Articoli NSL 03/2003 : ShamRock ShowDown 2003
-- Commento NSL sui primi 5 Rounds
e un'intervista ai SINAPSIPD.

Did You Know.....
.....that Sinapsi PD had the fastest random work in round five?
Round five of the FSL Shamrock Showdown 2003 was probably the final break-through for the Italian national team Sinapsi PD to the top group of 4-way teams in the world, no matter what else happened in this round.
Teams
R1
R2
R3
R4
R5
Total
Av.
1
 DeLand Majik
28
25
17
16
23
109
21.8
T2
 Golden Knights
26
24
19
17
19
105
21.0
T2
 Sinapsi PD
23
24
19
15
24
105
21.0
Sinapsi had already shown in earlier rounds that the distance between them and teams as DeLand Majik and the Golden Knights has become much shorter than ever before. The Italian team had tied the Knights in rounds two, and with the highest score of the round also in round three. They were also only shortly behind in round four. However, things were different after round five. Sinapsi did not only gain even more respect for another great performance, they had now forced the rest of the world to pay serious attention to a new contender.

Round five was the first time that Sinapsi posted the sole high score for a round. When the scores for the round were announced and posted at the SkyVenture score board, there were a lot of surprised and impressed reactions by the audience. It came quite unexpected that the highest score for a round would not be posted by the World Cup Champion 2002, DeLand Majik, or by the USPA Champion 2002, the Golden Knights.

The Italian performance in round four had even more impact than just making history as the highest score for this round. It came along with a serious melt down of the Golden Knights. The Army team's jump included several flaws and also a penalty situation. Sinapsi gained a total of five points on the Knights in this round and was all of a sudden tied on second place.

It surely went exactly the other way around for the Golden Knights. After a slow start, the Army team had gained strength and momentum in rounds three and four with two high scores and had just caught up with DeLand Majik. Round five changed this all dramatically. The Knights went from tied in first place with Majik to tied in second place with the underdog, four points behind the leader.
Round five was the end of the first day of the competition. The teams would now have time to rest and re-collect or ride the wake of a strong momentum. Sinapsi PD surely had a great day, the best day in team history. The 21.0 average after five rounds was more than they or anybody else had expected.

]However, there was pressure on the team now. Were the results of the first day coincidence, result of a lucky day and the peak of their potential? Or would they be able to continue on the same performance level next day?

DeLand Majik, the home turf defender, did not really have to worry much about any pressure. Majik did not have a perfect day. However, a solid and consistent performance was good enough to fend off the Golden Knights. The DeLand team still has not trained much this year and was happy to maintain their high performance level with little training.

For the Golden Knights, the first day was like a roller coaster. It was not really the Italian team that gave the Army team a hard time. The Knights' performance surely was not consistent enough to get even close to their own standards. The situation after five rounds was more the result of a combination of several mistakes by the Golden Knights and an extraordinary performance by Sinapsi PD.
Teams
B 7
Best
B 5
Best
Randoms
DeLand Majik
2.0
1.9
1.9
1.6
1.14
Sinapsi PD
2.2
1.9
2.0
1.7
1.02
Golden Knights
2.4
2.1
1.9
1.5
1.28
The records of round five also show that the Italian team took advantage of their quickness that they showed already in round two. In fact, their random work in round five was even significantly faster than DeLand Majik's. And that is something!
The fourth season meet of the Florida Skydiving League is coming up this weekend, once again in DeLand. This time, DeLand Majik will have to defend the home turf against Sebastian XL. The British national team has been training hard and seems to be in a great shape. There is the possibility of a similar surprise as the Italian team came up with last month. Stay connected.
Rank
 AAA Class - Teams
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
Total
Av.
1
 DeLand Majik
28
25
17 (-2)
16
23
29
21
18
177
22.1
2
 Sinapsi PD Italy
23
24
19
15
24
28
19 (-1)
18
170
21.3
3
 Golden Knights
26 (-1)
24
19
17
19 (-2)
27
17 (-2)
19
168
21.0
4
 Phoenix Sweden
20
17
14
11
19
22
16
---
119
17.0
5
 Synchronicity
20
18
14
11 (-2)
16
20
14
14
127
15.9
6
 Sebastian Danez
14 (-2)
14
15
11
15
18
14
11 (-2)
112
14.0
7
 Space Center Teiwaz
15
14
14
11
13
16
12
12
107
13.4
8
 Mr. Pink
15
14
11
10
15
16
12
11
104
13.0
9
 Inferno
16
12 (-2)
12
8 (-2)
11 (-1)
18
13
8 (-2)
98
12.3
10
 Chikara
15
14
12
8 (-2)
13
17
11
7 (-4)
97
12.1
11
 UBI UK
13
12
11
8
9 (-2)
11 (-2)
11
11
86
10.8
12
 Remscheid Ladies Germany
11
10
9
7
9
6
---
---
52
8.7
Rank
 AA Class - Teams
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
Total
Av.
1
 DeLand YaYa Girls
9
9
7
6
6
8
---
---
45
7.5
2
 Fastrax
9
6 (-1)
6
---
---
---
---
---
21
7.0
3
 Anything is Possible
2
3 (-1)
5
4
2
4 (-1)
---
---
20
3.3
Rank
 A Class - Teams
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
Total
Av.
1
 Pandemonium
8 (-1)
13
6
7
6 (-1)
9
---
---
49
8.2
2
 FLair
9
7
4 (-1)
5
5
---
---
---
30
6.0
3
 SkyCandy
9
4
1 (-1)
3
5 (-1)
---
---
---
22
4.4
Blue Skies - Go Compete, 04/16/03
Comments - Feedback
Did You Know.....
.....why the random work was slower than usual in round four?
Round four of the FSL Shamrock Showdown 2003 was the slowest round of the whole competition. 17 points was the highest score posted by the Golden Knights. No team was able to gain very much. However, the Army team was still able to win back another point on DeLand Majik. The World Cup Champion 2002 and the USPA Champion 2002 were now tied on first place.
Teams
R1
R2
R3
R4
 Total
Av.
T1
 DeLand Majik
28
25
17
 16
86
21.5
T1
 Golden Knights
26
24
19
 17
86
21.5
3
 Sinapsi PD
23
24
19
 15
81
20.3
The Golden Knights had finally caught up after a slow start that put them three points behind the DeLand team after two rounds. The Majik penalty in round three had helped the Knights with their comeback. And in round four, they were simply the best team. The Knights posted the best average times for all three blocks of the sequence and matched Majik (1.45 seconds) with the times for the random transitions (1.46 seconds).

Even though blocks 8 (Canadian T - Canadian T) and 13 (Hammer - Hammer) did not show a significant advantage for any of the two top contenders, the third block of the sequence (Zipper - Star) made the difference in this round. The Golden Knights had an average time of 2.8 seconds, while Majik needed 3.3 seconds for the slowest block in the dive pool. Both teams completed this block only two times within the working time. Yet the Golden Knights gained one whole second just through these two maneuvers, which gave them enough time to complete the 17th point, while Majik ran out of time after 16 points.
It is an interesting aspect that the times for random transitions slow down when more blocks are part of a sequence. Theoretically, the move from the end of a block to the next formation is just a random transition as the move from one random formation to another one. But that's only the theory. Records show that teams move quicker as individuals when there are more random transitions in a sequence.

There are two main factors involved in the pace change. It is quite challenging for teams to deal properly with the extreme change of energy input between the very physical block moves and the little and efficient moves of random transitions. In three-block sequences the energy level goes up and down from one extreme to the other. The secret is to keep control over the individual moves when
coming out of a high-energy block maneuver.

The holding times of the formations are the other factor of the slower times for random transitions. The NSL stop watch times the completion to completion, including the holding times of each formation. If a block maneuver finishes with momentum or not perfectly clean, then the team might have to hold the second formation of the block a little bit longer than usual, while the NSL stop watch is already running for the next random transition. This adds extra time into the random work.


A similar effect happens if the completion is a little bit rough and the team decides to break the second formation of the block anyway. In this case, the following random transition will probably be bothered by the missing balance of the whole formation or any individual. The quality of the next move will suffer and slow down the random transition, as well.
Teams
B 8
Best
B 13
Best
B 12
Best
Randoms
DeLand Majik
3.1
2.9
2.1
1.9
3.3
3.1
1.45
Sinapsi PD
3.2
2.7
2.1
1.7
3.4
3.2
1.56
Golden Knights
3.1
2.6
2.0
1.9
2.8
2.7
1.46
Even the top teams have to deal with these factors on their performance level. In addition to the specifics of three-block sequences, the random transitions of round four also included engineering the building and exit of a long formation like the Hammer of block 13. Result of all these difficulties was not only the lowest score of the meet for each team. The random average times for the top teams were also significantly slower than usual.

However, everything in 4-way competition is relative. And each team had to deal with the same situation. Synchronicity had relatively the best round of all teams with 13 points in time. A penalty did not allow the quality of their jump be reflected on the score board.

After four rounds, there was still no indication that the Golden Knights would give up their strong position later on. Sinapsi PD from Italy was still performing well and above any expectations. They still fell another point further behind DeLand Majik and the Golden Knights. The distance was now at a total of five points. And all eyes were still on the duel between the title defender and home team Majik and the Golden Knights. The last jump of the day would change the whole Shamrock Showdown picture.
Did You Know.....
.....that the Shamrock Showdown was an open ball game after round three?
Round three of the FSL Shamrock Showdown 2003 turned the competition back into an open ball game. After DeLand Majik had dominated the meet through the first two rounds, a Majik penalty allowed the Golden Knights and Sinapsi PD to catch up.
Teams
R1
R2
R3
Total
Av.
1
 DeLand Majik
28
25
17
70
23.3
2
 Golden Knights
26
24
19
69
23.0
3
 Sinapsi PD
23
24
19
66
22.0
The event judges, Richard Schachner and Craig Buxton, detected an early break of the first Majik Monopod on the fourth page with their sharp eyes. The Monopod is barely complete on the rear end when the single flyer is already released for his trip around the piece. The judges did not like the situation and pushed the red button.

Round three was obviously not a good round for the DeLand team. In addition to the penalty, Majik (1.35 seconds) was slower than both the Golden Knights (1.28 seconds) and Sinapsi PD (1.28 seconds) with the random work. Majik and Sinapsi had the same engineering, while the Golden Knights built a different Murphy Flake after the completion of block 4 (Monopod - Monopod).
Teams
B 4 Av.
Best
B 14 Av.
Best
Randoms
DeLand Majik
2.4
2.2
2.6
2.3
1.35
Sinapsi PD
2.3
2.0
3.1
3.0
1.28
Golden Knights
2.4
2.2
2.6
2.3
1.28
The solid performance of the Golden Knights with good random work and block techniques in this round brought the Army team (35.34) closer to the 20th point than Majik (36.04) and Sinapsi (36.89). However, it was not good enough to shake off the Italian team that had now tied the Golden Knights for the second time.

The eyes were still more on the competition between Majik and the Knights, which were only one point apart from each other after three rounds and Majik's penalty. Sinapsi had showed two times that they can keep up with the top teams. However, the Italians were still four points behind Majik and three points behind the Army team, thus not a real threat - yet.....
Behind the top teams in the AAA Class, the Sebastian Danez delivered an extremely clean performance and the highest score after the three world class teams with 15 points. Mikael Taft, Jess Roemer, Brian Lindgreen, Rene Andreasen and Bjarke Gjodesen on video are the strongest 4-way team from Denmark and will most likely compete at the World Championship of Formation Skydiving this year.

The Danez train in Sebastian with their coach and Sebastian XL member Pete Allum. The Danez attended already the Florida Skydiving League season opener in January in Sebastian and impressed the judges and other teams with their extremely clean style and a 13.8 meet average over six rounds. The Danish team outscored even Phoenix Sweden and Synchronicity in round three and improved the meet result with a 14.0 average after eight rounds in DeLand.

The defending FSL Champion, Space Center Teiwaz, had one of their best rounds of the meet, as well, and posted 14 points. Teiwaz competed with a new line-up at the Shamrock Showdown that included Jim Goempel and Kurt Gaebel of the earlier FSL meets. Robert Chromy and Dytta Valsdottir of the Norwegian Women's national team TNT joined Teiwaz in DeLand. Nat Hill filled the slot for Jim Goempel through the three rounds on Sunday.

The other original Teiwaz members Mary Inhoffer, Pam Geoffrey and Mark Stose are still involved with family building. Inhoffer and Stose are now married and just recently announced the birth of little Mary Stose. Geoffrey and Goempel got married earlier last year and gave birth to little Jessica Goempel. While the Teiwaz family keeps growing, 4-way veterans Rob Larsen and Richard "Rambo" Calledare have also helped Teiwaz affairs last year and in 2003. Teiwaz finished the Shamrock Showdown with a season-high 13.4 meet average.

Round three of the FSL Shamrock Showdown is currently on NSL-TV. More teams will be introduced in the coming rounds.
Did You Know.....
.....that more teams stepped up their performance level at the Showdown?
The scores for round two of the FSL Shamrock Showdown 2003 brought already more attention to the Italian national team, Sinapsi PD, than the opening round. Sinapsi was still six points behind DeLand Majik and three points behind the Golden Knights. However, the Italian performance in this round looked already just as sharp and quick as the one of the World Cup champions 2002 and the U.S. champions 2002.

The Sinapsi results for this round were now a great surprise. They had tied the Golden Knights with 24 points. And they were only one point behind Majik in this round due to their Zircon - Zircon not being consistent enough. Other than that, Sinapsi PD matched the Majik times for Block 9 (CatAcc - CatAcc) and was only shortly behind with the random work.
Teams
B 9 Av.
Best
B 18 Av.
Best
Randoms
DeLand Majik
1.3
1.1
2.3
2.1
1.10
Sinapsi PD
1.3
1.1
2.8
2.3
1.12
Golden Knights
1.3
1.2
2.4
2.2
1.17
Sinapsi was already quicker than the Golden Knights through the random transitions. The Army team's better technical experience with Block 18 (Zircon - Zircon) made up for the slower randoms and saved the Knights from losing this round to Italy. When the scores were announced and posted, Sinapsi PD had gained a new level of respect. The only question was whether this round was a unique peak for the team. Or would they be able to repeat such a performance?

Sinapsi PD was not the only team that surprised the audience with an unexpected performance level. Synchronicity, the U.S. Women's team for this year's World Championship of Formation
Skydiving, had scored 20 and 18 points for the first two rounds. The new line-up with former Nemesis member Kim Brandt, Jaqi O'Bryan, Jamie Johnson, Sally Hathaway and Tony Hathaway on camera opened the meet on a new pace level.

Sally Hathaway is the only original Synchronicity member of the team that won the gold medal at the world meet in 2001. Sally Stewart, Lilac Hayes and Eliana Rodriguez were her team mates in Spain by then. Joey Jones is still the team's coach. The Synchronicity 2003 line-up promises a difficult situation for the other gold medal contenders from the United Kingdom and Norway. The new team finished the FSL Shamrock Showdown 2003 with a 15.9 meet average. And this is only the beginning of the season.....

The same counts for Mr. Pink from Georgia. The 2003 line-up is identical with the 2001 and 2002 line-up. Even though the Pink scores have been going up ever since this team squad with team founder Glen Hauenstein, Mike and Jennifer Gruwell and Adam Wheeler began training and competing together, the 13.0 meet average is the highest in team history.
Teams
R1
R2
Total
Av.
1
 DeLand Majik
28
25
53
26.5
2
 Golden Knights
26
24
50
25.0
3
 Sinapsi PD
23
24
47
23.5
The first two Pink rounds at the FSL Shamrock Showdown 2003 already showed that the Georgia team is now able to keep up with the best weekend teams in the country. The persistent Pink team efforts seem to pay back and promise an exciting 2003 season.
Did You Know.....
.....that Sinapsi PD visited the NSL office for an interview?
The Italian national 4-way team, Sinapsi PD, shocked the skydiving world in a positive way last weekend. By finishing the FSL Shamrock Showdown 2003 with a 21.3 meet average and ahead of the Golden Knights, the team catapulted itself from the position of a well respected team behind the top group into a strong medal contender at this year's World Championship of Formation Skydiving in September in France. Before the team travels back to Europe, the NSL News invited Sinapsi PD to the NSL DeLand office for an interview.

Sinapsi PD consists of center outside Arianna De Benedetti (24 years old, 2000 jumps), center inside Luca Marchioro (30 years, 4000 jumps), point Livio Piccolo (26 years, 5500 jumps), tail Marco Arrigo (32 years, 4000 jumps) and videographer Stefano Secchiaroli (24 years, 1000 jumps).
NSL News: Arianna, Marco, Livio, Luca, congratulations for Sinapsi PD’s highest average in team history. Are you happy?

Marco: Yes. It was a great competition. We still made a lot of mistakes, especially in the first round. There remains a lot of work to do. However, after additional 400 jumps, we will hopefully be even better. But we are not thinking of winning the world meet yet.

NSL News: Are you dreaming of a chance to win now?

Arianna: It is always a good thing to have dreams. We know that it is very, very hard. The difference between first and fifth place will be very close.


NSL News: Let’s take a step back. When did this Sinapsi line-up make the first team jump?

Luca: We had our first training camp in Italy in November 2001 and made 80 jumps. Then we trained in Deland for the next camp. That was the camp before we came to compete at SkyQuest 2001, our first competition with this team.

NSL News: How many jumps has the team done ever since?

Livio: 1000.


NSL News: You broke already all Italian records unofficially at the Shamrock Showdown 2002 with a 17.8 meet average and 27 points for the highest round. You followed up with the official records at the World Cup 2002 with a 19.4 average. Last weekend, Sinapsi set new unofficial records once again with 21.3 and 28. Is a new official record due again at the world meet in September?

Luca: We will “off shore” (Sinapsi version for: of course…) do this, since 19.4 average is still the official Italian record. We have no doubt that we can improve this old mark.

NSL News: Do you think that you can also break the new unofficial record of 21.3 average?

Arianna: We want to think that it is possible. We have still our 400 training jumps before the world meet. And we should be better after that. It all depends on the draw, of course.


NSL News: If you are on a performance level as high as you are, how much should you improve with 400 jumps? What do you think Sinapsi can score after these additional 400 jumps?

Marco: The Pilatus Porter will always slow down the average a little bit. The exit is more difficult. However, a 21+ average for a 10-round meet would be great for us. It will be a tough competition, and the team with the most energy and power will win.

NSL News: Did you see yourself already as a part of the world’s top teams before the FSL Shamrock Showdown 2003?

All Sinapsi members: No, really not.

Luca: We did the Valentine’s Meet draw during the last training camp. And it was the first time that we could stay close to Airspeed and the Golden Knights. We lost by only two points on the first attempts. After some re-engineering, we even beat both teams by one point. However, that was training and not real competition.


NSL News: This means that you knew that you could beat the Golden Knights before you entered the FSL Shamrock Showdown 2003. Did you think that this could also happen in a real competition?

Luca: Not really, since we know that training is very different than competition. We thought that we could win a round here and there and be close. But that was it.

NSL News: Do you think that Sinapsi PD had a great meet, or did the Golden Knights have a bad one?
Luca: The Knights made mistakes, but we made mistakes, as well. 

Arianna: After the first round, we had a great competition. The Golden Knights surely made more mistakes than we did.


NSL News: How do you compare yourself with DeLand Majik?

Marco: They are still much better over a 10-round meet.

NSL News: At the world meet in Gap, France, you will compete with France Maubeuge, the Golden Knights, the DeLand Norgies and Sebastian XL. Are you glad that Majik will not be there?

Luca: Yes. But it would also be very different for Majik from the Porter. However, we don’t have to think about this.

NSL News: Have you seen the Russian teams recently? What do you expect from them?

Livio: I expect them to be very fast and aggressive. And they will make a lot of mistakes.


NSL News: What are the Sinapsi members doing when you are not training? Is the whole team skydiving full time now?

Marco: No. I am still selling tiles. We spent approx. four months per year for training; I work the rest of the time. Livio and Arianna both work as full time skydiving instructors in Fano, a full time skydiving center near Ancona. Luca works as a skydiving instructor at Aria Delta 47, a skydiving center in Casale, Monferrato.

NSL News: Are you coaching teams in Italy, as well?

Arianna: Not yet. We work more as AFF instructors, videographers and riggers.

NSL News: Do you get financial support by your skydiving association?

Luca: Only for the international competitions we attend.


NSL News: Is there corporate sponsorship for teams in Italy?

Livio: It is very difficult to find corporate sponsorship. We have one sponsor outside of the skydiving industry. We have product support from the skydiving industry. And we have cheap jump rates in Fano. However, generally, we still have to finance ourselves mostly.

NSL News: Arianna, you are only 24 years old, as your website shows. When did you begin skydiving?

Arianna: I made my first AFF jump in 1999.

NSL News: How many jumps do you have by now?

Arianna: 2400.


NSL News: Where and how did Sinapsi PD learn 4-way competition?

Arianna: France Maubeuge member Davide Moy was coaching the team before I joined. Then we hired Solly Williams when we trained in Deland. We train without a coach in Italy. And in Deland, we are still working with Solly.

NSL News: You planned your Deland training this year around the FSL Shamrock Showdown 2003. Was it worth it?

Arianna: It was very important to have a competition with the top teams to check where we are. Now we can start thinking about what we have to do from here on.

Marco: We have learned the difference between the top teams and us. We have good and bad rounds. The top teams are more consistent. We know now what it takes to become a real top team. The top teams can deliver a top performance in any competition. We have only shown it once yet, and only in certain rounds.


NSL News: Good luck for the remainder of the year, and thank you for visiting.

Marco: One last thing. We would like to congratulate the NSL for organizing such a great event and also the NSL itself. It was a great and interesting competition, including the whole environment and features. Many people all over the world are very interested in such a competition. If I do not compete, I visit the NSL website and can be up-to-date through the NSL.

NSL News: Thank you.

Blue Skies - Go Compete, 03/21/03
Comments - Feedback
Did You Know.....
.....that the Golden Knights had bad luck in round one of the Showdown?
Round one of the FSL Shamrock Showdown 2003 did not indicate at all that Sinapsi PD, the national 4-way team from Italy, would come up with one of the biggest upsets in recent 4-way competition later on. Everything went pretty much as expected in the opening round.
Teams
R1
Total
Av.
1
 DeLand Majik
28
28
28.0
2
 Golden Knights
26
26
26.0
3
 Sinapsi PD
23
23
23.0
DeLand Majik had once again the best random work and posted the highest score of the round with 28 points. The Majik times for block 16 (Compressed Accordion - Box) were not significantly faster or slower compared to the Golden Knights. The random work made the money in this round.

The Golden Knights had bad luck in addition to the slightly slower random work. Team videographer Tal Hunter filmed the Army team's round with two cameras. According to the new IPC rules, the videographer can look at the footage before dubbing it and decide which camera to present to the judges.

Hunter was in a dilemma situation. He had missed one grip of the exit Crank (N) with one camera. The other camera clearly showed the complete exit formation. However, this back-up camera had turned off after approx. 15 seconds of freefall. Even though the formation was obviously complete, the judges were not able to accept combined footage from both cameras. Hunter had to choose the footage from the camera with the missing grip. And the Golden Knights had to give up one additional point due to a non-judgeable formation.

Hunter was sad to see that he could not fix this situation although he had the back-up camera exactly for such a situation. However, the judges had to apply the rules and explained that the U.S. national team could face a similar situation at this year's World Championship of Formation Skydiving in France in September. Round one turned out to be an unplanned exercise of distraction control for the
Golden Knights. Remarkably, DeLand Majik, the Golden Knights and Sinapsi PD all posted better average times for block 16 compared to the results of the World Cup 2002. France had the fastest block average in Spain with 2.1 seconds. Majik and Sinapsi both averaged 2.0 seconds last weekend. And the Golden Knights won block 16 with a 1.9 average. Majik and the Knights had the same fastest time with 1.8 seconds.
Teams
B 16 Av.
Best
Randoms
DeLand Majik
2.0
1.8
1.09
Sinapsi PD
2.0
2.0
1.34
Golden Knights
1.9
1.8
1.12
Even when Sinapsi ended up with only 23 points and three points behind the Golden Knights in this round, the score did not tell the whole truth. The Italian team had a few rough random transitions that interrupted the flow. However, the times for block 16 and the quickness of their individual moves already indicated that there was more and better to come.

Not many people took notice of the Italian team when the scores were posted. The main attention was given to the competition between home turf defender DeLand Majik and challenger Golden Knights. Sinapsi PD was expected to challenge Sebastian XL's position in the world rankings. XL has won the fourth place at the last two world championships and missed the bronze medal by only one point in 1999.

When XL member Steve Hamilton injured his back the week prior to the FSL Shamrock Showdown 2003, it became clear that the Italian and British national teams would not go up against each other in DeLand.

Maybe the fact that Sinapsi did not have the expected rival on site was the reason that they chose to just challenge the teams in front of them, Majik and the Knights. However, from the second round on, Sinapsi PD performed as if they never had another plan than winning this competition.....
Blue Skies - Go Compete, 03/20/03
Comments - Feedback
Did You Know.....
.....all the teams that competed at the FSL Shamrock Showdown 2003?
We have already read how the local media perceived the FSL Shamrock Showdown 2003. And the positive coverage was greatly appreciated by hosting Skydive DeLand, teams and meet management. The drop zone was very busy on both days. Spectators had called the NSL office and drop zone management all day long on Friday, Saturday and Sunday asking for information about the event. However, now it is about time to look at the Shamrock Showdown from the skydiver's point of view.

Saturday morning, most of the calls and questions were regarding the weather situation. Weather forecast and morning conditions were once again not promising at all. The first two FSL meets of the 2003 season had already been bothered by the weather. It did not look much better this time. The difference at this meet was the fact that top teams from all over the world were in DeLand to compete with World Cup Champion 2002, NSL Champion 2002 and Shamrock Showdown title defender, DeLand Majik.

The expectations were very high. NSL management and the Majik members had been busy collecting prizes for the Skins Game that totaled the value of over $4,000. Many teams had scheduled trips to Florida around this event. The field of teams in the AAA Class was like a small world meet.

The Golden Knights had their second serious test in 2003 on the agenda after already competing at the Valentine's Meet in February. Sinapsi PD is the Italian national team preparing for this year's World Championship of Formation Skydiving in France in September. Phoenix is the Swedish national team that will travel to France, as well. And the Sebastian Danez will represent Denmark at the world meet.

The all-female teams Synchronicity and Remscheid Ladies will compete in the Women's category for the U.S.A. and Germany in France. Synchronicity is the defending world champion in the female class. Inferno with team members from Texas had already attended the Valentine's Meet together with the Golden Knights and looked for another test in Florida. Mr. Pink visited from Georgia. UBI is a British 4-way team training in DeLand.

Chikara is a newly formed all-female team with well-trained and experienced competitors. Billy
Andrews of Superfly helped out to fill the point slot at this meet. Space Center Teiwaz is the defending FSL Champion 2003 and showed up with a different line-up once again.

In the AA Class, Fastrax visited from Ohio and could not complete the meet. Windline Lightning showed up Saturday morning missing one sick team member. When no reasonable solution to fill the slot could be found, The FSL top team of the AA Class had to withdraw. The DeLand YaYa Girls are another newly formed local team of the women's category that plans to join the Florida Skydiving League more frequently.

Anything is Possible was put together on site and on a short notice, comprised of experienced skydivers and the commander of the Golden Knights, LTC Paul MacNamara, who just recently began skydiving and full-heartedly supports the Army team and competition.

Three FSL teams completed the field in the A Class, Pandemonium, FLair and SkyCandy. It was the first competition for the all-female team SkyCandy from DeLand, while Pandemonium and FLair had already competed at the first two meets of the FSL 2003 season. Both teams from Skydive Miami in Homestead were facing personnel problems with sick team members and after smaller injuries. However, they managed their way through the first day of the competition to complete the official FSL meet.

When the fog and clouds finally disappeared Saturday morning, a total of 18 teams were ready to rock and roll in the three competition classes. Event coach Robert Chromy, who also competed with Space Center Teiwaz, had used the time to prepare the lower experienced and new teams. Event judges Richard Schachner and Craig Buxton were ready for a fast pace and a lot of work.

Then the meet began. And this story will be continued. Only this for now: the world has seen a new contender for the medals in France this year. Sinapsi PD from Italy finished the 8-round meet with a 21.3 average and two points ahead of the Golden Knights. Exciting enough? Stay connected, NSL-TV will present the first round of the meet very soon.
Blue Skies - Go Compete, 03/18/03
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Did You Know.....
.....that DeLand Majik defended their home turf successfully?
Local sky divers soar to victory

DELAND -- DeLand Majik successfully defended its Florida Skydiving League Shamrock Showdown title this weekend, narrowly beating the Italian national team and the U.S. Army Golden Knights.
Majik racked up 177 points through eight rounds at Skydive DeLand. Members are Solly Williams, Doug Park, Joey Jones and Gary Smith. Graham Harding is the team video photographer. Points are awarded for completing as many
predetermined individual four-man formations and maneuver series in 35 seconds after jumping from a plane about 2 miles off the ground. Majik averaged 22.1 points per round while plunging to earth at 120 mph.

Sinapsi DP of Italy captured second place with 170 points and a 21.3 per round average. The Golden Knights, the current U.S. champion team, finished third with 168 points and an average of 21 points per round.

Blue Skies - Go Compete, 03/16/03
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Did You Know.....
.....that Italy Sinapsi challenges DeLand Majik and the Golden Knights
at the FSL Shamrock Showdown 2003?
DeLand competition fuels best skydivers
By BOB KOSLOW
Staff Writer

DELAND -- Skydiving is like driving a car. Right? So said members from two of the world's best formation teams competing here this weekend.

"The first time you ever drove a car you were scared weren't you?" asked Sgt. 1st Class Chris Talbert of the U.S. Army Golden Knights parachute team. "How did you get over it? You kept doing it. Skydiving is the same."

At least cars have brakes when the driver must stop to avoid trouble.

"Cars want to work and so does skydiving equipment. It's almost 99 percent fail-proof," said Doug Park of the DeLand Majik skydiving team. "The biggest issue is the human running the equipment, just like a car. You just have to jump a lot and learn to trust the equipment. I've been injured worse snow skiing."

Jumping a lot was the order of the day Saturday as 18 teams met in the first round of the Florida Skydive League's Shamrock Showdown 2003. The final round of four jumps per four-person team is today at Skydive DeLand.

"What makes this event so special is that we have some of the best teams in the world," league president Kurt Gaebel said. "It's too cold in Europe and the northern states so all the teams are in Florida training right now."

The entry list includes national teams from Italy, Sweden and Denmark. Other foreign teams are from the United Kingdom and Germany. Some teams are all men. Others have one woman and three men. There are few all-female teams such as
Synchronicity, the U.S. National women's formation skydiving champions.

However, the featured battle pits Majik and the Golden Knight.

"We're here supporting the skydiving league and to compete against Majik," Talbert said. "They are one of the world's best and we are using this meet as a barometer to judge our training."

The Golden Knights beat Majik last year to win the U.S. National title. The Army team is methodically training to peak in September to represent the United States in France at the World Championship. The DeLand meet is a stepping stone.

Six weeks after the U.S. Nationals, Majik beat the Golden Knights at the World Cup Championship, where more than one team from a country may compete.

"We are one and one against the Knights and this is the rubber match, so to speak," Majik's Solly Williams said. "We are really good friends and know them personally. But, we are the defending champions of this event and we want to win here at home."

Neither team considers itself as having an advantage in experience.

The once feared "professional" Army team has "taken it on the chin the past five years," Talbert said. Recent silver medals outnumber gold.

Majik members are all skydiving instructors. They jump as often as the Golden Knights when training for a major event. The difference is the hair length, Williams joked, and Majik's need for sponsors.

Blue Skies - Go Compete, 03/15/03
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Did You Know.....
.....that 18 teams and 14 sponsors are on the Shamrock Showdown list at this point?
The preparations for the FSL Shamrock Showdown 2003 continued today. More teams announced their participation. 18 teams are expected to show up at this point. And the number is growing. More sponsors provided more prizes for the Shamrock Showdown Skins Game. The meet page will be updated again tomorrow. The final rules  for the Skins Game will be announced during the Friday night reception at the DeLand Holiday Inn.
Skydivers form for Shamrock Showdown 

DELAND -- The Florida Skydiving League Shamrock Showdown 2003 competitions are scheduled Saturday and Sunday, at 9 a.m. at Skydive DeLand, at the DeLand Municipal Airport, 1600 Flightline Blvd. The Army Golden Knights, current U.S. national team champions in four-way formation sky diving, and the DeLand Majik, the World Cup of
Formation Skydiving champs in 2002, will compete against teams from Italy, Sweden, the United Kingdom, Germany and Norway. The teams jump from 10,500 feet and perform a series of maneuvers to earn points. At about 4,000 feet, team members separate and open their parachutes. A team videographer records the jumps and the public can view the free falls on television. Tandem sky dives also are available to the public. Reservations are recommended. For information, contact the National Skydiving League, 1100 Biscayne Blvd., DeLand, FL 32724; (386) 740-9093 or visit its Web site: www.skyleague.com
The CanAm Skydiving League posted their 2003 schedule. Three Canadian skydiving centers are a part of the league this year. 65 competitions of the regular NSL season have been scheduled so far. The Calendar of Events offers an overview.
Blue Skies - Go Compete, 03/13/03
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