Chad most people will not have to change a thing . As for specialist gear I have managed to cast with off the shelf realistically priced rod and reel about $400.00 total in excess of 200mtrs and that was an off the ground cast. I am not an elite caster by any means . The standard of casting in general has improved out of sight in the past few years . This is partly due to the promotion of casting but also to the availability of some good rods and reels at an affordable price. As for the funny weights changing to grams matches the kilo line rating you quoted in your posting.
I don't know were you got the idea that there is elitism in casting because all the top casters are more than happy to spend time helping people improve there casting.
Where you fish most of the time big casts are not required ,down this way it can be an advantage.
By bringing our rules into line with the rest of the world the potential to bring sponcers into the association is increased.
We must look at the big picture which means we will all have to bend a bit.
As a writer you should embracing any forward movement and supporting any positive development in our sport.