Not sure if this is true in all areas, but the tournament directors can be a part of the "good ol'boy network", so it pays to have a HC that is plugged in politically....marquee organizations also tend to get preferential treatment.
When you do pool play on Saturday and single elim on Sunday, i understand that you cant control the late saturday - early Sunday schedule. My philosophy on that is play well and you usually get a better time slot on Sunday.
The Saturdays (Friday nights) are what frustrate me. Please try to find a way to balance that scheduled. Bring in the 14u. and run them through in the morning and bring in 16u in the afternoon or something along those lines
My team would have no problem with that schedule. In the morning we'd go have breakfast somewhere after the game as a team for anyone that wanted to join us and possibly miniature golf. In the afternoon would be team lunch and a movie at the local mall. They'd have a ball!