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I've never really figured out the strategy for contests in the Generation III games. I imagine if one were really serious about it, one would train different Pokémon with the best contest moves, rather than using Pokémon from your battle team with whatever moves they happened to know.
In the comics and the cartoons, the Hoenn contest circuit is presented as being a big deal, roughly on par with the gym challenge in terms of its prestige. But in the game, the contests are more like an optional mini-game. Imagine how different it would feel if you couldn't fight the Elite Four until you'd earned all your master-rank ribbons!