At the core of this question is if going to Champs helps in the sustainability of existing teams? I think we can look at this in a similar fashion as Caleb Sykes looked at the sustainability of rookie teams. Does attending Champs more often as a wait list team increase its probability of continuing?
I also think that inspiring students should be about inspiring them to excellence, not just participation. I think we are better off with fewer scientists and engineers who do their job very well, even if it means slower technological progress, than having more scientists and engineers who are more indifferent and create “faux” knowledge or build less robust and less safe infrastructure and products. I know from professional experience that a corporate culture that enables mediocre work attitudes causes deaths.