posted May 26th, 2021 - The complete German Formation Skydiving delegation for FAI/ISC events in the traditional events (4-way Open, 4-way Women, 8-way Open) seemed to be in jeopardy when Oceanside AtomiX recently announced that the reigning 4-way Open Class champions will not represent Germany at the FAI Tanay Mondial 2020 this August.

However, the German skydiving federation (DFV) and national coach Robert Trögele reacted quickly and asked the runner-up of the last national championships in 2019, Airbus Illertissen, if they were ready for traveling to Russia as the substitute team in 4-way Open.

The Airbus 4-way team did not hesitate and agreed to attend their first world meet, as the NSL News reported on May 24th. The Airbus 8-way lineup is competing for Germany in 8-way Open at the same event, and one team member, Alex Prendinger, will have to perform double-duties.

Nevertheless, the German Formation Skydiving delegation is still reduced to the size of the time period between 1985 and 1999, when only 4-way Open and 8-way Open had leaderboards at FAI/ISC world meets and world cups. There will be no German team in 4-way Women at the FAI Tanay Mondial 2020.

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FAI World Meet 2018			1		2		3		4		5		6		7		8		9		10		Total	Avg
Rank	4-way Women		21,L,B,G		22,18,17		19,7,O		J,16,12		10,A,D,15		Q,M,F,C,N		H,20,P,13		6,14,11		E,2,5		4,1,3		Total	Avg
1	Aerodyne Weembi Girls	FR	29	-1	20		24		22		25		56	-1	23		18	-2	22		18	-1	257	25.7
2	NFTO	UK	20	-3	15		22	-1	19		18		38	-2	18		17		19		16		202	20.2
3	Team X	SE	17	-3	10	-3	18		16		14		36	-3	15	-3	13		18		12	-1	169	16.9
4	Phoenix XP	US	17	-2	12		17		14		15	-1	37		16	-1	12	-2	14	-2	13		167	16.7
4	Boomerang Betty	AU	19	-1	11	-1	18		14		15		32	-2	15		13		17		13		167	16.7
6	Fuzion Voltige	CA	17	-1	9	-2	18		14		15	-1	34	-2	14	-2	13	-2	14	-2	13		161	16.1
7	Skynamite	DE	19		12		16	-1	14		14	-1	27	-1	13	-3	12	-1	15		12	-1	154	15.4

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Skynamite at the FAI Outdoor World Meet in Australia 2018

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Participation of German 4-way Women teams at FAI World Championships of Formation Skydiving between 2001 and 2018

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Skynamite had competed for Germany in 4-way Women at the previous World Championship of Formation Skydiving in Australia 2018 and were back for Germany at the FAI Outdoor World Cup 2019.

The lineup was different, and only Sandra Dederichs and Yasmin Schütte were in the Skynamite lineup a year later in Eloy. They had won the latest 4-way Women qualification at the German national championship of 2019 together with new members Sylvia Schlaphof and Airbus 8-way member Linda Koeb, and they had no 4-way Women opponent on the 4-way Open leaderboard.

The latest team member, Verena Juergens, was not available for the FAI World Cup in October 2019, and AtomiX member Andrea Kleinschmidt substituted for the competition.

Due to the corona virus pandemic, Germany could not host a national outdoor championship event in 2020, and Skynamite was still the national team in 4-way Women for the FAI Tanay Mondial 2020 this August. The new Skynamite lineup (Sandra Dederichs, Verena Juergens, Sylvia Schlaphof, Yasmin Schütte) still attended the 3rd edition of the Fly Challenge, hosted by the Jochen Schweizer Arena in Munich in February 2020 before the shut-down and lock-down measures in Germany.

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FAI World Cup 2019			1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	Total	Avg
Rank	4-way Women		13,11,16	P,22,4	O,7,21	9,20,G	18,15,L	K,10,3	6,14,C	1,M,A,17	F,D,Q,8	2,5,E	Total	Avg
1	Aerodyne Weembi Girls	FR	17	19	25	20	20	19	20	23	25	21	209	20.9
2	NFTO	UK	17	17	23	19	17	17	19	21	23	20	193	19.3
3	Phoenix XP	US	13	13	17	14	13	12	14	17	18	14	145	14.5
4	Skynamite	DE	13	12	18	16	11	13	13	15	16	16	143	14.3
5	SNE Fly Girls	US	11	11	15	14	11	12	13	14	16	12	129	12.9
6	Victorious Secret	US	9	11	14	10	11	11	12	16	14	14	122	12.2
7	Alola	UK	9	10	13	10	9	9	9	12	16	11	108	10.8

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Skynamite at the FAI Outdoor World Cup in Eloy 2019

4-way Women participation and scoring at FAI World Championships of Formation Skydiving between 2001 and 2018

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Skynamite did not come unharmed out of the pandemic situation, which is still not over yet. Sandra Dederichs and Verena Juergens did not continue with the preparations for the FAI Tanay Mondial 2020, and the only original member Yasmin Schütte and her returning team mate Sylvia Schlaphof had to re-build the team.

Former HorschD member Katharina Reiss has committed to join the new Skynamite lineup, however, the all-female team is still looking for the 4th member, and any new lineup would lack eligibility for the world meet with only two members of the 2019 lineup.

The German skydiving federation and national coach Robert Trögele had to realize that they don't have a qualified team in 4-way Women. Robert Trögele plans to have a national team for this event next year in Eloy, whether it is a new Skynamite lineup or a different team. He would like to see competition for the 4-way Women slot in the German delegation at this year's national championship in September.

The German records for world meets in 4-way Women are not as flawless as they are in 4-way Open. Germany missed the world meet in Prostejov 2014, after a consistent and very promising scoring progression between 2001 and 2010. It's an unfortunate timing for the 4-way Women event in general, where the participation has been declining since the peak in Dubai 2012, while the French Weembi Girls have lifted the scoring and performance level to a very impressive 25.7 in Australia 2018.

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FAI Outdoor World Meet 2010			1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	Total	Avg
Rank	4-way Women		10,7,12	3,11,5	J,M,Q,P,L	19,1,13	N,18,20	K,17,8	2,15,H	4,D,6	O,E,9,G	22,B,16	Total	Avg
1	Aerokart Deep Blue Maubeuge	FR	20	19	47	18	19	20	21	21	32	19	236	23.6
2	Team Bodyflight	UK	16	17	44	17	17	19	18	19	30	19	216	21.6
3	Spaceland Blue	US	17	14	38	15	16	15	17	15	29	12	188	18.8
4	ISB Air	DE	16	15	39	13	13	15	16	14	28	11	180	18.0
5	Polaris	NO	14	12	30	11	14	12	14	15	22	15	159	15.9
6	Prygalky	RU	13	10	21	13	13	12	10	13	17	12	134	13.4
7	Sweden	SE	9	7	20	9	11	8	11	11	16	-	102	11.3
8	China	CN	9	9	17	5	6	6	11	8	15	-	86	9.6

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ISB Air at the FAI Outdoor World Meet in Menzelinsk 2010

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