+1 for what has been said already.

I'm a D700 user and have been for over a year. I can attest to the 24-70 f/2.8 and 70-200 f/2.8 being awesome. I often shoot in variable light conditions and use my SB-900's a lot to bounce off of high ceilings.

I love learning by being sort of thrown into a situation. It forces me to prepare and look like I know what I'm doing Whenever I have to do this I practice a lot around the house. Get very comfortable with how the camera meters, how it focuses, how steady your hands can be when shooting wide open, how to get proper flash output.

Do you have access to the room that the judging will be in? If you can, grab a friend and have them help you learn how to get good, consistent results in that environment.

It seems daunting now, but once you practice enough it becomes second nature. I promise!

I hope this helps! Do you have any images you'd like to share?

~Kelly