posted Jul 18th, 2023 - The AAA Class competition of the Pre-Nationals/Summer Classic weekend did not feature any exciting battles, neither between the teams at Skydive Spaceland Houston nor at Skydive Paraclete XP. The U.S. national team in 4-way Women, XPG4, was too strong for the new Golden Knights 4-way lineup without former team captain Andrew Starr.

XPG4 keep throwing out new team record numbers when they compete, after Jeana Billings re-joined the team this year. The same lineup had posted a 27.6 average at the FAI Indoor World Championship 2023, after 25.4 with former member Shannon Catalano at the Paraclete XP Indoor Championship in February. The 27.6 was the highest meet average in team history, which even challenged the French Nephtys for the FAI gold medal position in Slovakia.

The 19.3 average last weekend was the new XPG4 outdoor record number for a 10-round meet, and it could have easily been significantly higher. New team videographer Joss Martin was still in the process of learning the exit procedures and rhythm of XPG4, and he did not have much time for any adjustments, as the world-class team starts working very soon after launching the exit formation.

XPG4 lost a total of eleven points, eight of them due to the camera angle in the first four rounds. Joss Martin made the necessary adjustments during the meet, and no more points were lost any longer after Round 4. More upcoming outdoor training will solidify the points on the first page, and the first 20+ average for XPG4 will be guaranteed at the FAI Outdoor World Cup 2023.

Pre-Nationals/Summer Classic 2023		1		2		3		4		5		6		7		8		9		10		Total	Avg
Rank	AAA Class	5,2,J		20,15,F		H,21,3		Q,1,10		11,K,6		9,P,B,G		16,N,14		19,12,O		M,18,C,7		22,D,13		Total	Avg
1	XPG4	18	-3	17	-3	19	-2	18	-1	19		28	-1	18	-1	18		21		17		193	19.3
2	GK4	19		15	-1	19		10		16		23	-3	14	-2	13		19		15		163	16.3
3	Spaceland Saboteurs	11	-2	15		16		14	-1	14	-1	21		13		13		17		12		146	14.6
4	Accidentally Competent	10		11		8	-2	11		11		14	-1	9	-1	9		13		6	-1	102	10.2

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XPG4 - GK4 at the Paraclete XP Summer Classic

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The highest 10-round average in the history of FAI 4-way Women competition was the 25.7 by the French Weembi Girls lineup at the FAI Outdoor World Championship 2018, which was boosted by a 56-pointer for the Super Sequence in Round 6 (Q,M,F,C,N). The Golden Knights with JaNette Lefkowitz in the lineup had won the FAI gold medals for the U.S. delegation in 2016 with a 22.4 average.

NFTO, the reigning outdoor world champions in 4-way Women from Great Britain, needed only 20.0 to win the same title at the FAI Outdoor World Championship 2022, where the same XPG4 lineup finished in 3rd place with the 18.4 average. XPG4 will probably not have a strong opponent in 4-way Women next month in Voss, Norway, and the team can focus on posting the next team record number.

It was not only the video trouble at the early rounds that may have kept XPG4 from posting the first 20-average last weekend. The U.S. team at Skydive Paraclete XP also completed all ten rounds on Sunday, after the bad weather on Saturday. The team members were also helping with the meet management and coaching other teams at the same time.

The situation will be different in Norway where XPG4 will focus only on their own event, and more time will be available for the preparations of each round in 4-way Women.

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Spaceland Saboteurs - Accidentally Competent at the Spaceland Houston Pre-Nationals

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The new Golden Knights 4-way lineup was just too much for the two AAA Class teams in Texas as XPG4 was for the U.S. Army team. GK4 will have a re-match with XPG4 at the USPA Nationals in September, and both teams will most likely score on a significantly higher level. The Golden Knights had neither a 4-way team nor an 8-way lineup at the national championships last year, and they will at least be back on the 4-way Open Class leaderboard.

The two AAA Class teams at Skydive Spaceland Houston completed seven rounds on Saturday and followed up with the remaining three rounds on Sunday. They were also not hurting each other, as the Spaceland Saboteurs lineup included very experienced 4-way competitors, while two members of Accidentally Competent still competed in the AA/Intermediate Class last year.

Greg Bush won the USPA 4-way Intermediate Class gold medals with SDC Rhebellion XP, and Laura Galdamez won bronze in the same category with Spaceland Toxic. They joined AAA Class forces this year in the Accidentally Competent lineup.

Spaceland Saboteurs members Amanda Lampton and Lucas King had trained and competed together for Dallas 350 in 2016, together with Texas Skydiving League Director Scott Latinis, who filled an open slot for Spaceland Toxic last weekend.

FAI Indoor World Championship 2023			1		2		3		4		5		6		7		8		9		10		Total	Avg
Rank	4-way Women		E,14,3		K,F,22,17		O,7,5		N,2,18		L,P,12,15		M,10,D,H		16,9,C		1,G,J,8		4,Q,21		6,20,A		Total	Avg
1	France 4-way Women	FR	24	-2	30	-1	34	-1	22	-1	27		36		34	-1	27		25		26		285	28.5
2	XPG4	US	25		28	-1	33		25		25	-2	36		29	-3	24	-2	26		25	-2	276	27.6
3	NFTO	UK	25	-1	29		30	-2	20	-3	22	-3	32		34	-1	27	-1	23	-2	26		268	26.8
4	HF Cubs	CZ	22	-2	25	-3	33		23	-1	19	-5	31	-1	33	-1	25	-3	23	-4	24	-2	258	25.8
5	Piteraq	DE	22		19	-2	25		19		20		27		24		20		21		21		218	21.8
6	Airdrops	CH	18	-1	19	-2	23		13	-3	19		24		22	-1	19		21		16	-4	194	19.4
7	Windabona Angels Chicas	ES	18		16	-1	20	-1	16	-1	16	-1	22		16	-4	16	-1	18		17	-1	175	17.5
8	Fire Phoenix	IT	17		17	-1	20		14		14	-2	20	-2	16	-2	14	-1	16		16		164	16.4
9	Kiss My Grips	SK	13	-1	14	-2	19		14		12		19		16	-3	16	-1	16		13	-2	152	15.2

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XPG4 at the FAI Indoor World Championship 2023

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