You could PM your name to me, if you want. (Hover over my name, click "Send Message"). We'll just move to private messages instead.

If you want to see how a great email funnel setup looks, I'd pick up and read Reader Magnets, by Nick Stephenson. He's got tons of info, and that's how I structured my setup.

Also, yes, signing up for the competition's newsletters is a great way to see what's working. That should give you a good idea of how they're structured, how much info is included, how often they send emails, and so on.