I love competing on the race course against pros. It is awesome to watch how smoothly they sail if you are lucky enough to get close enough to watch. I've even stayed in dirty air and let a pro roll right over us just to be able to watch their technique.

I've also found them very open on giving advice - in one case a pro came over to us on the water one time between races and discussed some tuning issues.

As for stickers - I think they make the sport look more colorful and attractive to the public and are a great way of offsetting some of the costs of racing. Just 'cause you have a bunch of stickers on the boat don't make you fast. Quality time on the water is what counts. In the classes I'm involved with (F18 or Hobie Tiger OD) the class rules are tight enough that I don't think a team can buy a clear advantage with money unless they invest it in a coaching program under a professional or use it to travel to big events to gain experience.