Let me add my 2 cents with our Troop's recent experiences.
I've been in our Troop just over two years and recently was asked to be Scoutmaster, the position I now hold. Since joining the Troop, we had not competed in a camporee until just a few weeks ago. During that time the prior CC and SM debated the value of camporee; that plus scheduling problems led to us missing camporee for those two years.
I also recall a discussion at my first summer camp with one of the other leaders about the merits of competition. His view was basically what I've read others say on this thread, "Why does ev