My equipment is good. I have a Radiowave 35% Panzl this year. DA100 on cans. I assume it will be good enough for Sportsman/Intermediate
Last summer I flew a GP Cap 580 DA100 on std mufflers. This winter I modified it to accept the MTW TD75 cans - and I dropped the smoke etc. It was unlimited vertical at 27lbs. The Panzl should be the same weight with quite a bit more wing area.

I am going to start in Sportsman. If I was really good at rollers in the simulator I would go to intermediate - but I am not. And I have never flown a roller in real life. I am not a "gifted" pilot - I learned fast because I flew a lot and obsessed about airplanes since the first time I tried it...

I think I will get a pattern ship and enter the local contests this summer - there are at least 4 within driving distance. I'll just have to be real careful of the nitro oil and wear gloves. I'll get a lot of help that way and it can only make things better when I eventually travel for IMAC. I will still practice the IMAC sequences with my big gassers.

I'm in this for fun not glory. I have no problem with competition jitters - 17 yrs of car racing got that out of my system... I fly best at fun flys with everyone looking - I'm the guy always hogging all the stick time and flying my *** off HA HA. I like to compete because the best guys compete and I can learn from them. I'm not gonna win anything at a high level... but I like being in the competitve atmosphere and setting goals. Boring holes in the sky is "boring" to me - I need some kind of structure.

Thanks for all the advice. Now back to practicing those rollers