posted Jul 31st, 2009 - The most interesting time period of the competition season has begun, as most of the countries have their national championships coming up. Denmark (Danez) and Finland (Pro Team) already have their new national 4-way champions of 2009, which are also the national teams for the World Meet 2010 in most of the countries. The race for the tickets to Russia are one of the most exciting parts of the national championships.

Sweden and Norway are already in the middle of their national championships, and the NSL News will post scores and information as soon as possible. Both countries have already selected their national teams. Norway (Nexus) has a different system where the winner of the national championship is not automatically the national team. Sweden's national team of 2008, Evolution, has no competition this year, and the Swedish federation sanctioned the team already easrlier this year.

Russia and Germany launch their championships next week, the teams in the United Kingdom will join on the following weekend, together with the teams in the Netherlands and the Czech Republic. Austria and France follow later in August.

Most of the new national champions will then compete at the FAI World Cup 2009, which will be hosted by the Czech Republic this year. The World Cup of Formation Skydiving competition is the most relevant international event of the year when there is no world championship, which takes place every other year.

The World Cup is not only open for the national teams. Each country can register up to four teams, which offers runner ups at the national championships and new ambitious teams the opportunity of a high-profile international competition experience.

The list of teams for this year's 4-way Open competition in the Czech Republic matches already the attendance numbers of the last World Cup in 2007, which included exciting races all over the leaderboard. The jump-off for the gold medals between France Maubeuge and Hayabusa Defence in Russia made the history books of Formation Skydiving competition. The registration process for the female 4-way category and the 8-way event have been slower than expected so far. Both events have not shown much progression in the past years.

8-way competition had increasing participation in the early years and has leveled out at a certain level. It has been quite consistent, as it has been a part of Formation Skydiving competition from the very beginning of the events.

The female 4-way category was introduced much later. It became an official event at the World Championship of Formation Skydiving for the first time in 2001, after the final test at the World Cup in 2000. The IPC expected the event to grow, as nation by nation would send an all-female 4-way team to the international IPC events.

This has not materialized so far. The scores of the best female lineups in the world have consistently increased. However, the number of teams at the international events has not followed the impressive athletic progression. The eight national teams at the World Meet 2008 in France tied the lowest number of teams in this event in 2003.

The World Cup has even lower numbers of all-female 4-way teams. The five teams at the World Cup 2007 in Russia stand for the lowest participation since the introduction in 2000. There was not much drama in the race for the three sets of medals. The Top 3 of 2007 did not threaten each other, and only Germany's Chicas had to work a little bit harder for their bronze medals.

The eight teams at the World Meet 2008 had more exciting battles. The Top 3 (Bodyflight Storm, Fastrax Blue, Aerokart Deep Blue) were all in striking distance for the gold medals. The next three teams (Norway's Fortitudo, Australia, Germany's Chicas) were even closer to each other in their battle for the 4th place.

Only the German Chicas came back to the World Meet in 2008 after competing at the World Cup in 2007. They will try to qualify again as the national team next week at the German Nationals 2009, and Germany will have a female lineup at the World Cup, either the Chicas or Incognito Leutkirch, maybe both.

Aerokart Deep Blue from France will come back as the only 2008 medal winner to this year's World Cup in the Czech Republic. The United Kingdon sends a new team with Kaizen, and the USA have no representation at all in any of the Formation Skydiving events so far.

Germany may have another chance to win a set of international medals this year. Both German top teams have the potential to do so without a strong US team.

Hopefully, several all-female teams will still sign up for the international competition, as the IPC is still observing the progression of the event.

And the Czech Republic in the heart of Europe is surely worth a trip...