Interesting observation. I am new and barely qualified to participate in the discussion, but I think this statement deserves some expansion.
As someone who competed in NCAA D1 athletics, I can tell you that the upper crust is the only small slice that receives the glory. In fact, if we broke it down to percentages, the chances of a good take at the prize table in our sport is WAAAAYYY higher than alot of mainstream sports. Have you seen a prize table at a softball tournament, local golf pro-am or bowling league finals? Also, what percentage of high-school footballers make the pros and rake in the dough?
I will play this sport for the game and enjoy the side benefit of improving my gun-handling abilities.
I will go to many more Level 3 matches and hope to expect nothing more than pride if I ever become competitive enough to vie for the winners circle.
But then again, you're only winner for a day, because somewhere, someone else is practicing, and when you meet him in competition, he may beat you.
Ignoring classifications and focusing on how I stack up against those I'm actually shooting against is how I judge my own progress.