The rankings pull points from the 4 distances, sprint to full. A fairer system would add the points from each racer's best performance from each distance instead of simply pulling the highest 3 scores. Kona slots should be awarded on January 1 based on total participation numbers throughout the year.
Pros --Fairer representation of the stacked AGs. Your points are still a function of who shows up as points are awarded as a function of the AG winner's finish time. However, this feels more reasonable.
--Less wear and tear. This won't require aspiring AGers to race 3 IM a year to yield max points. However, nothing is stopping you from trying to improve your best score by doing so.
--This should bump participation in the branded sprint/olympic races as people on the bubble vie for slots.
--More authentic roll down. Give a two week window for qualified athletes to register. Open slots roll on two week increments until all are filled.
Cons --You would still need to race quite a bit - minimum 4 times to be competitive.
--Potentially long commitment time - for example, you would need to race well from January through December 2017 for a shot at Kona 2018. Then again, Kona is a multiyear process for most people so perhaps this is a non-issue. This could be offset by offering guaranteed slots to the AG winner (or podium) of national championships.
--More authentic roll down. Less of a carrot for those well outside the bubble.
--Potentially less money for Wanda as those gunning for Kona won't be dropping money on 3+ IMs a year. However, I imagine the bulk of their entry fee profit comes from those who don't aspire to Kona. Either way it could be offset by raising the Kona race fee. Or selling more AWA branded crap.
Support cancer research with the world's longest annual charity bike ride.
Texas 4000 for Cancer Austin, TX to Anchorage, Alaska
http://texas4000.org/