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NINE BARS Continued from page 52 Competitions, says that region can sometimes feel isolated from the rest of the barista world. "Our region has only had two USBC finalists between 2006 and present day," he says. "To me that says that our Northwest coffee culture might have difficulty adapting to a more nationally regarded method of making coffee." Chapman expects that combining with the Southwest region—which features baristas from Intelligentsia, Verve and other companies known for producing top competitors—will lead to new relationships that should benefit Northwest competitors. "Having the larger events should let baristas exchange with other baristas methods that they adapt and use—not just in competition, but on a day-to-day basis with their customers and their cafés," Chapman says. Starting with the upcoming competition season, the top six finishers for each of the six regions will be automatically eligible to compete in USBC. The only other baristas automatically eligible to compete in the USBC are those who have won the USBC in the previous three seasons. THE QUALIFIER METAMORPHOSIS Perhaps the most significant impact on competitors through the event restructuring is that regionals now serve more clearly as qualifiers for the USBC. Starting with the upcoming competition season, the top six finishers for each of the six regions will be automatically eligible to compete in the USBC. The only other baristas automatically eligible to compete in the USBC are those who have won the USBC in the previous three seasons. Beyond that, any competitor wanting to take part in the USBC must have taken part in a regional and then must enter a waiting list. "In the event that any of the regional finalists with reserved spots in round one of USBC are unable to compete, their spot will be offered to those on the waiting list," says Shenson. She adds that the SCAA's events team researched other sports to see how they used qualifying rounds before settling on this format. "Similar sports events function correspondingly with single qualifying rounds that funnel into a national stage," she says. Though Chapman is a two-time Northwest champion, he likes that the format change brings more of a focus to the national competition. "It's been awesome for me to win [the regional] two years in a row, but when I look at not making it out of semifinals at last year's USBC, the fact that I won regionals doesn't offer me much continued on page 56 54 Fresh Cup Magazine freshcup.com