I'm being requested to participate in production aspects for US National YoYo Contest, so I am in contact with people in charge. I'm dealing with some logistics issues at the moment that are taking priority(what do I need to bring, how do I get there...).
I will see if tops are going to be supported. I can't promise quick answers. I am assuming "yes" though.
I think based on seeing items selling out at YoYoExpert and YoYoSam, there's a slight rise in interest in tops at the moment. I don't know how this will equate to players willing to compete though. It could just be people looking for something different and kendama isn't really doing it for them. For me, a few cool videos really caught my attention in regards to spin tops. If it wasn't for getting a lot of cuts on certain parts of my hands and hand to let that heal, I had to take a break from yoyo and that forced me to finally try to use the various small number of spin tops I had acquired. I was also debating on participating in the sports ladder at this Nationals, but with my hands tied into contest production, I won't have much time.
Also, aren't there a fair number of people with tops in the SoCal area? The contest move might make it more attractive to them to compete.