A first Grand Championship
26
tracked contests to get there
This was LeelaQ's first Grand Championship in the data — it arrived at their 26th tracked contest.
Kick It In The Sticks (BACKYARD ONLY) 2020
Jun 5–6, 2020 · Butler, AL · 📍 213 Hamburg Ave
Reps: Janet Appleton, Sam Appleton
LEE LA Q won Grand Champion at the Kick It In The Sticks (BACKYARD ONLY) on June 5, 2020 in Butler, AL at 213 Hamburg Ave, scoring 352.0116 in a field of 23 teams. Ground Hog Smokers took Reserve Grand Champion with 343.4516. Category winners: Chicken — LEE LA Q (175.4400); Pork Ribs — LEE LA Q (176.5716). This is the 1st of 2 editions of this contest on record; the next was held in 2021.
The contest at a glance (read off the scored boards)
How the field scored
Overall totals, every team on the board — tall stacks are where the pack sat.
299.94
median 326.80
352.01 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Chicken 175.44
- Pork Ribs 176.57
146.82
176.57
Entries
23
2 judged meats · 1 ancillary
Top score
352.0116
Winning margin
8.5600
GC over RC
Field average
327.22
299.94352.01
median 326.80 · last place to winner
Perfect 180s
0
Tightest race
Chicken
5.1772 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
329.6684
299.94352.01
10th place overall
Field spread
52.0688
winner to last place
Double threats
2
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 30%
beats 70% of 610 Backyard Series wins in the data
Form held
Moderate
ρ = -0.52 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,540
avg power rating going in · stronger than 30% of contests
Storylines (4 found in this contest's numbers)
Everything below is read straight out of the results — the number on each card is the one that made it a story.
A statement win
8.5600
points clear of the field
Wider than 86% of the 610 championships in the data
The champion won by 8.5600 points — a wider margin than 86% of championships in the data.
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 3 calls decided inside half a point
Pork Ribs places 9–10: RIBLIFE and The Real Squeal tied on 166.2400 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork Ribs places 6–7: Batwing BBQ edged RAMMER JAMMER BBQ by 0.0112. Chicken places 8–9: RIBLIFE edged PUCKDADDY'S KILLER Q by 0.0344.
- Pork Ribs 9–10 · tie
- Pork Ribs 6–7 · 0.0112
- Chicken 8–9 · 0.0344
A double category winner
2
category wins in a day
LEE LA Q won Chicken, Pork Ribs — a double, and took the Grand Championship on top of it.
- Chicken 1st
- Pork Ribs 1st
Score curves (score by finishing position — steep cliffs mean a spread field, flat lines a knife fight)
Category showdown (top / average / median score per meat)
Score distribution
Biggest rating movers (power-rating points won and lost at this contest)
Did form hold? (pre-contest rating vs overall finish — ratings called it if the dots climb to the right)
This contest over the years full contest page →
| Date | Where | Venue | Teams | High score | Grand Champion |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 5, 2020 ← this one | Butler, AL | 213 Hamburg Ave | 23 | 352.0116 | LeelaQ |
| Jun 4, 2021 | Butler, AL | 1512 West Pushmataha St | 14 | 348.5600 | HICKORY HANGOVER |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 175.4400 | 170.2628 | 166.2516 |
| Pork Ribs | 176.5716 | 169.1200 | 166.2400 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Backyard Series
Overall
23 entries · top 352.0116 · median 326.8000
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | LEE LA Q | |
| 2 | Ground Hog Smokers | |
| 3 | RAMMER JAMMER BBQ | |
| 4 | The Real Squeal | |
| 5 | PERFECTLY BLENDED | |
| 6 | RIBLIFE | |
| 7 | Out House Smokers | |
| 8 | PUCKDADDY'S KILLER Q | |
| 9 | Batwing BBQ | |
| 10 | REDBONES BBQ | |
| 11 | Poppa Pig | |
| 12 | Sneaky Creek | |
| 13 | BAMA BOYS BBQ | |
| 14 | HICKORY HANGOVER | |
| 15 | HELL ON SQUEALS | |
| 16 | Holy Smokers | |
| 17 | Beachin Good Barbecue | |
| 18 | TnT BBQ | |
| 19 | LEM'S MEAT VARNISH | |
| 20 | HOLD FAST BBQ | |
| 21 | Teryk' BBQ Crew | |
| 22 | Blended Family BBQ | |
| 23 | Tasty Biscuits |
Chicken
23 entries · top 175.4400 · median 162.8000
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | LEE LA Q | |
| 2 | Ground Hog Smokers | |
| 3 | RAMMER JAMMER BBQ | |
| 4 | The Real Squeal | |
| 5 | PERFECTLY BLENDED | |
| 6 | BAMA BOYS BBQ | |
| 7 | REDBONES BBQ | |
| 8 | RIBLIFE | |
| 9 | PUCKDADDY'S KILLER Q | |
| 10 | HELL ON SQUEALS | |
| 11 | HOLD FAST BBQ | |
| 12 | HICKORY HANGOVER | |
| 13 | Batwing BBQ | |
| 14 | Out House Smokers | |
| 15 | Blended Family BBQ | |
| 16 | Sneaky Creek | |
| 17 | Beachin Good Barbecue | |
| 18 | Holy Smokers | |
| 19 | LEM'S MEAT VARNISH | |
| 20 | Poppa Pig | |
| 21 | TnT BBQ | |
| 22 | Teryk' BBQ Crew | |
| 23 | Tasty Biscuits |
Pork Ribs
23 entries · top 176.5716 · median 165.1084
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | LEE LA Q | |
| 2 | Out House Smokers | |
| 3 | Poppa Pig | |
| 4 | Ground Hog Smokers | |
| 5 | Sneaky Creek | |
| 6 | Batwing BBQ | |
| 7 | RAMMER JAMMER BBQ | |
| 8 | TnT BBQ | |
| 9 | RIBLIFE | |
| 10 | The Real Squeal | |
| 11 | PERFECTLY BLENDED | |
| 12 | PUCKDADDY'S KILLER Q | |
| 13 | Holy Smokers | |
| 14 | Beachin Good Barbecue | |
| 15 | HICKORY HANGOVER | |
| 16 | Teryk' BBQ Crew | |
| 17 | LEM'S MEAT VARNISH | |
| 18 | REDBONES BBQ | |
| 19 | HELL ON SQUEALS | |
| 20 | BAMA BOYS BBQ | |
| 21 | HOLD FAST BBQ | |
| 22 | Tasty Biscuits | |
| 23 | Blended Family BBQ |
Ancillary categories
Run by the organizers alongside the sanctioned contest. These are judged on their own terms and do not count toward the overall score, so they're kept out of the meat stats above.
Ancillary — Backyard Sauce
16 entries · top 174.8456 · median 167.7142
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | LEE LA Q | |
| 2 | PERFECTLY BLENDED | |
| 3 | LEM'S MEAT VARNISH | |
| 4 | HICKORY HANGOVER | |
| 5 | The Real Squeal | |
| 6 | RAMMER JAMMER BBQ | |
| 7 | HELL ON SQUEALS | |
| 8 | Teryk' BBQ Crew | |
| 9 | REDBONES BBQ | |
| 10 | Batwing BBQ | |
| 11 | Ground Hog Smokers | |
| 12 | Holy Smokers | |
| 13 | Out House Smokers | |
| 14 | Beachin Good Barbecue | |
| 15 | RIBLIFE | |
| 16 | out house smoker A |