Give them 3 days.
I say we still rock up on the day and wreck havoc though. At least our presence will hopefully entice one or two people to actually join the competitive smash scene. "If we got through to at least one person, it'll all be worth it". Simply demonstrating our skill (we don't actually have to win) and then telling people about smashboards.com would be enough?
Or ask if we could host a side-along tournament. Actually, scrap that idea.
By the way, can you post what the contents of the letter were?
PS: Like BJay, I just want to know HOW THE F*** they came up with those rules. There were actually people behind the Animania scene, who actually said: "Hey! This is a GREAT idea! DK Jungle Japes? HELL YEAH, 4x DAMAGE MULTIPLIER!!!" The fact that the FINALS ARE STILL ON DAMAGE MULTIPLIER is the final kick in the teeth. It's so awesome I want to laugh and cry at the same time.