I too would have made it a priority this year except that I new well in advance that I could not make it so I did not sign-up. That said, the tragic failure to launch BW3 this year will be felt far and wide for a long long time.
In retrospect though, I wonder if the recent economic hardships played a significant role in player commitment. I know my budget is measurably tighter this year and I imagine there were many more out there like that. Perhaps the constant wallet squeezing just made it too difficult for a majority of folks to set aside not only the entrance fee; which by the way was more than reasonable given the scope of the event, but also the other not-so-insignificant related expenses such as travel, meals, accomodations, etc..
In the end, perhaps BW3 was exactly the right idea to invigorate our hobby, but unfortunately was also set to occur at precisely the wrong time economically-speaking...??
Once again, I grieve for not only the significant loss Krusty and his gang incurred planning and coordinating this event, but I also grieve for the huge loss this represents to airsoft in Canada. RIP Border Wars...
'Fly