Brian,

Just put it in the air and go fly. In sportsman there is no substitute for just practice. That plane is definitely capable of the sportsman sequence. Get to a contest and have fun. You'll learn more in one weekend of flying at a contest than a year of practicing on your own. No matter how bad you think you are flying or whatever you will be surprised when you get to the contest. If all the guys in sportsman were flying 10's on every maneuver, they wouldn't be flying sportsman. Just show up and have fun.

Tom and John are great guys in your district and I'm sure they'll be happy to help.

Arch