2 cook offs in the preceding year does not make you a old pro
No, but it does give you a tangible and distinct advantage over someone who has
never competed. It really does. That first contest is pretty priceless, dontcha think? ROY should be on an even playing field. This is a simple one, snap the line for 2010 ROY somewhere. The simplest (and most logical) is JAN 1, 2010. If you want to snap the line at DEC 1 (or NOV 1) of 2009 to allow the "one or two contest" guys, well OK, but that is just a bit less elegant in my opinion.
My ONLY rational for thinking about supporting allowing the teams with minimal previous experience to be in the ROY race is to ensure there are enough teams to make it a race in the first place! But again, you start a slippery slope there.
Good viewpoints all around.