my experience w/ crits:
nothing but good. i've raced 3 now. admittedly, they're 'training crits', whatever that means, but it's a race. the pace is high. staying in the pack is no problem. trying to ride out front is very very hard. the sprints out of corners aren't so bad. being near the back is kinda nice b/c you're pulled along by the group. no crashes yet. it's been nothing but fun and pain in my legs and lungs. plus, i won a pair of shorts in the prime. they don't fit, but who cares.
i say: if you're interested in racing, you owe it to yourself to try. it's fun.