To reply back on the previous 2 posts about flying faster, The person that has got me started in trying pattern, flies in the advanced category. He has always encouraged me to slow the plane down doing the maneuvers. Prior to my entering my first Sportsman contest, this past summer, I had been practicing doing the Sportsman, flying with a Sbach. This plane did fly much faster, and granted, doing rolls was much better, I had much difficulty completing each maneuver in the sequence because if I was off a little in one maneuver, I would not have time to fully correct my plane for the next, and as you know if you don't start wings level, parallel to the runway or centered, the problems just escalate.
A little over a week before my Sportsman contest I was doing my normal practice with my Sbach, when I decided to try the sequence with my Venture, since I was taking it as a backup plane to the event in case I had some problem with my Sbach. The first time I flew the sequence with my Venture, I was totally surprised at how easy it was to perform all the maneuvers in the sequence. Except for the horizontal roll, all the other maneuvers could be done better. I credit the slower flying plane and slightly larger, giving me more time to make corrections before the following maneuver. I then practiced with that plane for a couple days before the event.