I would add:

4. The paradigm of more rules=fewer opportunities for pilots with better skills to be rewarded for them.
5. Some pilots are [mostly] in agreement with the many rules changes that have reduced risk (I detailed 21 since I started flying contests in 1968) but they want to evaluate each new proposed change on a cost/benefit basis: the cost in terms of complications and restrictions on flying and perhaps even an impact on whether certain days are contest days vs. the potential benefit of fewer accidents.

On Friday, January 26, 2018 at 2:13:04 PM UTC-5, wrote:
This thread has been more interesting in getting a feel for the general mindset of competitors than it has in actually solving any safety issues.

I think for me it is revealing three very distinct modalities of thought..:
1. The paradigm of more rules=more safety.
2. The paradigm of more rules=fairer competition, eliminating points for risk takers.
3. Some guys just accept competition as it is, want to prevent any further curtailments of someone trying to define a flying style,and accept the resulting consequences both in contest standing and in contest risk.