part.  Except for a bit of a mishap around 1 a.m. in the trailer.  It was cool enough for Kim to sleep in the truck, so we only had the one cot set up in the trailer.   We had it skooched over onto one side while Leigh Anne was grabbing her back pack, and as she started to move towards the trailer door, her leg caught the cot leg….and boom…lesbian face plant.  Face down, on the ground.  No arms.   Just BAM.

I rushed over to see if LAT was okay.  She hopped up and said, “I need to go sit down.”  I followed her out.  She checked everything and was fine.  So then I could begin the laughing.  I honestly had never seen anyone fall like that.

The rest of our cook went well.  We were excited for awards, but nervous and anxious at the same time.  

And awards…well, awards were awesome.   2nd chicken, 3rd ribs, 8th pork, and 3rd brisket.   We knew we were in the mix, but it was going to be close.

And we ended up winning GC by .49 over our dear friends Rockin Robyn’s.  

Which means it’s Richmond for the next two weeks, and no long drives to Myrtle Beach!  Hoodie hoo!