I can relate to this. I'd have tried flying Intermediate at a contest or two with a small Sportsman turnout. Probably with a little coaching and feedback the jump would not seem that dramatic. Flying alone makes the transition difficult; I've been practicing Sportsman and having a tough enough time memorizing that routine, let along trying a full Intermediate schedule. Having a caller and some judges for feedback would be pretty sweet, and if it isn't time to jump up, you could go back.

I'll be working on moving up next summer regardless, just throwing in my $.02 for others in the same position, or for when it's time to consider the move to Advanced.