posted Jan 20th, 2016 - Arizona Airspeed has been in the headlines frequently since the USPA Nationals 2015, more than ever before in the 21-year history of the team franchise.

The topics of the Sun Path Products NSL News went back and forth between coverage of the athletic part, including the opponents, and Airspeed's internal affairs, mainly personnel changes in the past years. The most recent change in the lineup is settled now, and Mikhail Markine is the new point, as reported on January 18th.

Airspeed's 2016 lineup is in full indoor and outdoor training swing, and additional time is used to finalize the plans for the 2016 season and the following years. The complete lineup was still available for an NSL Talk conversation yesterday after the daily training.

Thomas Hughes explained that Airspeed feels strongly about the upcoming 2016 season. He and his new center partner Niklas Hemlin both believe that they have and are able to resume the same center work quickly that brought the team to the gold medals at the Mondial Dubai 2012.

Niklas Hemlin took a 2-year break after Dubai 2012 and then came back for Airspeed in the point slot at the beginning of the 2015 season. Chris Farina had replaced him as the team's inside center in 2013 and now had to make room when Airspeed decided to move Niklas Hemlin back into the center.

Mikhail Markine is new and the only team member with a new slot assignment. He was in the tail position for SDC Rhythm XP since 2012 before committing to replace Thomas Hughes after the Mondial 2016. He moved much earlier into the active lineup than expected when Arizona Airspeed recently changed the 2016 plans.

Mondial Dubai 2012			1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	Total	Avg
Rank	4-way Open		5,12,E	6,D,B,K	O,8,7	N,13,18	10,21,M	19,H,11	C,G,1,A	20,9,15	16,F,P,Q	2,J,4	Total	Avg
1	Arizona Airspeed	US	27	34	27	22	23	23	32	25	40	26	279	27.9
2	NMP-PCH Hayabusa	BE	25	34	27	21	23	24	32	27	40	25	278	27.8
3	Aerodyne Aerokart	FR	26	30	27	21	23	25	29	23	37	24	265	26.5

The three returning Airspeed members in front of the camera (Thomas Hughes, Niklas Hemlin, Thiago Gomes) felt that action became necessary when they could not change the outcome of the duels with the reigning 4-way world champions, NMP PCH Hayabusa.

It was at the Mondial Dubai 2012 when Airspeed outscored the Belgian team last time in direct competition, with the slimmest possible 10-point margin of one single point. Hayabusa has won each meet ever since, including the 4-way gold medals in Prostejov 2014, and even after their own personnel change at the beginning of last year.

The latest two defeats in Dubai (Clash of Champions - World Air Games) sealed the team's desire for a change.

Arizona Airspeed has won the last nine national championships consecutively and will probably add the 10th national title this year. However, active Airspeed membership includes the responsibility to bring home gold medals for the U.S. delegations at world championships, and winning the USPA 4-way gold medals is not enough.

Being the U.S. national 4-way team does not mean at all that there will be an easy road to the world champion title. The 4-way competition at the very top level of the world has always been a tough battle. It used to be only a duel for the gold medals between U.S.A. and France between 1991 and 2010. Arizona Airspeed lineups won it five times for the U.S.A. (1995 - 1997 - 2001 - 2008 - 2012) before a third player interfered with the success of both countries: NMP PCH Hayabusa from Belgium.

The new Airspeed lineup will have to use all available resources and energy to keep Hayabusa from defending the Belgian gold medals successfully...