This model of thinking only works if there are sharp divisions. There aren't.
Yes, there ARE. There absolutely are, in most LGSs, in many countries.
I consider myself a competitive player. I play at FNM with people I consider casuals. I play at opens and GP's with people who probably consider me a casual. A portion of each group watch coverage/read articles. Each group bleeds into and interacts with the other.
And... So what? You don't understand that cross-stratum communication doesn't remove the stratums themselves?
Do you think that you seeing a role model will influence some other person who doesn't care about any tournament other than maybe an fnm and who is deciding whether to continue playing or not?
Magic is an ecosystem and trying to consider things in isolation is too artificial to be useful, particularly since an indirect approach is often best.
Are you aware that you are directly contradicting every study of an ecosystem? They ARE considered in isolation, and that is how studies are made.
The best way to lift a rock isn't to try to pick it up directly; it's to push down on a lever that's attached to it.
And, this is relevant... how? You can move 1000 rocks and still not have removed the one that is actually the problem if you do not properly identify it.
In the same way, you might want to improve the local entry point, but one of the best ways is to change the mindset of the competitive players who dominate the local tournaments and have an outsized effect on the tone of the events.
I couldn't disagree any more on this. I simply couldn't. I don't see any single basis of truth on this.
Having asked several people since friday, including several of the girls both in my country and in others whom I have contact with, as well as some judges and TOs who can have a better perspective of the situation, the response is unanymous: The presence of competitive female players would have next to no impact on other girls feeling comfortable and welcomed on the local level: They do not care. You have an example in this thread, if you want to look for it yourself. And this is not just related to girls. A starter rarely cares about competitive players regardless of gender (or any other characteristic whatsoever).