I agree on that matter weas, as I'm a gymleader myself and have only been challenged twice, but we should really look into reviving atleast some parts of ASB. The gymleader method could be a great way to stimulate new members to try something.
I don't really like the idea of a tournament, because ASB tournaments take ages, and when I say ages, I mean AGES. I'm not done thinking about how they should be elected, I'm just pretty sure that eight gyms are to many to conquer for trainers, and most of the time only three or four are active.
I hope this will bring back some sort of 'quest' to ASB, as it really needs some goals.
I'm open to discussion.