"If they're allowed to practice however, I suppose it gatekeeps for commitment / "how badly do you want this""

Yeah, this is absolutely the most generous interpretation I can come up with, and even then I find it a bit wanting. If you are the best on the floor at task X but have a complex and stressful personal life, or even just other interests, or simply not the dexterity for this particular task, you get shut out.

I get it, excellence and all that.. I have too many hang ups from hearing people make fun of folks for bad spelling or whatever, touches a raw nerve.