In my part of the country, (the southeast) 3D has become commonplace. There are very few innovators. I have flown Unlimited class IMAC for 5 years, and judges are sick of seeing the same old moves (especially torque rolls-eveyone can do that and touch their tail on the ground these days) that everyone has done for the past 8 years. To earn good scores in freestyle, you must go beyond the Dare devil aspect and fly well to your chosen music. Developing a good freestyle program requires tremendous effort and imagination. I often wonder how Quique must feel seeing all of his competitors doing the same moves that he pioneered back at the 1994 TOC. Flying good pattern definitely separates the men from the boys. I know plenty of guys that are great 3D flyers, but ask them to fly a simple loop centered in the box, or perform a one and a half snap on a 45 degree upline and they fail miserably. Once the thrill of 3D begins to fade(and believe me, after several years it will) much satitfaction can be found in pursuit of the perfect sequence. Ask any TOC flyer which part of the contest they prefer. Everyone will say that they enjoy the pattern portion the most. BTW, now that Quique flys for Team JR, he will be unstoppable!
My guess at the TOC is as follows:
1. Quique
2. Christophe
3. Chip
4. Jason
5. Sean