Let me make this Krystal Clear! I am not complaining I am only giving a observation on what goes on. Anytime someone questions status quo its against the HOLY GRAIL of stunt.
Not at all, people question it all the time. Almost all of the time the questions are carefully and clearly answered, but do not resolve the issue, because the answer is at odds with the questioner's pre-concieved notions, or doesn't make mathematical sense. Usually because they try to determine what needs to be changed first, and then work backwards to come up with a problem and the justification for the change.
http://www.random.org/integers/ If this system was used on the true luck of the draw the end results may or may not change. It does not matter to me how you want to play. My lessons have been learned. Play with that link and envision how it would work. I am sure it all the top guys were put on one circle there would be some complaining then.
No one involved fails to understand random numbers, or how "random" they need to be.
Random placement was done for years, there was bitter complaints afterwards. Manual seeding was used, there were fewer complaints, although it indirectly led to *death threats*. Now, automatic seeding is used, which more-or-less implements the manual method, and there are very few complaints. It was a little off this year because Billy and I had some gaps in our attendance, so seeded lower than normal.
Same with judge placement, now no one can plausibly accuse anyone else of rigging the system to favor particular fliers. It wasn't happening with the manual method, and it is not happening now, so of course the results of the contest are largely as before.
Brett