I think the best argument against extending the season is this:
If it were extended, there are two options each team must choose.
- Meet as often as possible/keep their regular build schedule that they used in the 6 week season but extend it for however many weeks possible. This would give that team the maximum competetive advantage and you can be sure that teams like 469 and 1114 will use this option.
- Meet less frequently to avoid burnout. I spoke with our teacher advisor and asked him what he would do if the build season were extended. His response was "we'd meet three days less a week" (we currently meet 6 days a week). His logic was that we would need to help students, mentors and himself avoid burnout and lowering grades, and it is completely valid logic.
So in the end, if you're a team worried about mentor or student burnout maybe your team [or portions of your team - like your school administration] aren't quite as invested in the competitive aspect of FRC, you'll end up meeting less frequently or be forced back into a 6 week season.
We are currently forced into a 6 week hard limited build season with maybe 1 or 2 build nights after bag. We have to meet off site if we want to meet more frequently. Again, this is because our sponsoring teacher isn't terribly invested in the competitive aspect of the season. He knows that we can make an eliminations worthy robot with our current build schedule and does not see a huge increase in the impact of the program on students when the team wins or when they don't. So we are simply unable to meet as often as some of the students and mentors would like after bag.
Maybe this is an isolated case but I suspect it effects some other teams as well. It may not be their teachers but it could be their head mentor, their schools, their administration, their sponsor, their funding, the willingness of their students, their students parents, etc... that stops a team from meeting as much as their most dedicated members (who might be any of the aforementioned groups capable of blocking meetings!) may wish, and it is out of the control of those members.
I don't think we want to be increasing the gap between the elite teams and 'the pack'.