posted Apr 29th, 2008 - The last comprehensive NSL News update from Germany was posted on 25 September 2007 (Archives > 2007 > News > search for: FSC Eisenach). The story covered the German Nationals 2007 where the five members of the German national 4-way team FSC Eisenach (Markus Bastuck, Dieter Schwarz, Dr. Jörn Thiele, Max Thiele and Alexander Hau on camera) won the 4-way and 8-way gold medals.

The NSL News headline indicated already by then that the upcoming double duties in both events would be challenging for the FSC Eisenach members: "Did you know that Italy increases the distance to Germany in 8-way?" The German national line-up has been preparing for the World Championship of Formation Skydiving 2008 in France ever since.

The competition in France will be very strong in both events. The medal positions in 4-way seem to be far out of reach for FSC Eisenach, while the 8-way team had better chances to compete on the top part of the leaderboard. However, Italy and the United Kingdom have high-profile 8-way lineups that focus only on the 8-way event and train a lot. The German double duties in France will not make it easier to keep up with the direct competitors.

In the meantime, former German national 4-way and 8-way competitors and a former Swiss 4-way champion have formed a new lineup that will compete with a familiar name for FSC Remscheid this year: X-Ray. The experience level of the 2008 lineup promised a great start when the team began its training at the end of February in DeLand.

Three of the X-Ray members (Dr. Ulrich Sehrbrock, Peter Grossmann, Dr. Steffen Schiedek) have been training and competing together since 2004, primarily in the German national 8-way team and also with X-Ray in 4-way. All three of them still represented Germany in 8-way at the World Meet 2006 on their home turf.

The other two members (Mike Vetter, Kurt Gaebel) were both involved with the same German 8-way team, as well. Mike Vetter was coaching the German 8-way team at the world meets in 2004 and 2008. Kurt Gaebel was the official alternate in Croatia 2004, while he covered the event for the NSL News.

All five members of X-Ray Remscheid 2008 have been in touch with each other over the years. Plans of a new 4-way project began to develop after FSC Remscheid's 8-way lineup lost the national championship of 2007 against the combination of Team EADS and FSC Eisenach. Eventually, the plans materialized with the first training camp this spring in DeLand.

Kurt Gaebel, who shares the Point slot with Steffen Schiedek, trained with the team in DeLand. Gary Smith was coaching the team, former X-Ray member Uwe Soppa was on camera. Steffen Schiedek will fly the Point position throughout the major part of the summer season. Both X-Ray Points will each compete at one major event in Germany this year.

The original X-Ray lineup was formed in 2000. Uli Sehrbrock and Uwe Soppa are the only founding members. Uli Sehrbrock made his first skydive in 1981 and joined the German national 8-way team of FSC Remscheid already in 1991. He and new X-Ray member Kurt Gaebel, who started in 1980, trained and competed with the same German 8-way team in 1993 and 1994 before Kurt Gaebel moved to Florida. Uli Sehrbrock has a total of approx. 7,000 jumps, Gaebel approx. 10,000 jumps.

The second Point of the team, Steffen Schiedek, started in 1991 and joined the German 8-way team in 1994. He became an X-Ray member in 2002 and has a total number of approx. 7,000 jumps. Both X-Ray Points fly the front piece with Center Outside Uli Sehrbrock.

The rear piece is made of a harmonic cooperation by the owners of two of the major skydiving centers in Germany. Peter "PG" Grossmann (Tail) runs Skydive Nuggets at the Leutkirch airport in southern Germany. Mike Vetter (Center Inside) has taken over the skydiving center in Gransee, north of and close by Germany's capitol city, Berlin.

Peter Grossmann made his first skydive in 1984, joined FSC Remscheid's national 8-way lineup in 2004 and then X-Ray in 2005. He has a total of approx. 12,500 jumps and competed at each national championshop since 1992 and also at several world meets and world cups.

His first 4-way team of 1992 - 1998, the Nuggets, gave his skydiving center the name, and it has been flourishing ever since he has been running it. Skydive Nuggets has become the biggest and most popular place in southern Germany and keeps a Twinotter and a Pilatus Porter busy, especially throughout the summer season.

The Nuggets Cup is one of the most popular events in Germany and attracts 20 - 25 teams to Leutkirch every year. The event is a part of the German Skydiving League (DSL) season.

X-Ray Remscheid will compete at the Nuggets Cup with Kurt Gaebel in the Point slot, while Steffen Schiedek has the DFV Cup 2008 on his X-Ray meet agenda. The DFV Cup is also hosted by Skydive Nuggets and will be held in Leutkirch this year in September, and also in 2010 and 2012.

The Leutkirch airport has a history as an event site for skydiving competition. The 7th World Championship of Skydiving was held there in 1964. Formation Skydiving competition was not on the list of events by then... The X-Ray members and the two dropzone operators in the rear piece also work together organizing windtunnel training camps and have their own website for that purpose.

Many German teams train and compete at Skydive Nuggets this year, including the German champion in the A/Intermediate Class, Incognito, and all three national teams. The Chicas, FSC Eisenach and 8-way team EADS take advantage of the Pilatus Porter that flies in Leutkirch to prepare for the world meet in August.

Peter Grossmann's rear piece partner, Mike Vetter, made his first skydive the same year, in 1984, and has approx. 10,500 jumps by now. He runs the Go Jump skydiving operation at the Gransee airport, north of Berlin. The swiss-born veteran has been involved in skydiving business enterprises for a long time and knows well how to build and maintain a business.

He built up and managed a skydiving operation in Spain before he took over the management of the skydiving operations in Berlin-Gransee in 2006. Eventually he founded Go Jump and bought the whole skydiving operation on the Gransee airport, which draws the customer base from the 5-million city of Berlin.

Mike Vetter was the team captain of the Swiss national teams between 1991 and 2004. His activities in Switzerland included the project "Future Watch", which he created to support the development of the sport in his country. He is a 12-time Swiss champion and competed at six world meets in his 12-year career in Switzerland. One of his Swiss 4-way lineups finished in 5th place at the World Meet 2001 in Spain.

He became very actively involved with team coaching, as well, and worked with the Austrian national team between 1997 and 1999. The German 8-way team of FSC Remscheid hired Mike Vetter in 2004 and attended two world meets under his supervision. Finally, the German connection and his residence in Berlin ended up with his commitment as the Center Inside for X-Ray Remscheid.

The first 80-jump training camp in DeLand, with Gary Smith coaching the team, was successful and matched the high expectations. There is a lot of positive energy in the new X-Ray lineup, and the pace was already set at a significantly higher level compared to past years.

The team members don't expect to get close to the performance and scoring level of the German national team, FSC Eisenach, this year. The reigning champion is better trained, and X-Ray has a limited program for the 2008 season. However, the team has the potential to give the national team a competition for a round here and there. The few training camps in Germany will be used to clean up the techniques and synchronize the team.

The first X-Ray competition, the Nuggets Cup, is scheduled for July 26.