posted Apr 7th, 2009 - The aftermath of the World Challenge 2009 begins with footage of world class tunnel performances.

NSL-TV uploaded the videos of the Top 12 teams and their performances in Round 1 of the indoor competition in Bedford. The complete package of Round 1 can now be viewed on YouTube. The videos are in reverse order and begin with the two all-female lineups, the French national team Aerokart Deep Blue, and Pussy Galore with a lineup of current and former world champions in the same category.

The video package concludes with Airspeed's first of six sole highscores, a 23-pointer for Round 1. It was a meet opener that each team would like to start with, and it put the reigning 4-way world champions straight to the top position of the leaderboard.

The NSL News already evaluated the score sheets after ten rounds and took once again a closer look at the penalty situation. The indoor competition at Bodyflight Bedford was judged with full speed viewings, according to the usual IPC rules. The results are amazing, compared to the penalty situation at the FSL Shamrock Showdown 2009, where a 70% viewing speed was applied.

The numbers show that the penalties went back to the level where they were before the Shamrock Showdown, with one exception. Perris Fury collected even one more penalty than at the last outdoor competition (7 - 6). Airspeed Odyssey and France Maubeuge did not have any point deductions at all in Bedford, and Aerokart Deep Blue went down to 2 from 6 at the Shamrock Showdown.

These four teams, which have been competing with the same lineups since the beginning of the 2007 season, had combined for a total of 28 point deductions at the Shamrock Showdown. They were down to a total of nine penalties last weekend. The 28 penalty points of these four teams at the Shamrock Showdown combined for even more than the top ten teams collected all together (23) at the World Challenge 2009.

These numbers are even more amazing considering the fact that the scores of the tunnel competition in Bedford were significantly higher compared to the Shamrock Showdown. In other words: the pace was much faster, and the eyes of the judges were tested even more. It seems to be obvious that quite a few infringements slip through the cracks with full speed judging these days.

Either way, the judging speed did not seem to change the actual outcome of the competition much, if at all, which was expected by most of the top competitors who have discussed the topic. However, there was surely much more trust in and confirmation of the scores at the Shamrock Showdown. There were more questionmarks and doubts in Bedford, especially when observers watched the competition from up close in the tunnel chamber.

The NSL News will continue to report details of the penalty and judging speed situation.