I think it's way too early to judge Bridge. I also think that any expectation that Bridge would be highly competitive in every gender and age bracket immediately ignores a great deal of history.
From 1998 (the earliest records I can find) to spring 2004 (the last state challenge cup before CESA was created), there were 208 South Carolina challenge cup finalists. Teams from clubs that eventually merged into CESA filled 103 of these slots. Teams from clubs that eventually agreed to participate in Bridge (SSC and JIYSC) filled 12 of these slots. Even if Bridge had been able to get MPSC and CUSC/CGSA to participate, then the count would have gone to 42 (23 MPSC, 7 CUSC/CGSA).
