That is so cool, Nick. I'm glad you had that kind of an opportunity.

As for the clipless, have you thought about taking them off for a bit and then going back to them when your other skills are better developed? As a new MTBer myself, I decided to wait on the clipless, although I've long used them for road riding. It's just one less thing for me to worry about for the time being, but I do plan to eventually try them.