KSO V Begins

The qualifiers kick off this weekend in Chattanooga, TN. There are 7 qualifiers around the south before the Krystal Square Off finals in Chattanooga at the end of September. This year the number of qualifiers is reduced and there is a new format for amateurs to participate.

Before this year, amateurs or anyone could show up a day or two before the 8-minute qualifier and eat off in a 2-minute contest to earn their spot in the 8-minute qualifier. That was awesome. I did the 2-minute qualifier last year in Perry, GA to earn my spot in the 8-minute qualifier. Sure, I got squashed by The Locust in the 8-minute qualifier, but nobody could say I didn't deserve to be in the 8-minute contest.

This year, anyone could sign up online for the first eight spots in the 8-minute qualifier. And on the qualifier day "5 amateurs will be chosen on the spot" to eat in the 8-minute qualifier. Who will choose, and how they will choose - who knows, and I think that will suck big time. If someone wants to eat in the 8-minute, let them show what they have and earn their spot. Probably Krystal went this way for financial reasons - with gas now no road show equals big savings and not having all the overhead for putting on 10 to 15 contests in a couple of days equals even bigger savings but Krystal may regret this decision and risk their niche with the common folk and become another IFOCE sham show like the Nathan's circuit. I say that with all due respect but I liked how Krystal did the 2-minute thing before.