Here's my opinion on the lack of freestyle, especially in our region (SC).

Most of the upper class guys are now putting more effort into the pattern, especially setup. Looking for tighter control surfaces, better CG's, and less wear on the airframes have limited the planes 3D capabilities.

Also, the level of 3D flying among the top guys has reached an incredible level. When someone sees a video of the XFC or Shootout, they come to a small event and expect to see that level of flying in the free. Most of the upper class guys want to be able to fly a routine that rivals those.

For me, its better to skip the free than to do a poor routine.

Daniel