BlueCat
Roses are red, cats are blue
- Dec 14, 2009
- 4,503
- 19,507
I haven't paid attention to it before but does it seem like more people are accepting wild card bids? I feel like I'm the past many people would only accept at-larges or paid, but I am seeing more and more gyms accepting wild cards that I wouldn't expect.
Depending on the division, it may actually be easier to make it to finals from the wild card round than from the semi-finals. We have also seen the performance order in finals give advantages to those coming out of the wild card round. It isn't always the case, but it is nearly impossible to know that ahead of time.
Also, gyms with larger number of teams may not be able to go to enough bid (Varsity) events to give all of their teams realistic shots at bids if they only accept at larges (or paid). Some parts of the country are also highly competitive for the limited number of bids out there.
There is nothing wrong with a gym choosing to only accept at larges or above for Summit (or similarly only accepting Paids for Worlds). However, there is also nothing wrong with choosing to accept them either. FWIW - we have won Worlds on at larges many times and I believe we have won Summit on wild card bids. (or at least had high finishes in finals - memory is hazy on that)