posted Jan 5th, 2010 - One of the first teams that signed up very early for the World Challenge 2010 was Area 51, an international lineup with two DeLand Norgies members, Lise Nansen-Aune and Pal Kolbenstvedt. Alex Jordaan from South Africa and Igor Galvan from Italy completed the lineup. Area 51 of 2009 finished with an 18.9 average in Bedford.

Igor Galvan was the driving force to put together last year's lineup. He wanted to challenge himself with the Norwegian world class players and found a like-minded team mate with Alex Jordaan.

He tried to bring Lise Nansen-Aune back for the World Challenge 2010, but she already had her own flying plans with husband Nikolai Nansen. Now Igor Galvan recruited an Area 51 lineup with four Italian players for the World Challenge 2010.

This year's Area 51 project for the tunnel competition focuses on Igor Galvan's friend Massimo De Gregorio who is relatively new to Formation Skydiving competition. Igor Galvan met him two years ago at his home drop zone when Massimo De Gregorio was coming back to skydiving after a few years of absence.

Igor Galvan introduced him to the Formation Skydiving world, and they talked a lot about the evolution of the sport and the performance of the top teams like Arizona Airspeed. Massimo De Gregorio was so interested and excited that he began working on his own skills. Soon the two Italian friends began to train together in the wind tunnel.

Igor Galvan was coaching him during several hours of tunnel time, and he was impressed with the fast improvements of his friend's skills. Massimo De Gregorio's advanced video editing skills helped him to review his own performance in all details. Then he also helped Igor Galvan to advertise the Tunnel Alien tunnel camps.

Eventually, Massimo De Gregorio said that he felt prepared enough to compete in 4-way, and Igor Galvan began to work on the new lineup for the World Challenge 2010. He found two highly skilled and experienced Italian 4-way competitors who will put Massimo De Gregorio in the same situation where Igor Galvan was last year with Area 51: he will be challenged to his limits.

Antonella Chiarin and Stefano Rossi are the two other Area 51 players for the 2010 event. Antonella Chiarin is one of the most successful and experienced 4-way competitors in Italy. She has won four national championship titles, three times with the Dram Team in 1997, 1998 and 1999. She competed with the Italian 4-way team at the World Meet 1999 in Australia where Area 51 founder Igor Galvan was filming the team.

Then she won the national championship again with the Spin Team in 2007 (Antonella Chiarin, Marco Arrigo, Alessandro Giovannini, Mirko Righi, with Enzo Muro on camera) and finished as the unofficial amateur world champion at the World Meet 2008 in France with an 18.7 average.

Antonella Chiarin was also on the Italian 8-way team at the World Meet 1995 in Gap. The 8-way team name was Sinapsi, and the four original Sinapsi 4-way members competed in 8-way that year. Italian 4-way bronze medalist of the World Meet 1991, Alfio Fontana (Team Outcast), was the 8-way team captain. Antonella Chiarin also competed with the Italian national team at the first two international events in the female 4-way category in 2000 and 2001.

The 4th Area 51 member, Stefano Rossi, was a Wind Speed member in 2007 and 2008 and has posted meet averages around the 15.0 level. He started with 4-way competition a few years ago.

Igor Galvan is one again excited about this year's Area 51 lineup. He looks forward to joining forces as competitors with Antonella Chiarin after filming her in 1999. He also sees it as an honor to compete with Massimo De Gregorio who he has inspired to become a 4-way competitor and helped as a coach: "From teaching forward and backward moves to competing together at the World Challenge 2010!"