Matt,
I feel for you. But they make those rules and, unfortuntately, they seem to stick to them. I myself was near SFOhio when I was visiting CP a few weeks ago. Unfortunately, I could not get in since I hadn't already validated my pass to SFGrAdv. (Also, if you notice the prices, the SF's in less popular areas have a cheaper price, so they don't want you to order one from a more inexpensive place (by mail, for instance) and then try to use it at SFGrAdv (expensive) before being validated. It keeps people that don't actually travel from getting a better bargain.