The things you list are EXACTLY the kinds of
problems that got the circuit started in the first place.
They are what happens when a quiz bowl tournament is
run by people not familiar with quiz bowl. In the mid
80's (yep, I'm an old-timer), quiz bowl players
realized that they could do the same thing, only BETTER,
by concentrating on what the players and teams want
to produce fairer, better
competitions.
Another thought on the Region 4 playoff thing, where the
winner of the lower bracket got a semifinal spot: that's
typical of old-school CBI, where they care more about
putting on a show and appearances rather than making the
competition fair. Some teams aren't going to be as good as
others; some folks, I guess, think it's politically
incorrect to admit that. From the viewpoint of the R4
folks, though, it was "OK" to give a semifinal spot to
the "lucky loser" because they don't realize that for
players, this is important competition.
That's my
rant for the day ...
Doug