...But to me it really meant something when you had to win your area qualifier, and then go on to a round robin event competing on identical platforms.
I fully agree with this, and would prefer that as well. I came into the "job" trying to make that happen.
The history of the event told a different story, especially in the later years. Most qualifiers were either not properly run or did not garner significant attendance. Hence the large number of invitations.
Again, this did not happen overnight, and was not done without a lot of thought and effort.
The reality was not as rosy as the rearview mirror. Even if we could fund it, we'd need to overcome the qualifier issues.
Mike
