Great article - well put, and concise. I have printed it, and would like to share it with a few people, pending your permission to do so, of course.
I am especially fond or your reference to 'preferential bias' within the KCBS judging community. I believe this will always be a factor in judging, to some point, with some people. It is difficult to judge each entry individually and with independance from the other entries; even more difficult to dismiss personal likes and dislikes to maintain due dilligence, as is needed to judge fairly.
The CBA is currently in a period of change, and judging is a HUGE factor here. There are a few folks who are in pursuit of having the judging here more closely mirror the KCBS mantra. In the past, our (uncertified) judges have been instructed to compare the food they are presented with at competition to the best restaurant food they've ever tasted, and score accordingly. Judges have also been given fairly exact descriptions of dishes as being turned in by various competitors, and told that these dishes represent the top end of what is being offered at the competition. Naturally, once received, the described dishes are scored close to perfect, subsequent to the 'juges training'. Pretty flawless, no?
Please keep your fingers crossed that the needed changes are implemented here, to provide a more even playing field for all competitors.
At any rate, thanks for your article, and your thoughts. I will keep my fingers crossed for you, in your pursuit.
I look forward to your permission to share the article!