Dog'ged Juniors

Well, I finally got around to starting Smush in agility competitions (honestly, I wish I'd started years ago; the games are so simple Smush probably could have done them back when he was in Beginners class... oh well, live and learn I guess).  So far we have only run in one trial, and it was NADAC.  

Anyway... this year we're planning on doing more agility, and I'm debating whether I should register Smush with any other organizations, or just stick with NADAC for now.  I like NADAC, but going with other venues would give us more options as far as local trials go.  I'm mainly thinking of USDAA, since I know other people who do it.  But I've heard that it might be a bit more difficult and competitive than NADAC (tighter courses, etc.).  

So, has anyone here competed in USDAA?  Are the courses a lot more difficult?  What about other venues like AKC or CPE?  Are certain venues more expensive per run?  Most importantly, which venue do you think is the most fun (or are they all about the same)?  Being a college student, I haven't got a whole lot of spare time or $$ to spend on dog sports, so I'm kind of hesitant to invest in anything new, but it would be nice to have options.  Thoughts?  

I have experience with AKC, NADAC and CPE. AKC is the most expensive per run, and only 3 runs a day max. No one in my area does NADAC anymore because of the tight times and frequent rule changes. So I guess I would recommend CPE - I found it very fun and enjoyable, lots of runs per day, and I'm pretty sure it's cheaper (haven't actually been to a trial in 2 years). The lower levels are very beginner-friendly, and if your dog has issues with certain obstacles you can just pick classes that will allow you to avoid them.

Thanks - I have heard that CPE is pretty beginner-friendly.  I might check it out, although when I talked to my mom about agility the other day, she said that since money is so tight, we might only be going to a few trials this year - like 3, maybe 4 if we're lucky    I'm paying for school and flyball so I can't really afford to go to any additional trials by myself....   which means I'll probably be fine with just NADAC for now (there's a bunch of trials in the area around Chicago).  Oh well... it's better than nothing I guess.  I suppose there'll be plenty of time to go to agility trials someday when I'm rich and successful... okay, couldn't type that with a straight face... at least it'll be better once I'm not a college student... haha