In reply to oz:
My experience comes from a while back and may be out of date, but...
Money is limited, and rightly spending is slightly skewed towards investing in the potential of the youngsters. In order to save money full funding was provided to those competitors who are likely to do very well (the criteria for this used to be finals qualification). Others who wanted to compete but didn't currently meet this level could do so, but had to find their own funding. A very sensible policy, imo.
Arguing for more funding is none too easy. The BMC presides over a broad church, and many members don't want extra spending on comps.