posted Jan 29th, 2011 - Everything relevant for Formation Skydiving competition teams, competitors and officials is said and done.

First of all, the IPC Delegates (International Parachuting Commission) decided today at the plenary meeting in Montenegro that the World Championship of Formation Skydiving 2012 will be hosted by Skydive Dubai. It is scheduled for November 29 - December 10.

The event is in fact a part of the next Mondial, which means that all parachuting/skydiving events will take place at the same place within this time period. The last Mondial was hosted by France in Maubeuge 2003.

The Dubai decision will bring relief to the teams and competitors who did not like the idea of a right-hand door at the next world meet. The NSL News covered this topic last time with the story on 12 January 2011.

Italy was the other bidder and would have Pilatus Porters as the jump planes. A vast majority of teams and competiors had voted against the right-hand door when the NSL News asked the on-line audience.

Other IPC decisions in Montenegro may not please the whole 4-way community as much. The IPC Competition Committee suggested changes of the dive pool, which were approved by the plenary meeting. Block 1, formerly Snowflake - Offset, has now become Snowflake - Snowflake.

Both pieces are required to complete 360' turns, rather than 270' until yesterday. Time and competition videos will tell how the new and very easy finish in a Snowflake will be handled by teams and judges.

IPC Dive Pool 2011: Block 1
Do you like the change?	Yes No
	Current Results

The Competition Committee explained the necessity of this change with the new Block 13, wich used to be Hammer - Hammer. Block 13 has turned into Offset - Spinner, and the committee's continuity plan for the dive pool would not allow to have the same formation at the beginning of one block and the end of another block at the same time.

The previous Block 13 would not have caused this problem. It seems as if the change of Block 13 had the committee's higher priority, and Block 1 needed to be changed once Block 13 was voted in.

However, nothing is so special about the new Block 13, while Hammer - Hammer used to be a very unique and challenging maneuver in the dive pool, with many options how to engineer and perform it.

Teams have spent more time, jumps and money to become familiar with the technique of Hammer - Hammer, compared to other blocks and techniques. The teams that have finally mastered it might be disappointed now. Luckier are the teams and competitors who did not like the former Block 13

IPC Dive Pool 2011: Block 1
Do you like the change?	Yes No
	Current Results

The new Block 13 (Offset - Spinner) is neither special nor unique. It is in fact almost a copy of Block 20 (Piver - Viper). The character of the new Block 13 is mainly the same as the one of Block 20.

A sequence with Block 20 and subsequently the new Block 13 would not offer the greatest entertainment for the center piece, while Point and Tail may get dizzy. It will be interesting to see Block 14 in the same sequence. The Point has to perform three 540' turns. The NMP-PCH Hayabusa members can probably hardly wait to see Paraclete XP's Johnny Eagle do his job with this sequence...