I agree and ugh it is all so depressing!Parents did demand an end of year "best of the best" competition, but that does not have to be Summit, especially the way it has been run the past couple of years. The importance of that end of year competition is not who is running it, but rather who is attending. If the top gyms all came together and decided on which competitions they would attend and an EP hosted an end of year championship, my guess is it would be hugely supported. Add some clinics during the off times hosted by those top owners and coaches and you could quite possibly have a game changer that could benefit gyms, athletes and parents.
However I'm not sure we will ever see this happen because @East78 hit the nail right on the head.
I could be off base but it seems to me there is little leeway for programs to increase prices on tuition or monthly fees and many programs probably NEED that check. I've often said I find our gym fee reasonable; it is the travel, uniforms, comp fees and everything else that needs serious reigning in. Also, I do not think it is their (top gyms) core competency to be in the business of event planning.It doesn't benefit the owners of the gyms to walk away from a large chunk of money. Its easy to post a list of things to change or send out a Twitter comment.....then run to the bank with that Varsity check.