All -

With a little help from Dave Nadler and Helen (a friendly rep at
Avemco), I have been able to resolve the insurance coverage issues and
stay with Avemco Insurance (important to me as they are also insuring
my kit-plane as I build it in my garage; and that insurance is part of
the financing deal I got on the kit).

For anyone else wanting to use/stay with Avemco and compete in SSA
contests, here is the crucial info:
1) You cannot compete in more than 2 contests a year (regional or
national, doesn't matter)
2) You must specifically ask for the policy changes (I gave them the
PDF detailing the coverage clarifications from the SSA website), and
mention that a couple of other glider pilots have recently gotten this
change approved as a special exemption.
3) You must be willing to pay a couple of extra dollars per month on
your premium (for me it adds up to about $60 total, on a 12 month
policy).

Beyond that, its a relatively simple change. Hope this info helps!

--Noel