Fournicator, very well put. I agree with your sentiments very much.
With regard to the AOPA course, it is often criticised as being a bit pointless, but there is value to both the instructor and student in working to a clear, unambiguous syllabus. If nothing else it sets common expectations.
The AOPA course requires a minumum of 8 hours flight training (plus the competency check) and 8 hours of briefings/lectures. If you might be interested in competing after finishing the course, make that clear to your instructor at the outset and he/she can (if he's got competition experience) tailor the course accordingly. For example, I often use the beginners sequence as an objective of the course and include it in the competency check.
Originally Posted by stiknruda
...each 5 degrees off heading (or vertical, horizontal, 45 up or down, erect or inverted) costs you half a point.
No, the downgrade for each 5 degrees of error is 1 point.
Originally Posted by stiknruda
If the sequence calls for you to do a vertical half roll on the way up a stall turn and a 1/4 roll on the way down, you'd better be bloody sure which way you need to roll on the down line or you will be 180 degrees out AND everything afterwards will receive a zero. Ie: instead of recovering from the stall turn downwind or away from the judging line, you recover upwind or towards the judges if cross box you have just forfeited your chances of scoring well.
Also no; figures on the B-axis can be flown in either direction without penalty, so in one of the two possibilities in your scenario (i.e. starting the figure on the A-axis), the quarter vertical roll to finish going cross-box can be done left or right.
Have fun.