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When we got to Nationals, we appreciated it a lot more than we did the year before, when we had just signed up. It felt a lot more special to know that we got in on merit, not just on team number.
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Although I have always appreciated what it takes to get to Nationals (I've had to raise the funds, make the travel arrangements, etc), few of my team members really showed much appreciation for what it took to get there.
This year, we came within a gnat's eyelash of qualifying, and the team really put a -lot- more into getting there. I consider this a good thing and have even considered requiring us to qualify even if we are pre-qualified.
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So, I think that things are slowly moving in that direction, though it still remains open. As the Championship becomes more selective, which it surely will, the level of competitiveness required to qualify will definitely make the Championship more competive.
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This will probably be true when, say, 200 out of 280 slots have to be secured through qualifying. However, the current situation may make the Champs less competitive. Teams which nearly qualify, but don't, or which qualify but cannot raise the necessary funds on short notice, don't attend.