Need Help Breaking Bad News to My Team

[Kims Robot]

We are a rookie team this year, but our students are really excited and our team is doing a lot to fundraise. We registered for the Finger Lakes Regional right here in Rochester (ie no travel/lodging needed) and for the Buckeye Regional in Cleveland, OH.

Our students wanted to go to a third regional to increase our chances of getting to nationals, so we wanted to register for UTC or Pittsburg. Both were waitlisted at the time and FIRST said that we could only pick one of them to waitlist since they are on the same weekend. We picked UTC, and I registered for Toronto as a far backup.

Thanksgiving week, Championship registration opened up, and we "became eligible" so I signed up and paid our deposit. I discussed it with the school and sponsors to make sure we were en route to go, and then announced it to the students. They were so excited and relieved to be able to make it as a rookie team! We worked out our fundraising strategies, and talked with the parents and prepared everyone to get underway.

So this morning I arrive to an email from FIRST that states this:
"Hi!
I just wanted to send an e-mail regarding your team being dropped from the Championship roster. As a rookie team, you were not eligible to register and our system did not "catch it." Sorry."

Anyone have any suggestions on how to break it to my team? I know some of the responses might be "suck it up", but as a rookie team, my team looks to me for guidance and direction from FIRST, and Im really upset that I have to break this news to them (not to mention a little crushed myself).