Page 17 - Barbecue News Magazine SEPT 2020

the Central Florida BBQ Blowout that ran from 2013 to 2016, four years, at the Oviedo Mall. I judged that event, and our judging area was inside the air-conditioned mall, while the teams were on the scorching asphalt that sur- rounded the Oviedo Mall. A great contest that was very well organized by today’s profile person. Unfortunately, the event lost its’ sponsor as so many contests do. This was where I first met Angela, she was
wearing a Kansas Chiefs T-shirt, so I had to meet this woman. The Chiefs are my NFL Team. Immediately you realize the skill set this woman has and what she gives back to competi- tion BBQ. A trademark of any con- test that Angela organizes is a commemorative pin. You will see these pins on people’s hats, nametag lanyards, and other places. There are often goodie bags for the judges, but we always get a pin from an Angela Iversen organized event.
She clearly was an integral part of
this BBQ Family we all love so well,
and she was hooked. She joined the
Cook Team “Team Unknown” and
learned what an entrant goes
through during a contest. After all,
she grew up in a family that cooked
all their meals over open fires. But
she also used what she learned from
this experience with an active com-
petitor, to advise new teams just
starting out. She advised several
backyard teams and guided their
path to becoming a competitive pro
BBQ competitor. At the same time, she joined the FBA leadership on the marketing team and worked on a team that generated many new contests for the FBA calendar. She was able to advise and give direction to new organizers of BBQ events. She feels that some of these contests may not have materialized without some guidance and a little nudge in the right direction. She was also able to consult some individuals who moved on to rep positions within FBA and felt that she was able to make a significant contri- bution in this area of competition BBQ. She focused on or- ganizers as they are the ones that ultimately bring a new contest to fruition. Perhaps more important, they are also the ones that keep a contest going, year after year. She was able to earn her way up to serving as Treasurer of FBA, where she felt she made some significant contributions to Florida BBQ. During these years, she was also developing relationships with other BBQ organizations, including KCBS, NBBQA, SCA, and major contests like the American Royal, The Jack, and Memphis in May. She has judged these last three contests. She helped bring steak competition into Florida by setting up the first SCA Judge Training at Daven-
port. Brett Galloway, one of the two founders of the SCA, conducted this training and served as the Rep for the ensu- ing SCA contest. This is where I was certified as an SCA judge. She learned the small town of Frostproof was getting ready to celebrate their Centennial. They were in the plan- ning stage, and she was able to provide them some guid- ance and direction in their planning. This evolved into a
weekend of BBQ competition on Sat- urday, and this was a KCBS certified event. Then a steak competition on Friday, kids’ steak event on Saturday, and ancillaries, including anything cooked with tequila and drinks mixed with tequila. I have judged all three years of this contest, and you will never see a small town come alive like Frostproof. The Mayor is involved in all aspects of the week- end, local industries and businesses are involved, and everyone turns out for the festivities. What a great
weekend. The Orange Blossom Re- view in Lake Wales has been around for many years, but the event was slowing down and needed a shot in the arm. Angela provided guidance for them, which breathed new life into the event. She brought in SCA for Friday evening, plus a kid’s steak on Saturday. She added several im- provements to the BBQ part of the competition. The contest came alive again, and I certainly saw the signif- icant changes as a judge. In 2014 she helped organize a BBQ contest in Hobbs, New Mexico, that was a big
success. She was working on a contest on Long Island that never materialized. Her guidance skills have been utilized by many organizations in many locations. Competition BBQ has undoubtedly benefitted from all the services pro- vided by Angela Iversen. We can look forward to years of improvement involving new and better ideas to continue to make it better and better. Thank you, Angela, for all you do for the BBQ Family.
SEPTEMBER 2020
BarbecueNews.com - 17