@Horton I get it, but the language of "counts" or "doesn't count" definitely contributes to a culture of insiders and outsiders. That culture definitely exists in waterskiing, especially in my experience with tournament waterskiing, and even on your board - where I know you go out of your way to welcome newcomers.
I was able to do some tournaments a few years back, and my practice PB and tournament PB happen to be the same. That was the time when there was the biggest hue and cry about Zero Off, and as someone who practices with PP, I was once again an outsider, and it made me uninterested in competing. I did have access to a great club with perfect training conditions, though. Then, I moved across the country to a place with no private lakes. I've got a buddy who maintains a course on public water, and I'm damn lucky to have access to that. It's taken me three years to get back to my practice PB, and it is way harder to achieve on public water than on a private lake. So, for me, it "counts." Now, I'm not going to compare my PB with anybody else's PB.
I follow every thread about tournaments, and why people do or don't go. In my head, every year I think I'm going to do them, but the reality is that "stepping up to certify my score" has got to be at the very bottom of the list of reasons I might go. With a young family, and really limited lake time, I think what would allow me to go would be a tournament with activities for kids. If the family just has to sit around all day, there's just no way it's going to happen for me.