After reviewing my July 25, 2011, appeal letter, relative to the arguments I presented, Debbie from the Jack did not sustain my appeal and the remedy I requested which was to be grandfathered under their 2010 rules. I greatly appreciate their time and effort in hearing my appeal. Here is my reply thanking them.
——————————————————
Dear Debbie:
Thank you for considering my appeal and for your response. I appreciate your follow up email which addressed my questions and provided background and additional context to the development of the qualification criteria.
Thank you very much for your words of encouragement in that email. It means a lot to us to know that you would like to see us in Lynchburg this October.
We will make best efforts to win another qualifying contest. I look forward to meeting you in person.
Sincerely,
Harry
————————-
Hi Harry,
Sorry I missed your call yesterday. I appreciate your response regarding our competition. We revise our criteria yearly and unfortunately I do not remember the exact time or date of when the word “US” was added to the criteria.
The addition of the word “US” has no bearing on this decision as this is a criteria for domestic teams and competitions only. International teams and competitions have a different criteria, application and instruction regarding our competition. It is also the reason why we have the following rule…
· Any U.S.-based team winning a competition in another country will have its name placed in the draw in the chief cook’s home state.
In 2008 Mike and Debbie Davis from Alotta Bull had the same situation occur. They had seven wins only if they could include a competition from Europe. The competition in Europe was excluded from their seven (7) wins due to this rule. This is in no way setting a new precedent for The Jack and I think this proves we are in no way being malicious.
I know how hard you and your team have worked to achieve these wins. These types of decisions are not made lightly. I truly do believe you will make it to the Jack this year because you have a very talented team.
If you have any more questions or if I can be of any further assistance please let me know.
Kind regards,
Debbie