A tough matchup
4–0
behind in the head-to-head
OLD VIRGINIA SMOKE ahead in 100% of their meetings
OLD VIRGINIA SMOKE has come out ahead in 4 of their 4 shared contests.
SPARKY'S BBQ
SPARKY'S BBQ is a competition barbecue team with 7 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2013 and 2021. Their best overall finish is 29th of 64 at the BBQ Jamboree (2014). They are ranked #4536 of 6,491 teams in the KCBS power rankings.
At a glance (the record in numbers)
Rating
1472
peak 1503 · rated over 7 contests
Contests
7
in the data
First seen
May 10, 2013
latest Jun 4, 2021 · 8.1 years on the trail
Grand champs
0
0 reserve
Category wins
0
0 podiums
Overall top-10s
0
0% of 7 contests
Avg finish
top 68%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Current form
612.47 ▼
last 5 Master vs avg 614.28 (-1.81)
Walk rate
0%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±18.79
spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Pork
avg 158.85 · weakest Brisket (149.85)
Road miles
2,117
across 7 mapped stops · furthest 1,278 mi
Schedule strength
30%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1541)
Purse competed for
$15K
listed at 1 contest — purses, not winnings
State championships
0 🏅
won from 1 state-championship entry
Master avg
614.28 / 720
7 Master contests · 0 GCs
Team of the Year (rank per category by season — the year links to the full board on kcbs.us)
Teams like this (closest power rating)
The teams rated closest to SPARKY'S BBQ, each with one reason worth a look.
148 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.
#4,518 of the rated field
- Contests
- 6
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 17%
- Peak
- 1473
1–0 in 1 shared contest (100% to SPARKY'S BBQ)
One contest in common so far: too few to settle anything, but a team SPARKY'S BBQ has actually stood beside rather than a stranger on the same rating.
⚔ Head-to-head#4,520 of the rated field
- Contests
- 27
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 11%
- Peak
- 1473
0–2 in 2 shared contests (0% to SPARKY'S BBQ)
This is the highest they've ever been rated, 27 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.
⚔ Head-to-head#4,525 of the rated field
- Contests
- 41
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 7%
- Peak
- 1527
0–1 in 1 shared contest (0% to SPARKY'S BBQ)
41 contests to 7: their number has had years to settle where SPARKY'S BBQ's is still finding its level.
⚔ Head-to-head#4,561 of the rated field
- Contests
- 7
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 14%
- Peak
- 1505
They turned up 7 years after SPARKY'S BBQ did, first appearing in 2020.
⚔ Compare careers#4,554 of the rated field
- Contests
- 7
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1472
Level with SPARKY'S BBQ on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.
⚔ Compare careers#4,542 of the rated field
- Contests
- 7
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 14%
- Peak
- 1472
Careers of much the same size, 7 contests to 7, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Compare careersBy meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 161.1316 | 141.6572 | 152.55 | top 74% |
| Pork Ribs | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 164.5600 | 127.3028 | 153.03 | top 64% |
| Pork | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 164.6056 | 151.4400 | 158.85 | top 55% |
| Brisket | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 153.6572 | 142.2744 | 149.85 | top 74% |
“Calls” = top-10 category finishes (getting called to the stage). Scores here are the final weighted totals KCBS publishes; per-criterion appearance/taste/tenderness marks aren’t in the public results feed.
By field size and state
By contest size
| Field | Contests | GCs | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| Medium (20–39) | 2 | 0 | top 95% |
| Large (40+) | 5 | 0 | top 58% |
Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BBQ Jamboree | 4 | 29 | 0 | top 52% | May 13, 2016 |
More numbers
Contests a season
1
across 7 seasons in the data
Most contests held in
VA
4 of 7 contests · 3 states in all
Contests visited
4
1 of them more than once
Opponents faced
243
finished ahead 137 times, behind 229
Longest layoff
2.7 yrs
Sep 8, 2018 → Jun 4, 2021
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
20212 milestones
- Career-best single call (Pork)164.6056 Cedar Fest BBQ Cook-off
- Most recent contest Cedar Fest BBQ Cook-off
20161 milestone
- Career-best overall score638.2172 BBQ Jamboree
20141 milestone
- Peak power rating (1503) BBQ Jamboree
20131 milestone
- First tracked contest BBQ Jamboree
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +2.6 | BBQ Jamboree | May 9, 2014 |
| +1.5 | BBQ Jamboree | May 13, 2016 |
| +0.2 | BBQ Jamboree | May 10, 2013 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -13 | Green Mountain BBQ Championship | Sep 9, 2017 |
| -10 | Green Mountain BBQ Championship- CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES | Sep 8, 2018 |
| -7.2 | Cedar Fest BBQ Cook-off | Jun 4, 2021 |
| -1.7 | BBQ Jamboree | May 8, 2015 |
Scores over time (% of a perfect score — tap a meat to add it)
Overall finish over time (top-% of field, lower is better)
Where they finish (overall)
Best vs average (by meat)
How entries end (by meat)
Season by season
| Season | Contests | GCs | Top-10s | Category wins | Walk rate | Avg finish | Best overall (% of perfect) | Avg overall (% of perfect) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 81% | 86.5% | 86.5% |
| 2018 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 91% | 83.6% | 83.6% |
| 2017 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 100% | 80% | 80% |
| 2016 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 51% | 88.6% | 88.6% |
| 2015 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 60% | 86.5% | 86.5% |
| 2014 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 45% | 87.1% | 87.1% |
| 2013 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 50% | 84.8% | 84.8% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 4, 2021 | Cedar Fest BBQ Cook-off 🏅 Cedar Park, TX | 39 / 48 (622.8684) | 36 (156.5828) | 34 (159.4056) | 30 (164.6056) | 47 (142.2744) |
| Sep 8, 2018 | Green Mountain BBQ Championship- CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES Randolph, VT | 30 / 33 (602.1600) | 31 (148.5716) | 29 (151.9084) | 27 (151.4400) | 27 (150.2400) |
| Sep 9, 2017 | Green Mountain BBQ Championship Randolph, VT | 32 / 32 (576.3544) | 32 (141.6572) | 32 (127.3028) | 29 (156.5600) | 29 (150.8344) |
| May 13, 2016 | BBQ Jamboree Fredericksburg, VA | 37 / 72 (638.2172) | 37 (161.1316) | 39 (160.0344) | 22 (164.5256) | 51 (152.5256) |
| May 8, 2015 | BBQ Jamboree Fredericksburg, VA | 39 / 65 (622.7656) | 48 (154.2284) | 18 (164.5600) | 32 (156.5372) | 52 (147.4400) |
| May 9, 2014 | BBQ Jamboree Fredericksburg, VA | 29 / 64 (626.7660) | 35 (155.9772) | 27 (158.8800) | 32 (158.2516) | 32 (153.6572) |
| May 10, 2013 | BBQ Jamboree Fredericksburg, VA | 30 / 60 (610.8574) | 40 (149.7144) | 38 (149.1428) | 13 (160.0002) | 28 (152) |