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I taught safs a couple years or 6 and shot there a few times...  you can be with the guy that will win it and a guy that’s there for his first time. I recommend you go. There are events spaced out over two weeks so it’s easy to find something you like. Read the rule books and be familiar with them and make sure you are in compliance before you get there. It’s not what people think it is, but it’s more than that as well. Go have fun, you will probably go every year.

This!

Preface:  I've never been to Camp Perry.

I am a competitive shooter, and I do know a ton of competitive shooters, from service rifle, action, NM, and combat style.
The true competitors welcome 'noobs'...they want to see their sport grow.  
True competitors want to beat you because they broke the shot when the sights were right, they want to beat you because they just plain shot better than you.  
The true competitors will share their knowledge, tips, and tricks with anyone willing to listen, because they love a new challenger.  Every match I attend is a chance for me to coach and spread knowledge.

Go, learn, shoot, have a good time, and make some probably lifelong friends.

If you're safe, don't crossfire, and give good pit service, you'll be liked well enough.

Thanks for all the info.

There are three kinds of people. Those who have yet to crossfire, those who will again, and those who lie about it

Never having crossfired I guess that puts me in the third category.

Go. Have fun! The Rimfire Sporter match, I think, is one of the funnest matches there. And you don't need a bunch of stuff to shoot it. The very first match I ever shot was the Springfield match at Perry in 2006. Showed up with my rifle, a pair of binoculars, and my scorecard and ammo.  Some guys in line for squadding asked me if I was new, and took me in with them to show me what to do and what's going on. I didn't even know what "pulling targets" was.

I've slowly acquired gear since then, but still pull my stuff out there in a wagon. A $40 Barska scope served me for a few years until I upgraded it. I didn't even have a shooting coat the first 2-3 years shooting highpower. Maybe this year for Christmas I'll treat myself to a shooting cart.

I had a good chance and helped out a new shooter this year during the NTI match. I'm sure there are some, but I've yet to meet anyone who has not been helpful to me.  SAFS was well worth it. Don't be afraid to ask someone for help, and tell them is your first time. Everybody was new out there once!

OP,
You should definitely go. Here is how I recommend you prepare:

1) get used to shooting across-the-course high power matches. Start shooting these in your home state. A year is plenty of time to get ready.  I went for the first time after only 5 months of shooting high power.

2) Get in touch with your state association and regional clubs to find out who else is going from your state. They may want to recruit you to shoot with them in team matches. Much of the joy I have experienced at Perry has been shooting with a team. Don’t worry about being new. Some team matches REQUIRE the team to include a new shooter.

3) Talk to people. Make friends.

My story:

I started shooting local walk-and-paste reduced course matches at my local club. Friends I made there recruited me to shoot on their state team. I had 5 months to get ready. I studied, did hundreds of hours of dry-fire at home, and shot as many regional matches as I could (around 9 total in those 5 months).  I pushed hard because I was intimidated and didn’t want to be unprepared.

I shouldn’t have worried. The National Matches is the friendliest place on earth. People are eager to help, eager to encourage, and eager to be friends. There is an esprit de corps I’ve never experienced anywhere else. It is a celebration of the pursuit of excellence and in that regard everyone is an equal - individuals striving to achieve personal mastery.

It is also a wonderful opportunity for civilians and military personnel to be Americans together in the same place at the same time. I’ve made some great friendships with soldiers, sailors and marines.

My first year I earned leg points and made many new friends.
Second year I stood on stage and was pinned Distinguished by Brandon Green.
Third year I made the President’s Hundred.

So go. Meet people. Test yourself in the Valley of Kings. Revel. This is a pilgrimage every rifleman should make.

PS - there are 2 things that’ll “get you” at Camp Perry: Your nerves, and the wind. Try to shoot regional matches in windy places to prepare for both.

I think the magic formula has been discovered!

push hard, regionals, hundreds of hours of dry-fire

A local friend and his 12yo daughter had some difficulty with Housing regarding "junior barracks". TSRA juniors had spare room in a hut for her. Thanks to North Carolina juniors for trying to help similarly as well.

If a SAFS student is smaller statured, go with the Basic course so you can get paired with an M4. They're non-FF and have a standard trigger, but they'll fit a lot easier than an HBAR A4, and it's only 200yds on the SR target. The daughter got mixed up and stayed with the Advanced group who went to the range later and all the M4s were taken.

I live about an hour and 15 minutes from Camp Perry. Grew up shooting fudd rifles at fudd ranges. Never shot a AR before. Signed up for the Rifle SAFS class with a buddy at the National Matches. Noob as can be. Everybody was very friendly. The class was about 65% competitors and 35% noobs. We were hooked. bought a Rock river NM A4 and practiced at my local range. We found a range that would let us shoot 600, so we could get DOPE @ 600 for our guns/ammo. The next year we took SAFS again and also competed in the Presidents match. The presidents match was technically our first real highpower match. Again everybody was friendly and helped us out when we needed help. We were safe and every shot landed on the target somewhere. It was a great experience. I was paired with a 13 year old junior girl and she told me she was nervous because even though she was an highly experienced smallbore competitor, it was her first national service rifle match. She laughed when I told her it was my first ever real 200-300-600 yard match and I would probably need her help.

Participate in local highpower matches in your area and you will be fine.
Make sure you are safe and understand how to spot/score well and give good pit service.
SAFS class is fantastic. Take it for sure.
Everyone you meet will be helpful and friendly.

The only gear I had:
Rock River NM A4
Hornady 75gr match ammo
standard GI sling
no shooting coat, wore a heavy sweatshirt
old workboots
Champions choice glove
data book
kids schwinn bicycle trailer to cart everything around in.

We took the advanced highpower class (not SAFS) a few years later. What an a amazing class. Was sore afterwards from the constant drills. We also took the hornady reloading class which was taught by hornady chief ballastician. It was great.